JARI PELTOMÄKI

OULU AND VAALA, FINLAND

Interesting species can be seen in the middle of Finland.

The region and city of Oulu in central Finland borders the northeast shore of the Gulf of Bothnia, and it’s a meeting point of two different avifaunas: the birds of the shallow shores of the Baltic Sea and those of the northern coniferous zone. Open fields in flat landscapes are distinctive to this coastal area, where snow melts earlier than in the surrounding areas during spring. The open patches revealed by the spring sun draw geese, cranes, and swans. Graylag Geese breed in the area and are easiest to photograph in early April, just as they arrive but before they start breeding. Many other geese in the area are in transit, such as Bean, Pink-footed, ...

Get The Handbook of Bird Photography now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.