The Travelling Naturalist

Lapland March 2013, Trip Report

Lapland Monday 11 – 17 March 2013

Some of the group observing Northern Lights, Finland, 16 March 2013. Photo © Chris Avanti

Leaders Barrie Cooper – Travelling Naturalist Ari Latja – Finnature

Introduction This was Travelling Naturalists’ first visit to Lapland at this time of the year. One of the main targets was the Northern Lights and we had two good performances during our visit, and a third seen by some of the group. Wildlife was limited in quantity, but high in quality. The photogenic eiders – King, Steller’s and Common were popular, as were the seabirds around Hornoya island. Feeding station highlights were Pine grosbeak, Siberian Jay and Tit, Arctic and Mealy Redpolls. Close views of White-tailed Eagle are always popular. Rock and Willow Ptarmigan in winter plumage were another good sighting. Mammals included red squirrel, grey seal and the obligatory reindeer. This was an enjoyable trip with good wildlife, Aurora, cold temperatures and excellent food. 1

The Travelling Naturalist

Lapland March 2013, Trip Report

Sunday 11 March UK to Ivalo: -10 degrees clear sky on arrival Our flight to Ivalo via Helsinki arrived 15 minutes early. As we stepped out of the plane, we were greeted by freezing temperatures, but a beautiful starlit sky with the bright jewel of Jupiter being temporarily joined by an equally bright satellite orbiting the Earth. We met Ari, our Finnish guide, and then made the ten minute journey to Hotel Ivalo had a late supper and a few hardy souls went for a walk, but the Northern Lights failed to show while they were out. Monday 12 March Ivalo to Batsfjord: -24 degrees in the morning, -10 later. Clear blue skies in the morning, cloud and heavy snow later – a day of very contrasting weather After a substantial breakfast, we loaded the luggage back into the vans under a clear blue sky and headed North. A sign near the hotel indicated a temperature of -24 degrees but because the air was relatively dry and there was no wind, it did not seem too unpleasant. The journey produced the occasional magpie, hooded crow and great tit, but a few of us spotted a hazel grouse near the top of a roadside tree – a bonus bird for the lucky few. After a few more kilometres, two reindeer close to the road were seen by everybody and they hung around long enough to allow the photographers to grab a few images, before they disappeared into the forest. Five minutes later, some Siberian jays were found in trees along the road. Eventually four appeared and flew across the road giving good flight views, before one perched at the top of a tree allowing everyone to get excellent views and photos. We soon arrived at the excellent feeding station at Kaamanen. Some Siberian jays were taking advantage of the free food as we arrived. Pine grosbeaks impressed everyone and close views gave the photographers some stunning images. A few Siberian tits also gave excellent close views, but being more active were a more challenging bird to photograph. Arctic and mealy redpolls provided the identification challenge for the day. Strangely perhaps, greenfinches were the shyest of the species coming to the feeding station and appeared to be much less confiding than the others – or was that because they were miffed that they didn’t get their photograph taken as much as the Taiga species? After some warming coffee or hot chocolate, we were on our way. The only notable species on the next leg was raven before we arrived at Hotel Utsjoki for lunch that included an excellent salmon soup. A kilometre later and we were in Norway. Things were fairly quiet until the road took us alongside a sea loch. A small flock of ducks caught our attention, so we stopped to check them out. Their dark shapes in the distance gave the anticipation of possible scoters, but telescopes revealed them to be ….mallard. Fortunately a small flock of long-tailed duck flew past and a lone grey seal was found close to the shore. The seal did not do a disappearing act and everybody managed to see it quite well. A short distance further down, a splendid pair of red-breasted mergansers were also close to shore. At around 4pm, we arrived at a barrier blocking our progress along the road to Batsfjord. We had to join the queue for a convoy at 5pm. The weather and road was okay, so we were surprised we had to wait for the snow plough to lead the convoy. By 5.30 after driving through white-out conditions over the 1000 feet summits, we understood the reasons for the convoy. It really was a case of trying to keep in view of the rear lights of the vehicle in front in order to know where the road was. After around ninety minutes, we finally saw the lights of Batsfjord. Perhaps not quite as spectacular as the Aurora, but these lights were just as welcome at that moment. When we finally parked up in the hotel car park, for the first time in his life, Barrie received applause for his driving skills – a welcome change from regular abuse over the years! 2

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Lapland March 2013, Trip Report

We checked into the Polar hotel and enjoyed another excellent meal. The snow continued to fall, so there was no chance of Northern Lights tonight. Wednesday 13 March Batsfjord: Heavy snow first thing, clear skies later. Max temp: -10 Things were not looking good with the heavy snow falling. A few hardy souls had got up early and gone for a walk to investigate the avian delights of Batsfjord. They were already impressed by the birds, but not the weather. As we ate breakfast, the snow continued to fall, but morale remained high – this was an intrepid group. As we gathered, all togged up for the cold, the snow had stopped and the sky appeared brighter. Amazingly, the clouds soon moved on and we had beautiful clear skies for the remainder of the day. Various vantage points around the harbour were our itinerary and they did not disappoint. Everyone was impressed by the stunning plumages of the male Steller’s and King eiders and a lot of photos were taken of these beautiful birds. To be fair, several commented on the beauty of the male common eiders as well, but in a beauty contest they had to come third. It was great to see them displaying, and that was behaviour we also saw with the long-tailed ducks as the males noisily tried to impress the outnumbered females. A couple of black guillemots were also seen – another beauty. It was also a good location for everyone to compare the different plumages of glaucous gull, and two Iceland gulls added to the contrast. There were many purple sandpipers busily feeding around the shallow edges of the harbour. Two, and later three, grey seals were seen well in the harbour. An immature common guillemot was seen by some of the group during the late afternoon. Just after sunset, we drove up to the airport in order to get a good view of the Western horizon. The target was comet Pannstars L4, but sadly the twilight on the horizon here lasted too long and the comet had set before it was dark enough to see it. However, good views of Jupiter and its four largest moons, plus Earthshine on the crescent moon gave us something to take our minds off the very cold temperatures. With no sign of the comet or Northern Lights, it was time to return to the hotel for dinner. After another excellent dinner, a quick check outside by Ari alerted us to a display of the Northern Lights. A great display developed and lasted for around fifteen minutes. We then drove up above the town to get darker skies. Aurora displays continued for at least another hour before the cold encouraged us to return to the hotel, satisfied at finally seeing this amazing phenomena. The end of a brilliant day. Thursday 14 March Batsfjord to Vardo: Clear blue skies, mixture of snow showers and sun later. Temp range -26 to -5 degrees A few early risers returned to Batsfjord harbour where good numbers of King eider were present with a lot of displaying taking place. Male King eiders are entertaining to watch in display and their calls, coupled with a mist over the water, added to the atmosphere. After breakfast we loaded up the vans and headed back over the mountain. The clear blue skies meant that we did not need to join a snow plough convoy like we did on Monday, so we were able to enjoy the picturesque white landscape contrasting with the azure blue. We stopped a few times to scan for ptarmigan, but without success – it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Another stop had a few rocks on both sides of the road, so it was worth another scan. However, Chris S spotted our new prize - six rock ptarmigan grouped among a few rocks. Their white plumage blended perfectly with their surroundings, but their camouflage was not quite good enough to hide from us. It was great to see the ptarmigan in their winter plumage, and not long later we 3

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Lapland March 2013, Trip Report

saw twenty seven willow grouse feeding not far from the road. These birds were also adorned in their winter plumage and were much more mobile than the ptarmigan. They were particularly entertaining as they scurried across the snow. We continued our descent down to the Tana valley before heading west along the Varanger fjord. An emergency stop was necessary when the large flight silhouette of an adult white-tailed eagle was seen heading in our direction. We watched transfixed as the eagle glided only twenty feet over the second van – a brilliant view. A comfort stop at a petrol station provided us with three reindeer walking through the car park – this is Lapland. Scans of the fjord produced common eider, purple sandpiper, great black-backed and herring gulls, but the frequent snow showers were hampering viewing. We arrived in Vardo with an hour of daylight left so we headed to the shore at the south of town. It was a good decision because, soon after we arrived, an adult white-tailed eagle soared into view, mobbed by gulls as it gained height. A minute later another adult came into view, this time lower in the sky. Both birds conveniently flew over our heads giving great views. Other birds here included shag, great cormorant and raven. After checking into Hotel Vardo, a few saw a grey seal in the harbour behind the hotel. The evening was cloudy with regular snow. Friday 15 March Vardo and Hornoya island: snow before breakfast, sunshine for two hours in the morning, more snow in the afternoon. Temperature not recorded. Steller’s eider from the dining room added to the breakfast menu. We then gathered to go on a two hour boat trip around Hornoya island. Thankfully, the weather held up and only started to snow towards the end of the trip. Everyone enjoyed the time out on sea and the spectacle of thousands of seabirds. The most numerous birds were kittiwake and common guillemot – it was interesting to see many bridled forms of the latter species. The new bird for most was Brünnich’s guillemot – some were still in nonbreeding plumage, making finding them in the large rafts of birds an interesting challenge. Most photographers got good images of the Brünnich’s, sometimes alongside the common. Other species around the island included razorbill, puffin, black guillemot, shag, raven, herring and great black-backed gulls. After lunch, the weather became increasingly worse with the snow making visibility very poor. A brief visit to the harbour at Kiberg gave us close views of Steller’s eider and glaucous gulls, but as the snow became heavier we decided to head back to the hotel for a hot drink. After dinner, we waited for the snow to stop. Eventually we had a respite from the white stuff, so we drove to the mainland to find a darker area. We managed a few cloud-free parts of the sky and saw a couple of meteors, a few satellites and Jupiter, but no Aurora so, as the cold started to become too much for some, we headed back to the hotel and arrived back just before midnight. Dorothy, Norma and John decided to continue observing the night sky close to the hotel and their perseverance paid off as they had a good display around 12.30. Saturday 16 March Clear skies in Norway, cloudy with occasional light snow when we reached Finland. Temperature range -12 to -6. A sunny, blue sky started the day with Steller’s and common eider in the harbour behind the hotel. We loaded up the vans and headed west along the Varanger fjord. Sightings of reindeer were regular throughout the day, but the first real highlight was waxwing in Vadso. Driving along the suburban streets we had one fly over the vehicles, before finding the same or another bird in a tree in a front garden. The 4

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Lapland March 2013, Trip Report

waxwing obligingly stayed in the tree for the lead van to rejoin the group enjoying the bird. Plenty of photos later we continued on our way. A few saw a white-tailed eagle and Siberian tit from their moving van before we arrived at the Hotel Utsjoki to enjoy another excellent lunch. Heading south now, two golden eagles were separately seen soaring over forest not far from the road. Once again, the feeding station at Kaamanen provided us with excellent views of Arctic redpoll, a few Siberian tits and pine grosbeak, but no Siberian jays this time. After dinner at Hotel Ivalo we went out for one final attempt to see the Aurora. We had a short drive to a clearing in the forest and, as soon as we got out of the vans, a small Aurora was showing. A few minutes later a bright light in the sky approached us and revealed itself to be the searchlight of the Frontier Police helicopter – it was like a scene from a Spielberg sci-fi film. It was evident that the helicopter was coming to land where we were. Fortunately, the police had not mistaken us for illegal immigrants or aliens, this was their base and they had returned to refuel the helicopter. After a few minutes to enjoy the smell of aviation fuel with the continued whirring of the copter blades, it took off again and left us in peace. There was a relatively weak Aurora throughout this time, with arcs of different strengths coming and going. Some good bright moments took our minds off the cold. Some members of the group decided to break into impromptu dancing to warm up – it was the nearest we got to having an all-night rave throughput the week and helped to take minds off temperatures for awhile. However, a few eventually succumbed to the low temperatures and one van took them back to the hotel. Ironically, just a few minutes later we had the display we had come for. A fantastic Aurora developed from one horizon to the other, reaching overhead at times. Dancing curtains of light moved across the sky and reds, greens and white were seen. The crescent moon, Jupiter and the Pleiades added an interesting perspective for some photos. It was a truly memorable performance and it was unfortunate that some of the group had not seen it. The Aurora weakened but still remained visible. We had been watching continuously for two and a half hours before we returned to the hotel around 12.30. A temperature gauge near the hotel showed the temperature to be -23 degrees, very cold, but worth it.

Sunday 17 March Cloudy but bright: temperature around -7 degrees. We had time for a brief outing in the forest close to the hotel. A visit to a river for dipper revealed that most of it had frozen since Ari’s last visit so we failed to see one, however the local form of willow tit showed quite well. A visit to a back garden with well stocked feeders brought some new species for the trip. Yellowhammer, coal tit, great spotted woodpecker and sparrowhawk were seen, and long-tailed tit was heard. Arctic redpoll and red squirrel showed well. The cold seemed to be particularly penetrating this morning, so we returned to the hotel to say our goodbyes to Joan and Dorothy who were catching an earlier plane. After an early lunch we made our brief journey to the airport. We said our goodbyes to Ari and, thankfully, the flights were prompt and we even arrived back at Heathrow ahead of schedule. Ironically, while waiting at Helsinki airport, Barrie had an email alert to say that there was likely to be a very good Aurora that night. The rain bearing clouds at Heathrow confirmed the end of our Aurora watching for this trip.

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Lapland March 2013, Trip Report

Species Lists

Birds Hazel Grouse Tetrastes bonasia One seen on 12/3 by some from the van after leaving Ivalo Rock Ptarmigan Lagopus muta Six birds on 14/3 on the pass above Batsfjord Willow Ptarmigan Lagopus lagopus Twenty seven birds on 14/3 on the pass above Batsfjord Mallard Anas platyrhynchos Seen on four days either in harbours or coastal waters Steller’s eider Polysticta stelleri See on four days with close views in Batsfjord and Vardo harbours

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Lapland March 2013, Trip Report

King eider Somateria spectabilis Very close views in Batsfjord harbour Common eider Somateria mollissima See on four days with close views in Batsfjord and Vardo harbours Long-tailed duck Clangula hyemalis See on three days with close views in Batsfjord and Vardo harbours Red-breasted merganser Mergus serrator A pair seen on 12/3 and one seen on 14/3 Northern fulmar Fulmaris glacialis Two seen at Vardo by one observer on 14/3 European Shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis Seen along the coast on 14-16/3. Commoner than cormorant Great cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo Seen along the coast on 14-16/3.

White-tailed eagle Haliaetus albicilla Close views of one flying over the van somewhere along the Varanger fjord road on 14/3. Two seen well on south side of Vardo on 14/3. One seen near road by one observer on 16/3 Golden eagle Aquila chrysaetos Two seen a few miles apart on 16/3 as we drove south in Finland Eurasian sparrowhawk Accipter nisus Two seen by some observers at Ivalo on 17/3 Purple sandpiper Calidris maritima Common along the coast and in harbours. Seen from 13/3 to 16/3 Great black-backed gull Larus marinus Regularly seen on five days from 12 to 16/3 Glaucous gull Larus hyperboreus 20+ seen on 13/3 in Batsfjord harbour. 20+ around Vardo on 15/3 Iceland gull Larus glaucoides

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The Travelling Naturalist

Lapland March 2013, Trip Report

Two on 13/3 in Batsfjord harbour Herring gull Larus argentatus Seen regularly around coast from 13 to 16/3 Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla Seen regularly around coast from 13 to 16/3 Common Guillemot Uria aalge One immature in Batsfjord harbour on 13/3. Common around Vardo on 15 and 16/3 Brunnich's Guillemot Uria lomvia Common around Vardo on 15 and 16/3 Razorbill Alca torda Common around Vardo on 15 and 16/3 Black Guillemot Cepphus grylle Four seen in Batsfjord harbour on 13/3. Around Vardo on 15 and 16/3

Atlantic Puffin Fratercula arctica Several seen on boat trip around Hornoya on 15/3 Feral Pigeon Columba livia 'feral' Common in Vardo on 15 and 16/3 Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major One seen at garden feeding station in Ivalo on 17/3 Bohemian Waxwing Bombycilla garrulous One or two seen in Vadso on 16/3 Willow Tit Poecile montanus Seen in Ivalo on 17/3 Siberian Tit Poecile cinctus Good views at Kaamanen feeding station on 12 and 16/3 Coal Tit Periparus ater Seen at garden feeding station in Ivalo on 17/3 Great Tit Parus major

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Lapland March 2013, Trip Report

Seen on 12, 13, 16 and 17/3 Common Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus Seen at garden feeding station in Ivalo on 17/3 and heard near Hotel Ivalo on 12/3 Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus Heard near garden feeding station in Ivalo on 17/3 Siberian Jay Perisoreus infaustus Four next to road near Kaamanen and three at Kaamanen feeding station on 12/3 Eurasian Magpie Pica pica Regularly seen on every day Hooded Crow Corvus cornix Regularly seen on every day Common Raven Corvus corax Regularly seen on every day, most numerous around Hornoya House Sparrow Passer domesticus Regularly seen on every day except 12/3 Pine Grosbeak Pinicola enucleator Seen at Kaamanen on 12 and 16/3. Heard in Ivalo on 17/3 European Greenfinch Carduelis chloris Seen at Kaamanen and Ivalo on 12, 16 and 17/3 Common (Mealy) Redpoll Carduelis flammea flammea Common at Kaamanen feeding station on 12 and 16/3 Arctic (Coues') Redpoll Carduelis hornemanni exilipes Common at Kaamanen feeding station on 12 and 16/3 and at Ivalo garden on 17/3 Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella Two seen at garden feeding station in Ivalo on 17/3

Mammals Atlantic grey seal Halichoerus grypus Common in harbours, seen in ones, twos and a three from 12 to 16/3

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Lapland March 2013, Trip Report

Elk Alces alces Four walking through a forest in Finland on 12/3. One seen by one observer on 16/3 Reindeer Rangifer tarandus Seen on 12, 14 and 16/3. Quite common around Vardo Red squirrel Sciurus vulgaris One seen at Kaamanen on 12/3. One seen at garden feeders in Ivalo on 17/3

Photos © Barrie Cooper

Aurora with Jupiter, Pleiades and moon

Siberian Jay

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The Travelling Naturalist

Lapland March 2013, Trip Report

Pine grosbeak

Siberian tit

King eider

Brünnich's guillemot

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