South East Finland 15-20 June 2025

North and South Karelia, Saimaa Lakeland with the Porvoo, Espoo/Helsinki area.

15 June

Three of us were dropped off at Bristol bus station, coach with Flixbus to Gatwick South and flew with Norwegian, arrived late at Helsinki airport after a delay, collected car from Hertz (very smooth) and set off for Porvoo.

16 June

Arrived at Budget Easystay Porvoo 60.39612725978321, 25.63723004731547 at around 0230am, numerous Thrush Nightingales singing locally in gardens and roadside lane scrub nearby plus a few other common passerines. Got up at 0700am for a good breakfast in the converted former elderly persons home, it was a really good place, very comfortable, and quiet, lots of facilities to cook if you needed to. A little bit of birding around the accommodation noting a few species with singing Thrush Nightingales in the gardens of note. A hot and sunny day proved great for odonata spotting.

A short car journey to S of Porvoo to stop at the boardwalk/platform that leads to Ruskiksen lintutorni overlooking the marshes and bay at 60.38159943583155, 25.686288910708775

Adult White-tailed Eagle, male Black Woodpecker, 7+ Wood Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank, Greenshank, Redshank and Lapwing with young, 2 male Ruff, Little-ringed Plover, 2 Caspian and 7 Common Terns, 4+ Snipe displaying, Whooper Swan, Hobby, Teal, Mallard, Shoveler, Gadwall, White Wagtail, Swallows using an artificial nesting tower was of note.

Then moved to the other side of the channel to Sikosaari Lintutorni.

Two Wood Warbler, Pied Flycatcher, Treecreeper, Kestrel, Great-spotted Woodpecker plus Variable Damselflies, Four-spotted Chasers and a Large White-faced Darter.

Also noted Mistle Thrush, Robin, Reed Bunting, Blackbird, Common Whitethroat, Jackdaw (someringiii), House Sparrow, Grey Heron, Woodcock, Swift, Hooded Crow, Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed and Herring Gull, White Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, G C Grebe, Willow Warbler, Blue and Great Tits, Reed and Sedge Warblers, Goldcrest, Woodpigeon, Magpie, Skylark, Great Egret, G S Woodpecker also recorded.

Departed after a couple of hours to head NE toward Lapeenranta, stopped at the ABC servive station for food and then to the wetland peat bog area called Lapeenranta Joutseno, Kotasaari altaat. Drove the lanes and viewed over the former peat workings, very popular with birders and a good track record for attracting rarities. Again, a very productive birding area in hot weather.

20+ Wood Sandpipers including chicks, breeding Redshank, Spotted Redshank, 10+ male Ruff, 2 Greenshank, 50+ Lapwing, 3 Curlew, Teal, Shoveler, Tufted Duck, Wigeon, Grey-headed Wagtails, Blyth’s Reed Warbler, Little-ringed Plover, nesting Black-headed and Little Gulls, Common Gull, Goldeneyes with young, distant Honey Buzzard, White Wagtails, Cuckoo, Coot and Moorhen, Hooded Crow, Cuckoo, Chaffinch, Yellowhammer, Buzzard, Fieldfare, Starling, Tree Pipits.

Citrine Wagtails and Marsh Sandpiper were suspected to be breeding here!

Left for the long drive to Värtsilä where we checked in at our accommodation at Majatalo Raja

62.1991914618367, 30.61576439412417. Good place with small kitchen, spacious rooms, again a good place to budget bird the area.

We headed back to Tohmajärvi seeing a roadside Short-eared Owl hunting in fantastic light, then stopped in town for a pizza/kebab/burger, out birding locally after.

First stop Peijonniemenlahti lintutorni, 62.19984648129685, 30.393564578514685

Sand Martins, Pied and Spotted Flycatchers, Pochard, Little and Black-headed Gulls, Common Terns, Cuckoo,

then the church and cemetery nearby at Kirkkoniemi with Corncrake, pair of nesting Blyth’s Reed Warblers and singing Common Rosefinch.

Back to Värtsilä and Sarpola and adjacent Lake Sääperi area. We stayed out to 0130hrs.

Whinchats, 30+ singing Blyth’s Reed Warblers, singing River Warbler, singing Grasshopper Warbler, two Sedge Warblers, Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Bittern booming at both lakes Saaperi and Uudenkylänlampi. Marsh Harriers, churring Nightjar, at least two hunting Long-eared Owls, 30+ Corncrake, singing Common Rosefinches, Fieldfares, Goldeneye, Siskin as well as fields full of Lapwing and Curlew with young.

Singing River Warbler was here 62.20794088288628, 30.619860973282446

17 June

I was up and out early at 0600hrs to explore other areas locally (Pykälävaara) (Whinchat, Willow Tits with brood, family of caudatus Long-tailed Tits, Curlews, Lapwings, Tree Sparrow and Common Rosefinch, two Crossbills) and returned for breakfast with Andy and Neil for around 0800am, they had managed a little bit more sleep than me. We birded around the village, riverside (Tree Sparrows, Sparrowhawk, Siskins, Hawfinch, Pied Flycatcher) and visited the lintutorni nearby 62.20268688879627, 30.62136960731301. It was a great lookout with some good birds about but we could only imagine the 1000s of geese that would have been present weeks before. The rain begain to fall lightly. (Fieldfare colony, Pied Flycatcher and Common Rosefinch).

Great breakfast, then off to Joensuu where it was now raining heavily, we parked and walked through the woods and marsh to the shoreline of the bay and canal mouth at Höytiäisen Suiston Lintutorni 62.61594795786382, 29.670606977812536. The rain and wind dampened things but we still managed to log a few species. (Ringed Plover, Wood Sandpipers, a putative ‘Marsh’ Gull, omissus type Herring with yellow legs). We had to head back S to Parikkala to check in at our next stop, a really nice place overlooking the lake 61.52861816943301, 29.512574650200857. (booming Bittern, Cuckoo, Woodcock, pair of Black-throated Divers, Common Sandpiper, Spotted Flycatcher, Corncrake, Blyth’s Reed Warbler, Siskins) We rapidly racked up a list of great birds here without leaving the vicinity of the house.

After a bite to eat at the Hotelli Ravintola Kägöne 61.53891992402837, 29.513541919649978 (we also had breakfast here two days, they own the house we rented). The weather cleared a bit, still breezy and light rain but we set off for 61.56642326358953, 29.55713287730292 at the Siikalahti Nature Reserve, the lake had excellent viewing facilities, two lintutorni and a hide and boardwalk platforms join the lake shore to islands and woods. A good birding spot that we returned to a few times. The evening and night was spent exploring the back roads and settlements S and SE of the lake, we listened for night singing birds at every stop until late.

(Red necked and Great Crested Grebes, Osprey, White-backed Woodpeckers, Wigeon broods, Common Terns, Little Gulls, 3 Bitterns at the wetland and numerous Woodcocks that came out very early in broad daylight around the roads and tracks). Our third Black Woodpecker of the trip was in a garden.

Also noted today Wren, Jay, Greenfinch, Redstart, Goldfinch, Song Thrush, Oystercatcher, Raven.

18 June

A later start to the day at around 0700hrs, birding from the house, then to the lake shore at Parikkala town. (nesting Common Gulls, Red-necked Grebes, Black-throated Divers, breeding Barnacle Geese, Pied Flycatchers, G.S Woodpecker, Oystercatchers). Warm and sunny again. Back for a breakfast and then off to Punkharju arboretum, best to park at 61.80441591220575, 29.31692661088256 then walk the trails from here. (two Nutcrackers, Pied and Spotted Flycatcher, two Chiffchaff, Willow Warblers, Honey Buzzard over).

We went on to Savonlinna, took a walk to view the castle (Common Gull colony, singing Redstart, Wheatear) and returned back toward Parikkala stopping for a coffee and cake at a lakeshore cafe (Black-throated Diver and Red-necked Grebes nearby). The rain began to fall again so we explored the sheltered woods nearby.

First track produced a few great birds- Tarvassaarentie 145, 61.59087253032078, 29.426594264061546 (female Grey-headed Woodpecker, Willow Tit, two White-backed Woodpecker, Great-spotted Woodpecker, Whooper Swan).

Second track we took was Tarvaslammentie 40-2, 61.60457073958849, 29.40183369087265

Third track not so good but the lake (Tarvaslampi) had a pair of Black-throated Diver. 61.60751453521392, 29.411130227256578

The evening was spent touring the roads and settlements to the S and SE of Siikalahti Lake, the weather closed in on us so we gave up for the night.

19 June

A short session along the roads to Kolmikanta prior to breakfast. (Three displaying Common Rosefinch and a low flying Honey Buzzard the highlights but Curlew, Lapwing and Whinchat all noted in the fields). Our next destination was Espoo near Helsinki. The weather was really poor, heavy rain all day as we travelled, we made a number of stops to scan bays from vantage points before crossing the bridge to Puumala. This destination was in the hope of a boat trip to see Saimaa Ringed Seals, it didn’t come to fruition, no trips offered in the bad weather, the market stall holders were seeing little trade on the harbour either. Nesting Black-throated Divers and Common Sandpipers of note.

Moving on, further stops were made to scan lakes but our main focus was getting to the Maarin lintutorni and wetland site at 60.18970887238838, 24.81893606158893. Once again, a really good site.

(Five Lesser-spotted Woodpeckers, Marsh Warbler, Blyth’s Reed Warbler, Reed Warbler, Grey-headed Wagtails, Snipe, Redshank, 6+ Ruff, Wood Sandpipers, 2 Little-ringed Plovers, Mute and Whooper Swans, 3 Caspian Terns, Common Terns, 2 Cranes, Linnets, Red-breasted Merganser, Coot, Thrush Nightingale).

A stop on the university campus to dine at the Fat Lizard gave us a chance to dry out, we made a brief stop at Pirkka Park to search for Siberian Flying Squirrels but the weather was awful and gave up for the day.

20 June

Up early for 0400hrs and a walk around the woods where we stayed before heading to the airport for 0805hrs departure. Redstart and a few common species singing. Back to Bristol on the Flixbus, Uber taxi to Temple Meads, train to Cam and Dursley and then to the Old Forge for cold beers in the heatwave to bookend the trip.

I really enjoyed this trip, in hindsight a couple more nights would have been great but not possible for me this time, birding the Värtsilä and Tohmajärvi area for longer would have been well worth it. I think the mammals need another tour, the Flying Squirrels, Saimaa Ringed Seals and perhaps staying in hides for Bears, Wolverines and Wolf further NE would be a good reason to return one day.