Finland: Brown Bears & Wolverines Pre-trip 5/12/2025-5/19/2025

https://ebird.org/tripreport/385863

It is a magical experience for any naturalist to observe the poorly known and rarely seen Wolverine and the immense Eurasian Brown Bear. Once again this year, we enjoyed leisurely encounters at close quarters with multiple individuals of both of these impressive Arctic predators in the taiga forests of remote eastern Finland. Watching from a comfortable log cabin and from a heated bear blind, we were over the moon at this outstanding wildlife spectacle—but there was even more this time, with an incredible bonus in the form of another apex predator of the Arctic. And of course, we found a nice smattering of cool Arctic birds, too, all the more interesting for the spectacular settings in which we saw them.

European Brown Bear male © Andrew Whittaker

We met up in the airport of the Finnish capital of Helsinki, then flew on together to Joensuu, full of anticipation and excitement. As we landed, we saw below us a mosaic of picturesque lakes surrounded by rich taiga forest. We were met at the airport by a smiling Pirita, whom I have worked with on all our past tours. We soon set off in two comfortable vans to Koli National Park, arriving an hour later at our stunning lodge in the heart of the park, with magical views out over the stunning Arctic.

Pristine Boreal Forest holds many exciting Arctic and Siberian specialties © Andrew Whittaker

We enjoyed a full breakfast, then took a break to battle jet lag and catch up on some sleep. Mid-afternoon, we had a great introduction to some of the commoner local species—and most importantly, encountered the greatly sought-after Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker, a responsive male that almost took Pirita's head off in response to playback!

Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker female © Andrew Whittaker

The next day, we left after breakfast for Lieksa, taking advantage of the deserted back roads for some fun birding. Noteworthy were our first close looks at Arctic Loons in full breeding plumage. Cuteness came in the form of Mountain Hares on the grassy meadows, just beginning to change from their all-white winter coats into the brown of summer.

We settled in to our nice hotel by the river for a delicious homemade lunch and a short rest in our rooms, then headed out, full of anticipation, for our first night in the Wolverine blind, deep in the Kontiovaara wilderness. After an introduction by the owners, we made the short drive out to the secluded log cabin, quickly taking comfortable seats in front of four large picture windows; overlooking a picture-perfect lake surrounded by lush forest, the cabin was fully equipped with beds to rest on, drinks, lots of snacks, and even warm slippers. Before they left us, the owners set out bait. As we waited, we enjoyed several smart long-winged Baltic Gulls (a future split from the Lesser Black-backed), Yellow-legged Gulls, (Scandinavian) European Herring Gulls, and the smaller, daintier Common Gulls. Within an hour, I spotted a Wolverine coming toward us. A quiet gasp and a WOW rippled through our group, and soon we were completely mesmerized as this lovely female stopped to eat within three feet of our windows. We felt like we could reach out and touch her!

Female Wolverine eating so close © Andrew Whittaker

Each of our two visits to the blind treated us to prolonged views of different Wolverines, male and female, as they appeared and disappeared in the search for food. Marveling at the exceptional views of the animals actively scurrying around collecting bait and turning over stones and branches, we were fully aware of how rare this opportunity was to study a rarely seen predator’s antics, including climbing a tree for a fish reward; one male even climbed to the top of a tree to see whether the dominant female was around. 

Wolverine showing tree climbing abilities © Andrew Whittaker

An immense bonus was a long-awaited lifer for me and for many others, in the form of a tremendous Gray Wolf! Watching this magnificently marked female for over 30 minutes was a trip highlight for many of us. Avian sightings included a lovely breeding pair of Red-throated Loons, a striking male Common Redstart, Common Greenshank, Common Sandpiper, Common Teal, Great Tit, Chaffinch, and a White Wagtail nesting in the cabin roof.

Magnificent female Gray Wolf was a true highlight © Andrew Whittaker

Each morning we went back to our hotel for a great home-cooked lunch and a rest; every afternoon, then, we returned to the log cabin blind for another exciting session of mammal watching.

Extremely content at having observed one of the world’s most legendary predators—plus the wolf—we packed up and began our migration farther north, to the delightful forested homestead that is the Boreal Wildlife Center, our home for the next two days. After checking in to our comfortable rooms, we tucked into a great homemade lunch. Birds around the lodge, set in the picturesque wilderness of taiga forest, included recently arrived Redwings and Fieldfares, filling the air with their melodic songs as they sought out territories and mates.

Smart Redwings were busy looking for earthworms © Andrew Whittaker

After a short rest mid-afternoon, we headed off in our vans to the exciting new bear blind, a short fifteen minutes away. This spacious structure overlooks a large grassy meadow surrounded by forest extending without a break into western Russia. Within minutes of our arrival, a huge male bear appeared. As it came closer and closer, we all held our breath, the only sound the frantic clicking of camera shutters. Soon, the bear was only 50 feet in front of the blind; the feeling as he looked straight into our eyes was spine-chilling. You could have heard a pin drop in the blind as we watched this thrilling apex predator.

Eurasian Brown Bear alpha male © Andrew Whittaker

We enjoyed the rest of the night with drinks and lots of snacks. Bunk beds were available for resting, but we all wanted more action. Meanwhile, we were amused by the antics of flocks of Common Ravens and the hundreds of gulls fighting over food scraps. This year, we also had wonderful studies of White-tailed Eagles, and a Black Kite appeared and perched in the clearing, showing off. 

Incredibly, on both of our nights in the bear blind, the dominant male—Yogi—made his bed within 40 feet of the blind. This was truly a National Geographic moment, totally fascinating as he scraped a hollow to lie down in, with a mound of moss as a pillow. Our final bear total was five: Yogi, a female with two 4-month-old cubs, and a smaller, darker male. We presumed that Yogi was the father of the two cubs, as he did not show any antagonistic behavior toward them, even when one cub climbed a tree.

Immense and powerful Eurasian Brown Bear male © Andrew Whittaker

Our time in the blind was also a chance to experience the spectacle of the beautiful boreal dawn unfolding around us. The low sunlight and changing angles made the colors all the more radiant. One morning, a delightfully noisy male Black Grouse started displaying at 2:00. Standing water nearby hosted some cool geese, among them our first migrant flock of Taiga Bean Geese, as well as shorebirds including lovely breeding plumage Redshank and our first male Ruff. Our best avian delight, however, was a pair of Parrot Crossbills that landed in front of the blind, offering great looks—the only representatives of this species we saw on this or the main tour alike.

Each morning, we returned to our comfortable wildlife center at 8:15 for a great homemade hot breakfast. Some of us explored for birds around the lodge, while others enjoyed a warm shower and caught a few winks. Breeding birds here included a pair of lovely European Pied Flycatchers in a nest box behind the cabins, White Wagtail, and Eurasian Siskin. Great Spotted Woodpeckers and stunning Eurasian Bullfinches were regulars at the feeders. 

Eurasian Bullfinch male © Andrew Whittaker

On our last afternoon, we experienced an adrenaline rush as we approached the blind to find a huge, thankfully friendly Yogi already there, feeding in the forest; we carefully walked past, within 100 feet of him, and entered the cover of our blind. We all left the bear blind on our last morning extremely happy with the magical wildlife experiences we had had in this remote and beautiful region. On the way back to the lodge, we encountered three close wild Forest Reindeer, yet another mammal highlight!

After another fine breakfast, we packed up and said our fond farewells to the friendly lodge staff. We made a few quick stops along the way to Oulu, including one to see a superb Ural Owl in an open-fronted nest box. We arrived at the Finlandia Airport Hotel in the mid-afternoon, conveniently located right next to the fantastic Liminka Bay Wetland Reserve. Some of us just couldn’t get enough birding and took advantage of the reserve’s towers overlooking the extensive reedbeds and lake, brimming with water birds; others decided to rest up before a great dinner together and the start of the main tour the next day.

I can’t wait to return next spring and experience this fabulous part of Finland again. It was terrific fun sharing this unique pre-trip experience with such a charming and patient group, and I am sure that everyone came away from it with fabulous memories, wondrous images, and videos of this spectacular mammal trip.

Best regards, and, as always, happy birding!

A complete list of the birds recorded on our tour can be found at: https://ebird.org/tripreport/385863

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