[rec.birds] Birds in Finland

carolyn@demon.siemens.com (Carolyn L Pedersen) (10/05/89)

I've enjoyed reading about rare birds seen in Finland (posted by
Martin Helin).   Could someone in Finland please list a few 
COMMON birds?  I'd be interested to find out whats out there.

		    Carolyn  * *
			     \_/

misan@ra.abo.fi (Annika Forsten DC) (10/12/89)

Hello netbirders,

Somebody asked for a list on common finnish birds. That's a bit difficult
to give, but if we are talking about the most common ones, it would be
something like the following:
Chaffinch, Meadow Pipit, Yellowhammer, House Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Brambling,
Carrion Crow, Fieldfare, Skylark, Swallow, Tree Pipit, European Robin,
Sedge Warbler, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Great Tit.
The most common waterbirds would be:
Mallard, Tufted Duck, Goldeneye, Goosander, Great Crested Grebe.
Raptors: Sparrow Hawk, Goshawk, Common Buzzard.
We have hardly any waders at all, but some shorebirds, especially on
migration. The above list are not in any kind of order and are only my
personal view on the spur of the moment.

I have visited Florida (last spring) but otherwise I don't know much about
'your' birds. Anything else you want to know about birds or birding in 
Finland? Do tell me about your way of birding and your birds.

Annika Forsten , ]bo Akademi, Turku, Finland  misan@ra.abo.fi

s30986u@kaira.hut.fi (Martin Helin) (10/18/89)

In article <16203@siemens.siemens.com> Carolyn L Flanders writes:
>I've enjoyed reading about rare birds seen in Finland (posted by
>Martin Helin).   Could someone in Finland please list a few 
>COMMON birds?  I'd be interested to find out whats out there.

Although Annika Forsten from Turku, Finland has already answered
I'm also glad to oblige, Carolyn :

As an example, here's the species list from the 7-8 Oct, 1989
when I was watching birds in the Hanko peninsula (SW-Finland) :

Great Crested Grebe		Podiceps cristatus
Mute Swan			Cygnus olor
Whooper Swan			Cygnus cygnus
Whistling/Tundra/Bewick's Swan	C. columbianus/bewickii (whichever you use)
Mallard				Anas platyrhynchos
(Eurasian) Wigeon		A. penelope
Teal				A. crecca
Tufted Duck			Aythya fuligula
Eider				Somateria mollissima
Goldeneye			Bucephala clangula
Goosander			Mergus merganser
Red-breasted Merganser		Mergus serrator
White-tailed Eagle		Haliaetus albicilla
Sparrowhawk			Accipiter nisus
Goshawk				A. gentilis
Buzzard				Buteo buteo
Rough-legged Buzzard		B. lagopus
Golden Eagle			Aquila chrysaetos
Black Grouse			Lyrurus tetrix
Snipe				Gallinago gallinago
Jack Snipe			Lymnocryptes minimus
Black-headed Gull		Larus ridibundus
Herring G.			L. argentatus
(Great) Black-backed G.		L. marinus
Common/Mew Gull			L. canus
Stock Dove			Columba oenas
Woodpigeon			C. palumbus
Black Woodpecker		Dryocopus martius
"Little Woodpecker"		Dendrocopos minor
Skylark				Alauda arvensis
Meadow Pipit			Anthus pratensis
Tree Pipit			A. trivialis
White Wagtail			Motacilla alba alba
Waxwing				Bombycilla garrulus
Dunnock				Prunella modularis
Chiffchaff			Phylloscopus colybita
Goldcrest			Regulus regulus
Robin				Erithacus rubecula
Blackbird			Turdus merula
Fieldfare			T. pilaris
Redwing				T. iliacus
Song Thrush			T. philomelos
Mistle Thrush			T. viscivorus
Coal Tit			Parus ater
Great Tit			P. major
Blue Tit			P. caeruleus
Crested Tit			P. cristatus
Willow Tit			P. montanus (chickadee)
Wren				Troglodytes troglodytes
Yellowhammer			Emberiza citrinella
Reed Bunting			E. schoeniclus
Brambling			Fringilla montifringilla
Chaffinch			F. coelebs
Goldfinch			Carduelis carduelis
Siskin				C. spinus
Greenfinch			C. chloris
Bullfinch			Pyrrhula pyrrhula
Linnet				Acanthis cannabina
Crossbill 			Loxia curvirostra
House Sparrow			Passer domesticus
Starling			Sturnus vulgaris
Jay				Garrulus glandarius
Magpie				Pica pica
Raven				Corvus corax
Carrion Crow			C. corone cornix

This rather long list gives you some idea what's around in southern
Finland at this time of the year.

Annika mentioned in her article that waders are scarce but on the 
contrary Finland has significantly more breeding wader species
than most European countries. We also have a lot of migrant species
which don't breed in Finland. Numbers of these are perhaps not as
great as in the Central Europe, for example.

			Martin


Martin Helin	Helsinki University of Technology, Finland
Internet : 	mhe@otax.hut.fi		UUCP : mhe@otax.UUCP
		s30986u@kaira.hut.fi	       s30986u@kaira.UUCP