Finland's Arctic Wildlife


		Finland Photography Tour Details
		Dates	Apr 14–26, 2009
		Leaders	DavidTipling and Jari Peltomäki
		Fee	$7,995 from Ivalo; departing from Oulu, Finland
		Deposit	$400
		Limit	8
			Terms and Conditions

Finland’s vast northern province occupies one-third of the country’s entire area and contains some of Europe’s wildest scenery. Combined with nearby coastal Norway, the region encompasses a broad variety of diverse habitats including tundra, fells (forested hills), rugged coastline, lakes, peat bogs, marshlands and vast pine forests. The present topography of the land was sculpted as the great Pleistocene ice sheets retreated northward 10,000 years ago.

Finnish Lapland lies north of the Arctic Circle and its inhabitants—animals and humans alike—have adapted to a life of long, cold winters and short, warm summers. The few encroachments of the modern world are dwarfed by the immensity of the wilderness, and huge areas of Finnish Lapland retain a raw and remote beauty that has remained virtually unchanged since the end of last ice age.

Wildlife photography in this rugged landscape is done in true expedition style. For many species, animals have to be spotted while we traverse the picturesque countryside and search for them from the comfort of our safari vehicles. Ptarmigan, reindeer, moose, arctic hare, red fox—and even Norway lemmings—may be seen and photographed along the roadside! We plan to photograph "staked out" great grey and hawk owls and, with a bit of luck, snowy owls in snowbound meadows.

In early spring Lapland’s scenic interior forests are still blanketed in a photogenic greeting-card panorama of thick snow, while the adjacent northern coastline of Norway’s Varanger Fjord remains ice free due to the warming influence of the Gulf Stream. The fjord lures great numbers of wintering waterfowl, including huge rafts of colorful king, common and Steller’s eiders, and stately long-tailed ducks, creating wonderful opportunities to view and photograph them at close range. The birds will be at the peak of breeding plumage! Puffins, murres and kittiwakes now occupy their coastal nesting cliffs. Gyrfalcons and white-tailed eagles have returned to their aeries along the Teno River, sometimes offering spectacular aerial courtship displays. Northern lights dance in the evening.

In the Oulu area we photograph displaying black grouse from specially-erected canvas blinds. As early spring days get longer and the sun starts melting the snow, males begin their ostentatious lekking display. As many as 20 birds may display in the lek, and in some cases come so close it may be possible to photograph them with a wide-angle lens! From nearby bird feeders we’ll shoot yellowhammer, blue and crested tits, bullfinches, redpolls and photogenic red squirrels.

Brown bears just emerging from their dens on the Russian border are part of the grand finale of this outstanding photo adventure. At the Martinselkonen Nature Reserve we spend two nights in log-constructed blinds as we photograph European brown bears that have been fed here for the past 15 years. As many as 20 bears visit the feeding stations in this old-growth Scots pine woodland. We also search for a spectacular male capercaillie—the world’s largest grouse—hoping to find a "rogue male" so testosterone-pumped during the breeding season that this normally extremely shy species is known to attack people during its display! It’s obviously an amazing photo opportunity in its own right, and a chance you won’t want to miss!

Day 1
Depart from home.

Day 2 (Apr 15)
Arrive in the small Finnish town of Ivalo, business and administrative center for East Lapland, far above the Arctic Circle. Transfer to our hotel and have dinner. (D)

Day 3
We photograph early this morning at woodland bird feeders—capturing High Arctic images of hoary redpolls, pine grosbeaks, Siberian tits, Siberian jays and red squirrels. Leave in late morning for Norway’s Varanger Peninsula, photographing snowy landscapes, reindeer and other wildlife along the way. (BLD)

Days 4–5
We photograph the Hornoya bird cliffs (alcids and kittiwakes) by boat and shoot rafts of eiders from shore at close range in quiet harbors. We search for falcons, eagles and snowy owls as we drive from Båtsfjord to Vardo. (BLD)

Day 6
Today we hunt for photogenic roadside wildlife and scenic landscapes and return to our inn near Ivalo. (BLD)

Day 7
Heading south across the Arctic Circle we reach the Taivalkoski region near Kuusamo. (BLD)

Days 8–9
We photograph golden and white-tailed eagles from specially prepared blinds. Ravens, great spotted woodpeckers, jays, tits and finches are also possible. Later on Day 9 we continue south to Suomussalmi and photograph bears this evening. (BLD)

Day 10
We photograph brown bears in old growth forest at Martinselkonen, a wilderness area on the border with Russia. (BLD)

Day 11
We drive to Oulu. (BLD)

Day 12
Early morning at black grouse leks, photographing from blinds. Boreal and great grey owls and black woodpeckers are also photo possibilities. (BLD)

Day 13 (Apr 26)
Another morning at the grouse leks; depart for home. (B)



	Joseph Van Os Photo Safaris, Inc. P.O. Box 655, Vashon Island, Washington USA 98070 Phone: (206) 463-5383 Fax: (206) 463-5484 Email: info@photosafaris.com Copyright © 2008, Joseph Van Os Photo Safaris, Inc.

Finland's Arctic Wildlife

Finland Photography Tour Details