Finding Birds in Lapland; www.easybirder.co.uk, 2010; DVD (76 mins) and 37-page booklet. £20.00
Finding Birds in South Finland; www.easybirder.co.uk, 2010; DVD (95 mins) and 40-page booklet. £20.00
Dave Gosney's DVDs are well known for their plain-speaking, no-nonsense approach to bird finding. The habitat and surroundings are shown for each site, and Dave is often in front of the camera giving his own perspective on the best way to see the most birds. There is plenty of bird footage and rather than just show everything at its best Dave often points out where a site has been disappointing during his visit - so this is real birding - not like a tourism promotion where the sun shines every day and everything is perfect. Rather than follow the exact order of each DVD for this review, I have imagined that I am travelling from the top of Norway to the south of Finland - a distance of over 1,000 km.
A key site in northern Norway is Varanger Fjord with its concentrations of King Somateria spectabilis and Steller's Eiders Polysticta stelleri, and the Lapland DVD also includes separate segments on Vadsö, Vardö, Hornöy, Ekkeroy and Hamningberg. Farther north there is Tanafjord, with its opportunities to watch Gyr Falcon Falco rusticolus, plus the tundra around Båtsfjord and Berlevåg, and the tundra areas en route. Staying in Norway but moving farther west, the Valdak marshes and Stabbursdalen are featured for their main attraction - 20 pairs of Lesser White-fronted Geese Anser erythropus. Now we are into Finland, and a wide range of waders are seen at Karigasniemi, including Broad-billed Sandpiper Limicola falcinellus and Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus. Moving east to the border with Russia, the Pasvik Valley is an excellent site for Arctic Warbler Phylloscopus borealis and Siberian Jay Perisoreus infaustus. Farther south, Pine Grosbeak Pinicola enucleator and Little Bunting Emberiza pusilla are sought around Inari and Ivalo. As we get towards the Arctic Circle there are sites such as Pyhatunturi, Sodankylä,, the Kitinen Valley and Ilmakkiaapa - the last providing great opportunities to watch White-tailed Eagles Haliaeetus albicilla.
The Arctic Circle cuts in at 66С”33'N and now the Southern Finland DVD takes over. Just 40 km further south at Kuusamo the focus is on species like Red-flanked Bluetail Tarsiger cyanurus (now common in the area), Hazel Grouse Bonasa bonasia and Hawk Owl Surnia ulula. However to see the owls you'll need to join the local tour operators - just for a day. Liminganlahti and Oulu are featured for their marshes with large numbers of wildfowl and waders - including Terek Sandpiper Xenus cinereus. Oulu also offers good air access. Moving to the east, the DVD features Siikalahti for Little Crake Porzana parva and White-backed Woodpecker Dendrocopos leucotos, Punkaharju for Nutcracker Nucifraga caryocatactes, Tohmajärvi and Värtsilä for Booted Warbler Hippolais caligata, Lanceolated Warbler Locustella lanceolata, Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis and Great Snipe Gallinago media, and the North Karelia region in general for migration hotspots such as Sysmäjärvi, Kitee, Onkamo and the Höytiäinen canal. If you've failed to get good views of Great Snipe (and many people do!), there is another chance in the southeast at Parikkala, where Blyth's Reed Warbler Acrocephalus dumetorum should be easy to detect at night, while the watch towers at Virolahti are great for observing visible migration. We've now a long way from where we started, and near to Helsinki there are three main areas: Viikki for Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola, Nuuksio for Red-breasted Flycatcher Ficedula parva and woodpeckers, and Suomenoja for its waterfowl.
Each of the booklets can be bought separately if preferred, and provide really excellent sketch maps with annotations that make everything very clear. There are also GPS references to help you find not just each site, but a specific point for parking or getting a better view. Importantly, everything is really up to date, while Dave continues to add free information to his website, including additional maps for Southern Finland.
Keith Betton