A superb itinerary from the capital to the Arctic Circle, following the flow of spring migration in search of displaying grouse, nesting owls, lekking Ruffs, and special mammals, including Wolverines.
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.
ITINERARIES • TOUR STATUS • DETAILS • SPACE REQUESTS
ITINERARIES • We issue a separate itinerary for each year, typically at least 9 months before that year's first departure. Most itineraries don't vary much year to year, but there may be small or rarely more substantive changes. A sample previous-year itinerary is usually available even if the one for your chosen departure is not. We do not require any deposit for provisional bookings until the itinerary for the departure is ready.
DEPARTURES • We have 3 departures currently scheduled through 2027, with details including limits, guides, fees, and space available listed below.
2025
May 14-27, 2025 Guided by: Jay VanderGaast & local guide Tour Manager: Nicole Cannon Tour Limit: 11 Status: Provisionally full; waitlist available - This tour is full, and all those booked have made deposits. Click below to be waitlisted for this tour with no obligation; if you are waitlisted, we will also notify you in case of an added departure of this tour. Tour Fee: $7675 Deposit: $775 REQUEST WAITLIST OR MORE INFO
2026
May 14-27, 2026 Guided by: Chris Benesh & local guide Tour Manager: Nicole Cannon Tour Limit: 11 Status: Provisionally full; waitlist available - The itinerary has not been finalized for this tour. The trip has provisionally filled but, if you are interested, we can waitlist you for the trip. As we do not require deposits until the itinerary and price are finalized, we often have folks drop off a tour when the deposit is required, and so space opens up! Click below to be waitlisted for this tour with no obligation; if you are waitlisted, we will also notify you in case of an added departure of this tour. Tour Fee: Fee TBD / 2025=$7675 REQUEST WAITLIST OR MORE INFO
2027
May 13-26, 2027 Guide: TBA Tour Manager: TBA Tour Limit: 11 Status: Open - Space is still available on this tour, and we are accepting provisional bookings. No deposit is required until you receive the itinerary. Click below to book space. Tour Fee: Fee TBD / 2025=$7675 REQUEST SPACE OR MORE INFO
ABOUT OUR TRIPLISTS • After every tour we issue an annotated triplist of the birds recorded on the trip, illustrated with wonderful images (and sometimes video clips) from the tour's participants and guides.
Enjoy looking through the 2 most recent Field Guides triplists for this tour linked below!