Arctic Equinox

With the proximity of the Autumn Equinox, I once again experienced those innermost stirrings which pulled me to the Arctic in order to bid the Sun farewell on His sojourn to the Southern Hemisphere. And so it was Ryanair to Tampere in Finland in order to get as far north as was practicable in the conditions. One aim was to find the mysterious Siberian Jay, which I missed on my previous trip to Lapland.

My route north was by the Karelia Way along the border with Russia, and on the second day I was entering the circumpolar taiga forest ecosystem and spotting typical taiga bird species such as Black-throated Diver, Smew, Goldeneye, Northern Grey Shrike, Hazel Grouse and Black Woodpecker. I pitched camp close to the Oulanka National Park which is an outstanding wilderness area with mountains, forests, lakes, streams and deep ravines with spectacular rapids and waterfalls. In September many of the summer birds had already migrated south and the forest sounded eerily quiet but nevertheless there were waterfowl like Velvet Scoter and divers to be found on the lakes, and Black Grouse and Willow Tits in the forest.

Rapids through a gorge in the Oulanka National Park

Forging north towards the Lapp town of Ivalo, I felt I was in the heart of the taiga ecosystem when I reached the Urho Kekkonen National Park. This park has a number of nature trails of varying lengths, and I set out on the longest, aptly named the "Siberian Jay Trail", with high expectations. It was from raised ground in this park that I was able to gain some comprehension of the vastness of the taiga ecosystem which, from my viewpoint, spanned as far as the eye could see, from horizon to horizon.

The taiga extends beyond the horizon continuously into Asia and around the north pole

Depressions in the taiga ecosystem become filled with water and sphagnum mosses and form the mires beloved of wading birds, cranes and waterfowl

The dominant tree species in the taiga is the Siberian Spruce that has evolved with downward sloping branches so that snow may slide off without too much damage to the tree






unlike this birch tree whose branch has been broken by the weight of winter snow.

A couple of reindeer emerge from the forest

Suddenly I heard some raucous bird calls I was not familiar with. Could they belong to the elusive Siberian Jay I was so keen to see? Shortly a family party of these small crows with reddish wings and tails crossed the track in front of me and I was able to watch them feeding on berries of the forest at close range!

This Siberian Jay posed briefly for a photograph!

THE LAST SUPPER

With the "birding essential" completed it was time to consider the serious aspect of my visit to Lapland. I was aiming for the shores of Lake Inari that lies 162 miles (260 km) north of the Arctic Circle and I reached it as the wind turned to the north I encountered the first frost and there was ice on my tent at night. The rituals are known to Courtiers (The Royal Maalie Court: Manual of Ancient Customs and Practices, Vol. 1, page 1). They involved the final supper before turning south.

Communion with the land: reindeer meat stew with root vegetables






Communion with the lakes: fresh perch






Communion with the forest: these sweet- tasting cloudberries (red) and bilberries (black) carpeted the forest floor at this time of year

Sunset over Lake Inari which in a matter of weeks will be cloaked in darkness and ice

For the route south I adopted the well-worn route of Santa's Road which led to Santa's Village at Rovaniemi situated right on the Arctic Circle. The village is a marvellously constructed affair with displays of all things Yuletide to scrutinise. I was really quite impressed though, for my taste, there were far too many nauseating kids around. Maybe it would be better on a weekday when they are all in school.

I could scarcely conceal my astonishment that among the racks of tree decorations and cuddly reindeer, with strains of "Rudlof the Red-nosed Reindeer" filling the air, there was also a cabinet where you could buy reindeer meat! I looked for a red nose but it must have been sold already.

The "Official" Arctic Circle, location of Santa's Village

The route south took me to the west of Finland down the Gulf of Bothnia in the Baltic Sea. A birder's "must see" is the Liminganlahti Bay, just south of Oulu which is the primary Finnish wetland for breeding and migrating birds. Althought the breeding season was well over, I was able to add migrating Common Crane, Greenshank, Spotted Redshank, Bluethroat and Lesser Whitethroat to my bird list.

I made time to spend a day in the wonderful Seitseminen National Park that I had visited on my two previous visits to Finland. There are some excellent hiking trails and on this occasion my 16 km route revealed the changing colours of the birch trees.

The Seitseminen National Park in its Autumn glory

Sunset over the Baltic. I noted that the sun set a couple of degrees north of west; in a few days it will set due west, and then slide away to the south until it commences its return at the Winter Solstice

My route:

North from Tampere via Jyvaskjla, Kuopio, Iisalmi, to camp nr Suveka (1 night). Kajaani, Suomussalmi then minor road 843 to Kuusamo then Juuma for camp (2 nights). Minor road 950 via Salla and Savukovski to Sodankyla. Through Ivalo to Inari (2 nights). South 955 to Kittila, 79 to Rovaniemi, 78 and 924 to Simo, camp just South from Oihava. Main road to Himanka, camped near Lohtaja. Kokkola, Seinajoki to camp at Parkano. Via 332 to Kuru and Tampere.