Finland & Arctic Norway 2016

We have another new tour for next year, this one to Finland & Arctic Norway. Yep it's an expensive tour but the quality of potential species reads like a "Who's Who" of most wanted European and Western Palearctic birds: Great Grey Owl, Eurasian Pygmy Owl, Eurasian Hawk Owl, Ural Owl, Tengmalm's Owl, Eurasian Eagle Owl, Siberian Tit, Siberian Jay, Capercaillie, Willow Grouse, Hazel Grouse, Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker, Black Woodpecker, Pine Grosbeak, Two-barred Crossbill, White-billed Diver, King Eider, Steller's Eider, Brunnich's Guillemot, Long-tailed Skua, Gyr Falcon......... 

For the full tour itinerary - click here. 

We are very privileged to be able to showcase Jari Peltomaki's (Finnature) superb photos from this tour:

Black Grouse

Capercaillie

Dotterel

Hawk owl

Eurasian Pygmy Owl

Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker

The boat to Hornoya Island

Great Grey Owl is the daddy...!

Hazel Grouse is always tricky to find but Finland gives you multiple chances....

King Eider

Lapland Bunting

Long-tailed Skua

Eurasian Hawk Owl

Northern Red-flanked Bluetail

Pine Grosbeak can sometimes be found at feeding stations

Atlantic Puffin - Hornoya Island

Displaying Ruff

Siberian Jay

Siberian Tit

Smew - one of the most beautiful ducks

Steller's Eider - this might just be better...?

Ural Owl should be staked out....

White-tailed Eagle usually provides great views.

Willow Grouse can be seen at a number of localities

Hecho Valley

Drove up to Selva de Oza in the picturesque Hecho Valley and quickly found a White-throated Dipper, along with an unidentified skipper and Black-veined White. We then proceeded to drive higher and walked up through the wide-open valley with Red-billed Choughs, Yellowhammers, Egyptian Vultures, and Apollo Butterfly being seen. 

Fantastic scenery of the upper Hecho Valley

We spent quite some time enjoying the fabulous scenery before driving back down to the forest for lunch. In the trees right overhead as we were munching our sandwiches we saw Short-toed Treecreeper and Crested Tit.

Then drove to Hecho village and a nice little bar for cold drinks, coffee and ice cream as it was just so hot. Afterwards we drove up towards Gabardito and searched for new butterflies with White-letter Hairstreak and Essex Skipper being added to our list.

White-letter Hairstreak

After dinner we drove to a new site and waited patiently for the sun to set and sure enough at the appointed time a huge Eurasian Eagle Owl flew in and landed on some trees to our right and began calling away for several minutes before soaring across the darkening sky right in front if us and disappearing over a hill. Wow!

Roncal Valley

Well another 8am breakfast before heading out for another relaxing day in the Spanish Pyrenees. A male Red Crossbill calling from the conifers at the edge of the car park was a bit of a surprise before leaving and heading to the Anso Viewpoint. A calling Western Bonelli’s Warbler was only seen by a couple of us, but a flotilla of Eurasian Griffons overhead was quite a spectacle, and they were joined by a Booted Eagle, Red Kite and European Honey Buzzard in quite an impressive kettle. 

Eurasian Griffon

European Honey Buzzard

This open forest was superb for butterflies with Woodland, Great Banded and Rock Graylings, and a Ripart’s Anomalous Blue. 

Ripart's Anamolous Blue - great name huh..

Dark-Green Fritillary

Marbled White

We then crossed into the Anso Valley where a brief appearance by a Lammergeier left us a little frustrated before we set off up and over to the Roncal Valley. Great scenery continued as we headed up higher and higher, stopping for coffee and fries at a little restaurant.

Beautiful scenery high up in the Roncal Valley

Well I’m pleased to report we got Citril Finch at their usual spot very easily (the same place I last saw them 6 years ago!) , before searching for Alpine Accentor which took a little longer to find. But we eventually had 3 birds, one of which flew in and landed 3 metres away!! Wow! 

Alpine Choughs are common...

Alpine Choughs were common up here, and distracted us a little from the accentors, with a singing bird on top of a conifer being very obliging as well. 

Alpine Accentor

The Citril Finches were on view for ages, whilst a Common Quail was flushed from an alpine meadow and an awesome Lammergeier hunted right in front of us. 

A poor effort at phone-scoping a Citril Finch

Must admit this is one of my favourite spots with spectacular views, beautiful craggy habitat, nice weather and good birds. We even spotted a Pyrenean Aquilegia on the way down and then drove straight back to the Hecho Valley. More time for chilling, quaffing beer and relaxing. Ahhh this is the life! 

Birds, Butterflies and Beer...

It really is a feature of this ‘holiday’, and yes we can call this a birding holiday rather than a birding tour that we thoroughly enjoyed our 8am breakfast after a good night’s sleep. And pretty surreal for me to be back here as it must have been 6 years since I last brought a group here – but the experience of leading 15+ tours over the years to these mountains means it quite quickly feels like a ‘home from home’.

After collecting our picnic lunch we drove a short distance to the usual stake-out site for Wallcreeper, which entails a slow 30 minute walk through coniferous forest before the trail opens out to a rocky path. Along the way, Nigel found our first Crested Tit and we saw a few other common birds before reaching the base of some tall cliffs where Alpine Swifts were zooming across the sky and heading like Exocet missiles into their nesting crevices high above us. Many Eurasian Crag Martins were also nesting here, a few Black Redstarts were singing, Red-billed Choughs flew over and some Eurasian Griffons patrolled the skies. But we were here for one species in particular and after a short wait a large ‘butterfly-like’ bird with broad red wings flew overhead and landed on the cliff above us – Wallcreeper! Such an adrenalin rush and this iconic species then showed on and off for the next 2 hours as we watched a pair bringing large beakfulls of grubs into a nest in a hidden crevice. Such a relief for me as this pair will pretty soon take their fledged young off to higher grounds and leave this picturesque place. Phew!

An English Iris in the Spanish Pyrenees.

We also had our first butterflies of the day here with Wall Brown and Large Skipper showing well before heading back down to the minibus for lunch. It was quite hot by now and the alpine meadows were hosting Silver-washed Fritillary, Long-tailed Blue, Scarce Copper, Silver-studded and Common Blues, Piedmont Ringlet and others. A Firecrest and another Crested Tit also showed well on the walk back down, with some families of Coal and Blue Tits in the conifer forest as well.

Long-tailed Blue.

Large Skipper

Upon reaching the minibus we had our picnic lunch and then enjoyed some cold drinks at the bar of the refuge, as well as seeing Dark-green Fritillary and a Common Swallowtail. Driving down the winding road we saw our first Marbled White and Brimstone before heading off to the Anso Valley. Just a few kilometres down the road we stopped when a Short-toed Eagle flew over carrying a snake and we jumped out to have a look. Just then we noticed some flowers were attracting more butterflies and we found Spanish Purple Hairstreak, Pearly Heath and a Spotted Fritillary. 

Spanish Purple Hairstreak

Driving up to the Anso Viewpoint, it was teeming with yet more butterflies most of which were Marbled White, but amongst many fritillaries High-brown was new, and we also had Pale Clouded or Berger’s Clouded Yellow (struggling with the i.d of this one), as well as Small Skipper. 

High-brown Fritillary

We then drove down to the Foz de Binies and walked into the gorge where some Eurasian Griffons were patrolling overhead, and a few Black Redstarts and Spotted Flycatchers were present. A short stop at Puenta La Reina for fuel and Magnums followed and we then drove back up the Hecho Valley. A pale-phase Booted Eagle showed well and a Southern White Admiral was seen before reaching our lovely hotel with plenty of time to enjoy some cold beers and get ready for dinner.

And we thoroughly enjoyed some home cooked dinner by our fabulous hostess, Lucia. Oh and now this hotel has their own brewery so it would have been rude not to taste a little.... Mmmm...

Spanish Pyrenees

So we flew from Bristol and East Midlands Airports on the short flight to Barcelona, met up and drove to the Hecho Valley in the Spanish Pyrenees. Along the way we saw many European Bee-eaters, White Storks on nests and a brief Eurasian Golden Oriole before reaching our base of the Hecho Valley. Here an Ortolan Bunting was seen amongst many Corn Buntings, a pair of Tawny Pipits were on the road in front of us and we had our first taste of the stunning array of butterflies on offer with Dusky Heath and Spanish Gatekeeper being noteworthy. It was just a short drive to he excellent Hotel Uson, situated high up the scenic Hecho Valley and our home for the next 6 nights.

Here's a couple photos of the view from my bedroom window.....

Not a bad view from our hotel room....!

Sichuan - The End....

Leaving at 5am from our hotel we drive a short distance to a lovely patch of forest from where the unbelievable happens, and a huge Pere David’s Owl flies over us and lands on the top of a nearby conifer. We watch this beauty for some 20 minutes as it flies all around us and it even at one point passes low over our heads, circling us before alighting nearby – stunning views indeed. Needless to say we were all elated at this sighting and what a way to wrap up the tour. The rest of the forest was pretty quiet and we could only find some commoner species, so return to our hotel for a quick shower and to pack before setting off on the long drive to Chengdu and the end of a fabulous tour.

Baxi Forest

So a nice relaxing 6am departure for Baxi Forest and it’s a lovely clear morning and we can actually see the sun as we drive along. We walk into the moss-encrusted pine forest hoping for really only two birds that we still need (Three-banded Rosefinch and Chinese Nuthatch) but neither are present, although on an other day the birds we see would constitute a good walk: Chinese Leaf-Warbler, Przevalski’s Nuthatch, Sichuan Tit, Red Crossbill, Chinese White-browed Rosefinch and others. We do get a Long-tailed Thrush teed up in the scopes as it sings right from the top of a tall conifer – very nice indeed.

Breakfast is a jovial affair before walking up a beautiful valley with scrub and bushes on both sides where a Sharpe’s Rosefinch had been recently seen. There are a couple fine male White-browed Tit-Warblers, Chinese Fulvetta, Plain Laughingthrush, many Yellow-streaked Warblers, Greenish Warbler, Kessler’s Thrush, Rufous-breasted Accentor, plenty of Common Rosefinches, and best of all a very unexpected Spectacled Parrotbill that comes in very close. Wow! And further up the valley a flock of 14 Tibetan Siskins are feeding in a bush at eye level – again another species giving crippling views and we watch them for ages until they fly off.

Higher up the valley we find many Chinese Beautiful Rosefinches and there’s a nesting pair of White-browed Tits here as well. But all too soon it’s time to leave the Tibetan Plateau and we head towards our next hotel, getting close Daurian Jackdaws by the roadside before stopping at my usual site to scope a superb male Siberian Rubythroat singing from on top of a bush for several minutes. We arrive at the hotel at 4.45pm and have plenty of time to relax this evening.