For 21 years I’ve been working at photographing all the birds in my first bird guide.

When I started this, I didn’t really think it out and soon found out the first 700 birds would be fairly easy to photograph but the last 30 or so birds might be a bit harder, or should I say almost impossible.

Sue and I decided to visit Finland and Estonia this past September, partly to see two new countries but also to try to photograph the Gray-headed Chickadee that can be found in the north, of Finland, thius bird being one of the 9 remaining birds I need for the Golden Guide.

We left Ottawa on Sept 11th, landing in Helsinki the next day at noon. Picked up the car and left for Kuusamo, arriving on the 13th.

Now I had long since decided that I wouldn’t leave the birds I needed to chance and hired Mikko Oivukka, Bird and Wildlife Guide, Tour Leader and Owner of Kuusamo Nature Photography.

Sue, Mikko and I, met up that afternoon and he took Sue and I to a feeding station he had set up and within a short time, we had a lone Gray-headed Chickadee coming in. Some of you can imagine what an adrenaline rush I got from seeing this beauty, for the first time.

I was getting towards nightfall and we decided to meet up the next morning to look for a few other local birds.

The next day proved to be challenging, as most of the birds had gone quiet at that time of year or left for warmer climates but Mikko did get me on a few nice birds…

Siberian Jay

Willow Tit

Lookout

Tree Creeper

Later that morning we headed back to the feeding station, I was determined to get a better photo, to our surprise their were now 2 Chickadees coming in now

Gray-headed Chickadee

Siberian Jay

Willow Tit

Brambling

Greenfinch

Great Tit

Gray-headed Chickadee

Since Sue and I had agreed to leave the vacation part of this trip until after I’d gotten the chickadee, off we went back towards Helsinki that afternoon.

Free ranging domesticated reindeer were everywhere on the roads, care must be taken when driving.

Instead of retracing our path we decided to drive west toward Oulu and see some of the coast. We stayed overnight in a cute little cabin, near Liminka Bay and went to the Liminka Bay Visitors Centre and birding area the next morning.

I didnt have my scope but the Visitors Centre had them for rent….

Viewing was distant but there was a large variety of birds, getting photos was impossible.

We left the visitors centre and headed south, stopping occasionally at place where Northern Nutcracker had been seen but try as I might, I didn’t see any. The photo below of a mount was the closest I got.

Most of the rest of the time was spent vacationing, we spent a day, taking the ferry from Helsinki to Eastonia, walking the town, and relaxing.

Leaving Helsinki

I managed to see a few good birds…

Common Gull

European Herring Gull

Sandwich Tern

Little Gull

Arriving in Tallinn, Estonia

Strolling through Tallinn

Had To Try One

After returning to Helsinki the next few days was spent, touring the area.

Here are a few of the good birds….

One word of warning to any people visiting Finland, beware of speed cameras, the boxes are everywhere and there may not be cameras in each box but you never know….

Thank You, Mikko, job well done, Ciao for now