A group of Spanish naturalist friends came to Finland while I was based in Helsinki, aiming to look for birds and other wildlife mostly around Finnish and Norwegian Lapland. For some of them, this was the first time in a Nordic country, meaning that many species would be lifers and most of the landscapes were new to their eyes.

With only the third week of May 2024 available, the time compromised our trip, so we planned to visit the areas of Varanger and Kuusamo. The dates are favorable to connect with some Arctic specialties (e.g., Steller’s eider or Iceland gull) without missing the incoming summer migrants (e.g., red-flanked bluetail or rustic bunting).

Our fruitful visit through the Finnish and Norwegian tundra and taiga ended up with great views of different Arctic specialties. We enjoyed good numbers of many species, highlighting the abundance of short-eared owl, western capercaillie and moose, the plentiful seabird colonies in Varanger and the leks of ruff and black grouse showing their finest plumages.

Ideally, a slightly later start of the trip could have provided with a larger list of summer migrants, including little bunting, red-necked phalarope, or red-throated pipit. Additionally, late snowfall caused that the road north from Vardø towards Hamningberg remained closed and time limitations prevented us from visiting alternative spots. Alas, we failed to connect with species typically seen in the north of Varanger such as glaucous gull, king eider, or yellow-billed loon.

However, and despite the conditions, we managed to connect with most of our targets and also found some surprises. Our trip ended with a total figure of 162 bird species seen collectively, and we really had a great time throughout the trip.