Republic of Finland

• Jouni Riihimäki

  PL 131 (Birger Jaarlin katu 13); 13101 Hämeenlinna, puh: 03-2420 446, gsm: 0503 657 391, fax: 03-2420 556 | jouni.riihimaki@vyh.fi

• Teemu Lehtiniemi

  BirdLife Suomi ry, BirdLife Finland rf, PL 1285, 00101 Helsinki Puh. (09) 685 4700, Fax (09) 685 4722 | toimisto@birdlife.fi

  https://www.birdlife.fi

• Number of bird species: 477

  (As at April 2020)

  National Bird: Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus

• Finding Birds in South Finland

  | By David Gosney | Easybirder | 2010 | Paperback | 40 pages, maps | ISBN: 9781907316258 Buy this book from NHBS.com

• Jurmo Bird Observatory

  Observatory WebsiteSatellite View
  Founded in 1962 and managed by Turku Ornithological Society, the Jurmo Bird Observatory is located in the southern rim of the Turku Archipelago. The vegetation and scenery in Jurmo are unique, which attracts a wide and distinct range of birds both to breed on and to migrate via the island and the surrounding waters.

• Tankar Bird Station

  Observatory WebsiteSatellite View
  Contact Details: Tankarin lintuasema, Harri Hongell, Raahenkatu 46, 67200 KOKKOLA, puh. 06-8314903 tai 050-5110047 e-mail: harri.hongell.ymparisto.fi

• Finnish Museum of Natural History

  Website
  The vertebrate collections presently comprise about 140 000 specimens. Mammals and birds are usually represented as skins or skeletons, and sometimes as stuffed animals. Fishes, amphibians, and reptiles in turn are kept in alcohol. A majority of the vertebrate samples are from Finland. The museum also hosts a large, internationally valuable bird egg collection. A frozen tissue collection of vertebrate material has been started for purposes of DNA analyses. The collections are primarily used for research purposes, but some specimens are on display in the museum’s public exhibition.

• Turku University Zoological Museum

  Website
  The Department of Biology is one of the most productive and successful science departments at the University of Turku. The department produces internationally esteemed research mainly with outside and competed research funding.

• BirdLife Suomi-Finland

  Website
  BirdLife Finland is a bird conservation and recreation organization that promotes the preservation of biodiversity. BirdLife Finland is part of BirdLife International, the world's largest environmental NGO network.

• Birdlife Kanta-Häme

  Website

• Central Finland Bird Club

  Website
  The aims of the Central Finland Bird Club are to connect birdwatchers, to promote bird watching, common knowledge on birds as well as the protection of birds and the environment of birds. The club collects, stores and publishes records of birds of the area. Red-throated Diver is the symbol of the club. The club is a member in BirdLife Finland. There are about 400 members in the club…

• Etelä-Karjalan Lintutieteellinen Yhdistys

  Website
  South Karelian Bird-based Association

• Etelä-Savon Lintuharrastajat Oriolus

  Facebook Page
  Welcome to our association, the Oriolus Association of Southern Savo Bird Watchers, on our homepage! Our association is an association of wild bird watchers.

• Finnish Ornithological Society

  Website
  The Finnish Ornithological Society promotes scientific research of birds in Finland and publishes the scientific ornithological journal Ornis Fennica. Finnish Ornithological Society is a member of BirdLife Finland, the Finnish partner of BirdLife International. The Society was established in 1924.

• Kainuun Lintutieteellinen Yhdistys

  Website
  The purpose of the association is to define the protection of birds and other nature, bird research, compilation of bird information as a link between the site and the interest of people interested in birds.

• Kemin lintuharrastajat Xenus Ornithological Society

  Website
  Welcome to Kemi-Tornio's Bird Watchers on the Xenus ry's website. Xenus ry is a local association of Kemi-Tornio regional bird watchers, also a member of Birdlife Finland's association.

• Keski- ja Pohjois-Uudenmaan Lintuharrastajat Apus ry

  Website
  Apus ry is a birdwatcher's club in Central and Northern Uusimaaan association that aims to promote bird hunting and bird conservation in its own territory, in Finland and internationally.

• Keski-Pohjanmaan Lintutieteellinen Ornithological Society

  Facebook Page

• Kymenlaakson Lintutieteellinen Ornithological Society

  Website
  KyLY is an association of birdwatchers in Kymenlaakso. As a member, support for bird conservation, learn more about birds and get involved in diverse activities ...

• Lounais-Hämeen Lintuharrastajat Ornithological Society

  Website
  By 30 June 2018 Tiira has recorded 130,314 observations from Southwest Häme. By municipality the findings are divided as follows: Forssa 27 552, Humppila 1 771, Jokioinen 29 673, Somero 12 171, Tammela 31 924, Urjala 12 186 and Ypäjä 15 037.

• Merenkurkun Lintutieteellinen Ornithological Society

  Website
  The Kvarken Bird Training Association r.y. was established in 1979 as a link to birdwatchers and researchers in the area. The purpose of the association is to guide bird hunting and bird observation activities, promote bird awareness and exploration in the area, and protect birds and nature.

• Pirkanmaan Lintutieteellinen Ornithological Society

  Website
  Pirkanmaan Lintutieteellinen Yhdistys (PiLY) works to promote bird conservation, research and bird hunting. PiLY has about 1,200 members, BirdLife Finland's second largest member association - join us!

• Pohjois-Karjalan Lintutieteellinen Yhdistys [North Karelian Ornithological Society]

  Website
  North Karelian Ornithological Society was founded in 1974. The aim of the society is to promote birdwatching, research and protection of birds in the province of North Karelia. This includes systematic gathering, filing and publishing of bird observations, arranging meetings and excursions. Society, a partner of BirdLife Finland, has more than 200 members…

• Pohjois-Pohjanmaan Lintutieteellinen Ornithological Society

  Website
  Northern Ostrobothnia Birdlife Association (PPLY) is one of the local associations of national BirdLife Finland association. The association was founded in 1973. Our goal is to promote bird protection, bird hunting and research and to act as a link to birdwatchers in Northern Ostrobothnia.

• Porvoon Seudun Lintuyhdistys ry

  Website
  The Porvoonseudun Lintuyhdistys ry. is the second oldest regional bird association in Finland. The foundation of the association is bird observation, protection and research support. You can find out about us using the links below the main menu to see the staff members and rules.

• Päijät-Hämeen Lintutieteellinen Ornithological Society

  Website
  PHLY is the home base of the Päijät-Hämäläinen birdwatcher, a club where industry enthusiasts work together. The word association and the word scientific may sound very rigid, but basically bird watching is anything but rigid.

• South Karelia Ornithological Society

  Website
  Founded in 1969, the South Karelian Bird Training Association (EKLY) is Birdlife's local association in Finland, whose mission is to promote and maintain bird hunting and bird conservation in the province of South Karelia. The main activity of the association is the volunteering and acting of bird watchers and the collection of observation material in the EKLY area.

• Suomenlinna Ornithological Society

  Website
  At the core of "Suomenlinna Ornithological Society" is the invention of new bird species with electronic birdsongs. The concrete sources of these birdsongs are samples taken from a museum film about the history of the island of Suomenlinna, a Finnish sea fortress witness to scenes of conflict since the 18th century.

• Södra Österbotten Ornithological Society

  Website
  Ostrobothnia Australis r.f. (OA) is one of Finland's oldest natural science associations founded in 1924. The association's hometown is Vaasa, but we are active throughout Ostrobothnia. Ostrobothnia Australis is Latin for "Southern Ostrobothnia".

• Tringa Ornithological Society

  Website
  Tringa is the ornithological society for the Uusimaa province in southern Finland. With its over 2000 members, Tringa is the largest member of BirdLife Finland…

• Turku Ornithological Society

  Website
  The Bird Watching Association The Turku Bird Training Association (= TLY), despite its name, operates throughout Southwest Finland - from Uusikaupunki to Salo, from Parainen to Loimaa.

• Valkeakosken Lintuharrastajat ry

  Website
  BirdLife Finnish Association of Valkeakoski Birdwatchers is a bird association of Valkeakoski and its surroundings. Our focus is on the fun of bird watching and bird conservation, but we also support research. The association currently has about 180 enthusiastic bird watchers and we are a relatively small but active and growing association. Welcome to the action!

• Ålands Fågelskyddsförening rf

  Facebook Page

Abbreviations Key

• Finland's IBAs

  WebpageSatellite View
  Over 100 IBAs

• Finland's National Parks

  WebsiteSatellite View
  The c.40 national parks are extensive nature conservation areas with the crucial task of ensuring biodiversity and giving people the opportunity to relax and enjoy nature. The parks have marked hiking routes, nature trails and campfire sites. Visitors can also stay overnight in the national parks at designated camping sites or shelters and huts. More information is available on each 40 national park's website.

• Finland's Protected Areas

  WebpageSatellite View
  Almost all protected areas of Finland are situated on state-owned lands and waters. Within Metsähallitus, the Parks & Wildlife Finland unit is responsible for the management of these areas: their species, habitats and cultural heritage as well as recreational services.

• IBA Kaamanen

  InformationSatellite View
  Kaamanen near the city of Inari is particularly renowned for its variety of bird species which are difficult to spot elsewhere and is especially popular with bird photographers. Bird species include pine grosbeaks, Siberian jays, grey-headed chickadees, willow warblers, and willow grouse. There are also rare opportunities for seeing Finland’s magnificent owls such as the mouse or short-eared owls.

• IBA Kokemäenjoki River Delta

  Observatory WebsiteSatellite View
  The number of bird species breeding in the area is ca. 110, and the total number of bird taxa living and resting during the migration periods amounts to 220 species (i.e. nearly the whole range of the 248 bird species of the permanent Finnish bird taxa)

• IBA Liminka Bay

  InformationSatellite View
  The largest bay on the Gulf of Bothnia with up to 200 bird species to see. As early as August, birds will start migrating south and you can spot Caspian terns, white-tailed eagles, black grouse and so many flocks of geese you will lose count.

• IBA Vimpa islands on the Hamina Archipelago

  InformationSatellite View
  The Vimpa islands on the Hamina Archipelago are popular for fishing trips but offer excellent bird watching too. Millions of arctic birds pass over the islands during the migration periods, including white-tailed eagles, which can be seen from the bird watching towers.

• NC Harakka

  Facebook PageSatellite View
  The Harakka Nature Centre offers visitors encounters with nature, activities, and information on the Baltic Sea, maritime nature and sustainable living. The Nature Centre operates in historical surroundings on the magnificent Harakka (“magpie”) Island featuring extraordinarily rich flora and bird species. Only a short distance from the Kaivopuisto Park, Harakka takes visitors to delicate archipelago nature that overlooks open sea.

• NP Nuuksio

  InformationSatellite View
  The park spreads over an area of forests and lakes in Espoo, Kirkkonummi and Vihti. North-west from Helsinki, it is the second-closest national park to the capital behind the recently established Sipoonkorpi National Park. The name is derived from the Nuuksio district of Espoo. Within the park there are eight marked trails for hiking. These trails vary in length and difficulty, being between 1.5 km and 17 km long. In addition, there are 30 km of biking trails and 22 km of horse riding trails. Designated spots for grilling, camping and skiing are scattered across the park. The Siberian Flying Squirrel (Pteromys volans) is the emblem of the national park due to its high density population density there. Dozens of endangered or near threatened species animals, plants and fungi are known to inhabit the area, for instance the Siberian flying squirrel, the European nightjar and the woodlark.

• NP Torronsuo

  InformationSatellite View
  Finland’s finest bog and the largest raised bog in Europe provides a highly different bird watching opportunity. The duckboards laid out over the area and the bird watching towers giving views across the entire bog allow visitors to see cranes and geese which stop by during migration. Torronsuo is valuable for its birdlife and butterfly species. Roughly a hundred species nest in the area. Part of the birds and insects are species that typically live in the northern areas, and they aren't seen much elsewhere in southern Finland.

• NR Laajalahti

  InformationSatellite View
  Laajalahti is one of the best bird wetlands within the Helsinki-Espoo-Vantaa metropolis. It is a fantastic place to observe birds both during migration and at other times. The nature reserve's trails and bird watching towers offer the perfect services for a day trip. For the most part Laajalahti Nature Reserve consists of open water. There are also a broad reedbed and shoreline groves and meadows. It is an important area for the plentiful nesting population in the region and for the thousands of birds which stop there during spring and autumn migration in April-May and August-September. The aim of the nature reserve is to conserve the shallow sea water bay and its surrounding area and for the area to possibly be used for outdoor recreation.

• North Karelia Nature Reserves and National Parks

  WebsiteSatellite View
  It has been estimated that 52,250 hectares (3.4%) of the forest land in North Karelia are protected by law. This area includes the national and nature parks, the conservation areas of groves, old forests and swamps and the private nature reserves…

• Wetlands

  WebpageSatellite View
  Finland currently has 49 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Sites), with a surface area of 799,518 hectares.

• Osprey Nest Forum

  Forum
  Not just Ospreys, but also other raptors too - Eagles, Falcons, Kestrels, Owls etc.

• Birding Ecotours

  Tour Operator
  Oulu is a famous area for breeding owls and we will find other forest species. We then visit Finland’s most important wetland, the Bay of Liminka, where lots of shorebirds will be seen and perhaps find some exciting migrants, before continuing to the expansive taiga forests in Kuusamo and the pristine Oulanka National Park.

• Finnature

  Tour Operator
  Finnature offers travel arrangements and itinerary services for groups in Finland, Norway and Estonia, Highly trained English speaking birding guides, Brown Bear watching and photography opportunities, Wildlife and landscape photography tours and Wildlife photos and lectures…

• Naturalist Journeys

  Tour Operator
  Naturalist Journeys tour to Finland and Norway at the height of spring bird activity in the far north of Europe! This tour offers opportunities to observe a wonderful collection of Arctic and boreal birds, including Great Gray and Boreal Owl, Red-flanked Bluetail, Siberian Jay, Black Grouse, Western Capercaillie, and so many more.

• Rockjumper Birding Tours

  Tour Operator
  We offer a short birding tour of Finland to the forests and coastal area of the Oulu region, with the highlights being the numerous owls to be found in the area. Other targets include Smew, Black Grouse, Western Capercaillie, Red-flanked Bluetail, Siberian Jay, Grey-headed Chickadee, Bohemian Waxwing, Pine Grosbeak and Two-barred Crossbill.

• Wild Finland

  Tour Operator
  Wildlife Safaris Finland Oy gives neither guarantees for any animals to be seen nor pictures to be taken. It is about wild animals for which behaviour we cannot take any responsibility.

• 2014 [07 July] - Karl Overman - Finland & Arctic Norway

  Report
  ...A Corncrake was busy calling from a relatively small field. An unfamiliar song that was soon to be a very familiar song was tracked down to a Yellowhammer. The other birds I had on my first foray into Finnish birds turned out to be standard fare for the rest of the trip -Fieldfare, Barn Swallow, White Wagtail, Chaffinch. You have to start somewhere....

• 2015 [05 May] - Antti Vierrimaa

  PDF Report

• 2015 [06 June] - Stephen Burch - Lapland

  Report
  ...Careful research in advance showed that I had realistic chances for just four lifers - Pine Grosbeak, Arctic Redpoll, Brunnich's Guillemot and Arctic Warbler which was by no means guaranteed. Note that fortunately Stellar's Eider is already on my list...

• 2016 [04 April] - Wim Heylen - Norway & Finland

  PDF Report
  ...After an uneventful flight from Helsinki to Ivalo, we picked up our rental car and started heading north towards Varanger. Our first major stop was at Neljän Tuulen Tupa, the famous roadside restaurant with bird feeders. We had lunch there and saw Pine Grosbeak, Arctic Redpoll, Siberian Tit and Siberian Jay...

• 2018 [03 March] - Nina Johanlon - Winter Finland Birding

  Report
  After arriving in Kuusamo late the evening before (and finding out that we didn’t actually have a hire car to get around) we spent the morning walking around the frozen, snow covered Lake Toranki. The surrounding woodland areas were quiet with the occasional Blue Tit, Great Tit and Chaffinch calling, with the most birds seen around some garden feeders. One of the highlights of the day was a couple of ‘trumpeting’ Northern Bullfinches flying over, with slightly obscured views of them in the trees. In the afternoon we took the bus to Ruka and then to Valtavarra to suss out the best places to spend the rest of the weekend.

• 2018 [06 June] - Hannu Jännes - Finland & Arctic Norway

  PDF Report
  This year’s Birdquest tour to Finland and Norway was once again a great success. Not only did we find the great majority of target birds, we were able to enjoy them in the stunning landscapes of the “Land of the midnight sun” with its almost endless boreal forests, countless lakes, wet bogs, mighty rivers, partly snow covered fells and the rugged coast of the Arctic Ocean that teems with birdlife

• 2018 [06 June] - Simon Boswell - Kuusamo and Varanger Peninsula

  PDF Report
  Finland and Arctic Norway are classic birding destinations which I have dreamt about visiting for a long time. As a result, my dad and I organised an independent trip to Kuusamo and the Varanger Peninsula in May and June 2018. The basic route comprised Oulu-Kuusamo-Varanger-Oulu over a period of 11 days.

• 2019 [05 May] - David Karr

  PDF Report
  A four-day birding excursion to northern (sub-Arctic) Finland. The private visit was designed to connect with two eight-hour organized tours offered by the Finnish company, Finnature at Oulu (27 May) and at Kuusamo (30 May). All target species were seen, with the notable exception of Little Bunting, Emberiza pusilla which had been reported around Kuusamo at the time of the visit

• 2019 [05 May] - James Dee - Denmark, the Netherlands, Finland and Sweden

  PDF Report
  I’ve split this summary up into countries and regions in case anyone gets bored of the rambling, especially in the Varanger section. It may seem long, but covers a six-month period, 26 countries and 16,000 miles driven so I hope it’s relatively succinct.

• 2019 [06 June] - Nigel Redman - Finland & Norway

  PDF Report
  Northern Fenno-Scandia (Lapland) is a classic European birding destination. This year’s itinerary combined the boreal forests, lakes, and marshes of northern Finland with the fjords and tundra of northern Norway, with great success.

• 2019 [08 August] - ulian Thomas

  Report
  This was our second visit to Finland. In 2010 we visited in late May and travelled from Helsinki to the northern border. The focus of that trip was to see owls and with the help of a Finnature guide on one day we saw six species.

• 2022 [06 June] - Finland & Norway - Gerard Gorman

  PDF Report
  This first Naturalist Journey’s trip to Finland and Norway was a great success! A fabulous tour that took in two captivating and friendly countries and many wonderful places and habitats within them. From the taiga forest, peatbogs and lakes of Finland to the tundra, mountains and Arctic coast of the Barents Sea in Norway...

• 2022 [08 August] - Frank van Groen

  PDF Report
  I made this birdwatching holiday to Finland with my wife Inka. During 3 weeks we stayed overight at 15 different places. Our roadtrip to Finland was from Helsinki to the Norwegian border and back, almost 4000 km by hired car. We had practically no problems with insects like mosquitos or mitches. Unfortunately the wheater was cool, cloudy most of the time and sometimes rainy periods occured. In the south the weather was better, especially in Lahti and Helsinki, where warm and dry conditions prevailed. Most of Finland is forested (70%), the rest conists of water and agricultural fields. The country is known for its many lakes, as much as 168.000.

• 2023 [03 March] - Lapland

  PDF Report
  Finland, Norway & Swedn

• 2023 [06 June] - Gerard Gorman

  PDF Report
  Annotated list

• Birds of Inari Lapland

  Website
  Checklist of the Inari Lapland bird species - Written by Heikki Karhu, Olli Osmonen and Olli Karhu

• Tarsiger

  Website
  From Finland's most popular birding site, Tarsiger.com, you will find tens of thousands of bird pictures from more than 4300 species around the globe and more will come all the time. Images can be searched by search engine based on different criteria. In addition, we offer the latest rarity observations in Finland and WP, and older search results can also be obtained through a search engine.

• Olli Haukkovaara - Remote Birding

  BLOG
  Last update 2013 - I'm an addicted hard core birder since 1969 ;) I'm also interested in almost everything in this planet - and eager to learn something new every single day.

• Tom Nordblad - Finnish Birding

  BLOG
  Welcome to follow my occasional birding in Finland and other countries around the Western Palearctic. Helsinki, FinlandBirdwatcher and twitcher from Finland. This blog tells about my birding activities. As you can see, my photos are not spectacular or amazing. Nevertheless, please do not copy my pictures without permission. Hope you enjoy!

• Bird Photography with Finnature

  Gallery
  Finnature Ltd is a ground tour operator specialized in wildlife- and birdwatching tours and wildlife photography. Finnature's company philosophy is to raise public perception of the value of Finland's natural environments and to help preserve them for future generations. Finnature's tours offer clients opportunities to enjoy the wonders of nature under expert guidance

• Gallery - Pictures of Finnish Birds

  Gallery
  Top quality images from Markus Varesvuo, Tomi Muukkonen, Jari Peltom

• Gallery - Tarsiger

  Gallery
  Tarsiger.com is a new Finnish birding website. Our target is to provide bird pictures around the world and recent observations of rare birds from Finland, Estonia and the Western Palearctic region. You can search the pictures easily and efficiently from our database. If you are interested in purchasing rights of a picture or willing to send your own recent rarity picture to our website - please contact via e-mail. Be sure to remember that all pictures are copyrighted by the authors and are not to be used without their permission. -Tarsiger team

• Photographer - Antti Below

  Gallery
  I mostly show my bird pictures on my website, but other nature photographs are also available. There are about 4100 bird specimens on more than 500 species. The bird pictures pages can be found among others. the entire nesting species of Finland and a wide selection of Western Palearctic species. Tap the pictures below or the texts on the left to get to know the bible images.

• Photographer - Arto Juvonen

  Facebook Page
  Some excellent images from this Finnish photographer…

• Photographer - Harri Vainola

  Gallery
  Bird photographs and essays, portraying birds as individual beings

• Photographer - Jukka Könönen

  Gallery
  Bird Pictures from Finland and Estonia / Birdphotos from Finland and Estonia / © Jukka Könönen

• Photographer - Vesa Huttunen

  Gallery
  Welcome. BIRDS.FI is a site dedicated to high quality bird and wildlife imagery. The first version was released in 2003 and on the current platform it has been running since 2006. Most of the photos are from Viikki-Vanhankaupunginlahti, Uutela and Kallahdenniemi in Eastern Helsinki. There are also few pictures from elsewhere in Helsinki, Finnish Lake Region, Lapland and the Mediterranean area. The home page shows variable weekly or monthly pictures and the photos page contains the best hits of the current year and the archive folders. All images are copyrighted and unauthorized access is prohibited. Have a nice moments with BIRDS.FI pictures.