Hel Hath No Birdies

More geese today in snowy conditions, primarily Tundra Bean Geese and Russian Whitefronted Geese with a couple of Pink Footed geese thrown in. Pink feet are, after Lesser Whitefronted, the rarest of the grey geese, but reasonably regular. Still always nice to see. Let's take a moment of silence to pity these poor honkers in that weather. I realize they've been dealing with, likely worse, for millenia, but still... Pink Footed Goose The variation in both species of Bean Goose, as I said before, is immense and it's always good to take stock of birds in a flock if you can take the time. Tundra Bean Goose A pretty standard Tundra Bean, perhaps a bit more colour in the bill than the classic field guide depiction, but the shape is pretty on target, short, deep based and scowly. The neck is short and the forehead high, lending a square shape. Run Rabbit, Run Rabbit, Run Run Run. Photo-bombed Tundra Bean Goose. The deep based bill, particu...

Spring in Finland is a completely different ballgame to spring in Ireland. Firstly, it is more severely craved, like a pregnant woman and pickles, Trump and his morning twitter time, or a garda and a school of nursing event in Copper Face Jacks, it cannot come soon enough. Alas, the Finnish weather often has other ideas. Even as I write, it's the end of April, and it's once again, snowing...again. AGAIN! It really is snowing...again The first signs of spring are birds. Birds which birders in potatoland wouldn't necessarily associate with spring. For us here its the return of birds which, through necessity, have been absent all winter. Birds like Lapwing, Woodpigeon, Stock dove and Skylark all make their first appearances in March, providing welcome songs in what would have been a melody free wasteland all winter. But for me, the real excitement comes in the form of geese. Suddenly, as the snow begins to melt away (theoretically mind you) and the stubble fields ...

Mökki. In Finland this is more than just a word. It's an existential concept. An entire way of life, bordering on religion. As a foreigner living in Finland you will be constantly exposed to it in one form or another. Whole forms of media are dedicated to it. Magazines crowd the shelves. TV shows clog the airwaves. What is it? A mökki is a Finnish "Summer Cabin". A "rustic" retreat in the woods that Finns simply adore. Many Finns will choose to spend their holidays at their cabin rather than travel abroad. They choose this. The lack of running water. The mosquitoes. The regular rituals of maintenance and DIY that come with preventing nature from taking the cabin back. You either love this or hate it. I love it. We are lucky to have 2 such getaways, one just a half hour outside the city, the other north of Tampere. The Tampere one gets visited maybe twice a year, and strictly in Summer. Consequently trips there tend to involve a fair amount of...

Sooooo....I'm back blogging, after much prodding by my soon to be wife (fingers crossed, she hasn't backed out yet) I've decided to tell anyone who may want to read my ramblings, all about birding in Finland and specifically in around the Helsinki area. My birding has changed significantly over the past few years as I have (tried to) adapt to, not only the multitude of different species and habitats I encounter here in Finland, but the completely different style of birding that goes on here. Perhaps the biggest change for me here is... I'm not really trying to find rarities. (Pauses for shocked gasps and Father Ted-esque "Fookin 'ells") The reason for this is simple and obvious. What is considered a rarity and a good bird back home in good old potatoland (That's Ireland for those who don't know) is not necessarily of interest here in bogland (Suomi is believed to derive from the Finnish for "Bog-land), and vice versa. Some...