Birding Tour Finland: Owls of Finland birding tour

Finland is a spectacular place for owls! Exploring the beautiful taiga forests of Finland in search of these mystical birds is the main focus of this Finland birding tour. However, this tour isn’t just about the owls and we will also enjoy a great variety of other standout species while in Finland, with particular interest in several grouse species including Western Capercaillie, Black Grouse, and Hazel Grouse.

While exploring the Finnish forests, we will search for the breathtaking Great Grey Owl.

We plan to spend the first three days of the tour exploring the extensive forests around Oulu. The boreal forests here have a reputation as one of the best sites for breeding owls in Europe; as such, they will be the focus of the first leg of the tour. We will make use of experienced local guides in search of several sought-after owl species. As with all owls, no matter the species, any encounter with these charismatic birds will surely be memorable. Our success with owls on this tour depends heavily on the abundance of voles, which fluctuates between years. In years when voles are relatively scarce, owls tend to be more challenging to find. In contrast, good vole years dramatically increase the chance of finding our owl targets! It’s, however, not all about owls in Oulu, and we’ll look out for other exciting species, including Black Woodpecker, Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker, Wood Warbler, and Rustic Bunting, to name a few.

Boreal (Tengmalm’s) Owl is yet another of our owl targets on this Scandinavian birding tour.

During our time around Oulu, we plan to visit Liminganlahti, a remarkable wetland area with abundant waterfowl and waders. Some of the species we may encounter here include Spotted Redshank, Caspian Tern, Black-tailed Godwit, Garganey, Whooper Swan, and Common Crane. As a result of the abundance of birds here, the area is frequented by raptors like White-tailed Eagle, Western Marsh Harrier, and Peregrine Falcon. With some luck, we might see uncommon species such as Broad-billed Sandpiper and Pallid Harrier, the latter of which is considered one of Europe’s rarest breeding species. As with the owls, the presence of the harriers is strongly dependent on the number of voles. Another major attraction here will be the presence of breeding-plumaged male Ruffs and we may be lucky enough to see some lekking groups; surely a sight to behold.

After our time in Oulu, we will make our way towards the Russian border and the town of Kuusamo. The drive will give us opportunities to explore the extensive lakes of Finland’s interior, which may yield Smew, Common Crane, Common and Velvet Scoters, Eurasian Whimbrel, Common Goldeneye, singing Wood Sandpiper, and stunning Brambling. Once in the Kuusamo area, we will search for eastern species, including Red-flanked Bluetail, Rustic Bunting, and Little Bunting. The subarctic taiga forests here are home to targets including Grey-headed Chickadee (Siberian Tit), Siberian Jay, and the scarce Two-barred Crossbill. Our focus here will be the grouse, and we stand a chance at connecting with lekking Western Capercaillie and Black Grouse, as well as Hazel Grouse.

The Northern Hawk-Owl is one of the few solely diurnal owls on Earth. They are efficient hunters and can often be found along the roadside.

This tour of Finland forms part of our amazing Finland and Norway: Taiga and Tundra Adventure Tour. If you would like to combine Europe’s best owl species with the incredibly special species of the Arctic Circle, then why not join this tour. Additional species of interest on this tour include thousands of seabirds (such as Thick-billed Murre (Brünnich’s Guillemot)), White-tailed Eagle, King Eider, Steller’s Eider, Long-tailed Jaeger, Black-throated Loon (Black-throated Diver), Rock Ptarmigan, Willow Ptarmigan, Eurasian Dotterel, Temminck’s Stint, and much more!