Finland -- the name brings to mind images of shimmering lakes set in northern woodlands, reindeer herds tended by stoic Lapps, and bright, clean, vibrant cities. For those who have never visited, the name Finland arouses curiosity. Our impressions of Finland are in fact very close to the mark: the country has enormous expanses of boreal forest, many thousands of lakes and waterways, and a relaxed pace of life that makes visits here a pure pleasure. For birders and natural historians, Finland's treasures in spring are manyfold: great grouse, owls, woodpeckers, and finches in wild forests, large carnivores along the frontier with Russia, and throngs of waterfowl, marsh birds, and shorebirds migrating and displaying and nesting, from immaculate Helsinki on the Gulf of Finland to the stark tundra fells on the border with Norway, above the Arctic Circle. And in May, all along the route, delightful songbirds arrive steadily from Europe and Africa, making for a dynamic spring birding experience, one of Europe's finest.
Field Guides once again has partnered with Finnature, the country's premier wildlife tour company, to craft an itinerary that showcases Finland's birds and mammals and landscapes at the height of the spring season: we'll seek out Wolverine and Eurasian Brown Bear and grand birds such as Western Capercaillie, Black Grouse, Hazel Grouse, Smew, Velvet Scoter, Eurasian Pygmy-Owl, Great Gray and Ural (and six other) owls, Great Bittern, Corn Crake, Eurasian Dotterel, displaying Ruffs, Jack Snipe, Terek Sandpiper, Siberian Jay, Gray-headed Chickadee, Eurasian Nutcracker, Black and Eurasian Three-toed woodpeckers, Little, Ortolan, and Rustic buntings, Red-flanked Bluetail, and Parrot Crossbill, along with hosts of beautiful waterfowl, shorebirds, crakes, flycatchers, finches, warblers, and more. We look forward to introducing you to the magic of Fennoscandia.
Select the KEY INFO tab or click here for our itinerary plus space requests, status, fees, limits, and guides for any departure.