TENTATIVE
ITINERARY
Pre-trip
Information
- Getting to Helsinki.
The tour starts and ends in Helsinki. Most trans-Atlantic flights to
Helsinki depart in the evening from the east coast and arrive in Helsinki
the next day, usually in the morning. If you fly from NYC, there are
several direct flights, but otherwise most flights are two-part. At the
latest, you will need to leave by the night of June 9. Please
contact Mark Suomala to discuss your flight plans before making
reservations.
Overnight flight from the U.S. to Finland (departs June 9, unless you
want to arrive in Finland earlier).
Day 1 Helsinki to Oulu
After arrival in Finland, and passage through immigration and customs
check-points, we'll board an internal flight for Oulu, located on the
northeast shore of the Gulf of Bothnia, and the site of some of Finland's
most important wetlands. Many shorebirds and water birds can be found here
and we'll take an afternoon outing to look for ducks, geese, gulls and
terns, and the scarce Terek Sandpiper. In the evening, we'll have an
optional outing to look for Great Gray Owl, which breeds in the area.
Night in Oulu.
Days 2 - 4 Liminganlahti to Kuusamo
We'll start our day by visiting the wetlands at Liminganlahti, an
internationally important wetland where thousands of shorebirds and ducks
can be found at this time of year. Whooper Swan, Garganey, Smew, Marsh
Harrier and Little Gull are regularly present in June, along with a few
pairs of Black-tailed Godwit. There are several birding towers, blinds,
and boardwalks that enhance the viewing opportunities. From Liminganlahti,
we'll follow a northeast route to Kuusamo. Located in east-central
Finland, close to the border with Russia, Kuusamo is one of the best areas
for forest birding in all of Finland. The numerous lakes and bogs in the
area will provide opportunities to look for common species such as Common
Goldeneye, Wood Sandpiper and Brambling, but we'll also keep an eye out
for less common species such as Great Gray Shrike and Parrot Crossbill.
Specialty birds of the area also include Bohemian Waxwing, Siberian Tit,
Rustic Bunting, Little Bunting, and Siberian Jay, and we will have a good
chance to see most of these. Although elusive, Red-flanked Bluetail, and
Pine Grosbeak are seen in some years. Three nights in Kuusamo.
Day 5 Kuusamo to Luosto
Today we'll spend some time searching for the scarce Jack Snipe, as
well as other breeding shorebirds such as Greenshank and Ringed Plover
that prefer nesting in the boggy terrain found here. Our drive will take
us across the Arctic Circle, as we continue northward and we can expect to
find Smew, Merlin, Two-barred Crossbill, and maybe a Black Woodpecker.
We'll spend the night at a wilderness lodge situated in a dense taiga
forest. Some of the hoped-for birds that occur at this site include Willow
and Black Grouse, and possibly even Northern Hawk Owl or Capercaillie. We
also might encounter reindeer, or even a moose! Night in Luosto.
Day 6 Luosto to Ivalo
Today's drive will take us even farther north, along several river
valleys and past bogs. We will plan to stop at least at one bog to look
for Broad-billed Sandpiper and Red-neck Phalarope, Common Snipe, European
Golden Plover, and Hen Harrier. A Short-eared Owl could be seen just about
anywhere during the day, and we'll keep an eye on the surrounding forest
for Siberian Tit and Three-toed Woodpecker, which with their quiet habits
can sometimes be difficult to find. If weather and time allow, we'll also
check for Ptarmigan and Dotterel in some of the mountain sites along the
way to our hotel in Ivalo. After dinner, there may be an optional outing
to a nearby bog to look for Ruff, and we might discover something
unexpected like Little Bunting, or Siberian Jay - part of the excitement
and the challenge of this tour is that every year is different. Night in
Ivalo.
Day 7 Ivalo to Tana, Norway
Next, we'll travel almost due north, towards Norway. In Inari, we will
make a brief stop at the Sami museum, which has some excellent displays of
birds, mammals, and natural and human history topics. As we head north
from Inari, we'll continue to stop and look for bird species found in the
area, including Bar-tailed Godwit, Temminck's Stint, Spotted Redshank,
Rough-legged Hawk, Pine Grosbeak, Lapland Longspur, and Bluethroat. One
bog that we'll stop at is a breeding site for Long-tailed Jaeger, Arctic
Loon, and Black Scoter. Following the scenic Utsjoki River valley, we'll
cross the border into Norway. Night in Tana.
Days 8 - 10 Varangerfjord, Boat Trip To Hornoya
Our next three days will be spent in one of the most exciting
landscapes in northern Europe. We will be traveling from Tana north and
then east along the north shore of the Varanger Fjord, which opens out,
into the Barents Sea. Few tree species are found this far north, and the
harsh climate and poor soils mean that open vistas, and rocky outcrops are
typical of the landscape that we will be traveling through.
In the western part of the area, we'll search for breeding White-tailed
Eagle, Greater Scaup, Long-tailed Duck, Goosander, Horned Lark and Common
and Arctic Redpolls. Farther east, we'll be venturing close to the edges
of the fjord in search of King and Steller's Eiders, Red-throated Loon,
and the scarce Yellow-billed Loon. Other breeding birds of the area
include Red-throated Pipit, Snow Bunting, Ruff, and Parasitic Jaeger. In
good lemming years, Snowy Owl has bred in the area.
We'll also venture north, along the easternmost edge of the Varanger
Peninsula towards Hamningberg. It will be hard to imagine that humans have
carved out an existence here, as we follow the twisting road past
sea-cliffs and barren rocky grounds, and cross icy streams that flow into
the Barents Sea.
On one day, we'll take a short boat trip from Vardö to the seabird
colony on Hörnoya. Five species of breeding alcids nest here, including
Razorbill, Atlantic Puffin, Black Guillemot, and Common and Thick-billed
Murres. About 20,000 pairs of Kittiwake breed here, and Shags and Northern
Fulmars also occur. Gyrfacons are occasionally seen - drawn to the
abundant prey. We'll stay two nights in Vardö, and one in Vadsö (or Tana).
Day 11 Norway to Ivalo
Retracing our last steps, we will head back to Finland today. We'll
head back into more forested habitat, and take one last look at Lapland as
we make our way back to Ivalo. This will be our last chance to search for
any of the northern species that have eluded us such as Pine Grosbeak, and
Siberian Jay, or maybe even the scarce Arctic Warbler, a species that only
arrives here in June. We'll board the evening flight back to Helsinki.
Night in Helsinki.
Day 12 Fly back to U.S.
The tour officially ends after breakfast this morning. Airport drop-off
provided.
