Finland – birds and music

Our most ambitious and exciting 'birds and music' tour was inspired by the famous Savonlinna opera festival - renowned, spine-tingling performances in the dramatic and acoustically perfect setting of a 15th-century castle on an island in a lake in southern Finland. But our all-embracing northern circuit also visits Norway and Estonia, and includes the Tallin international organ festival, magnificent singing in a Russian Orthodox cathedral, and private chamber and kantele concerts by the light of the midnight sun.

Our target birds are similarly diverse: Steller's and King Eiders and Brünnich's Guillemot along the Varangerfjord in arctic Norway; Dotterel, Ptarmigan, and Long-tailed Skua on the Lapland mountain tops; Red-throated Pipit, and Lapland and Little Buntings in the bogs; Siberian Jay, Siberian Tit, and, with luck, Pine Grosbeak in the forests; Common Crane and various waders in the wetlands; and Whooper Swan, Golden Oriole, Thrush Nightingale, and the elusive Nutcracker in the Finnish lakeland. Add to this truly wilderness scenery and the perpetual daylight north of the Arctic Circle, and these two weeks are sure to constitute an unforgettable experience.

Details of the music programme for the 2003 Savonlinna Festival can be obtained from the Sunbird office.

Tuesday 22 July to Monday 4 August

with Bryan Bland and Patty Briggs as leaders.

Finland bird list
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Day 1: The tour begins with an afternoon flight to Helsinki where we will spend our first night.

Day 2: After some sight-seeing in and around this attractive capital city, we will drive to Savonlinna in good time for our first opera . The town is built on several small islands, the very smallest of which is occupied by the 15th-century Olavonlinna Castle, home of the world famous Savonlinna Opera Festival. Night in Savonlinna.

Day 3: This morning we'll visit Punkaharju to look for Nutcracker, and Siikalahti reserve which harbours the most compact population of Golden Orioles in Finland and where other highlights may include Slavonian Grebe, Bittern, Whooper Swan, Osprey, and Thrush Nightingale. We'll then take a guided tour of the remarkable Retretti Art Centre. After lunch at Punkaharjun Valtionhotelli, a romantic masterpiece in lacework-carving carpentry, there will be an operatic treat in Olavonlinna Castle. Night in Savonlinna.

Day 4: This morning we'll take a private cruise to the Saimaan Wilderness Camp where we'll explore the woodland and lakeside for Red-necked Grebe, Black-throated Diver, Osprey, and with luck, White-backed and Black Woodpeckers, and Scarlet Rosefinch. After lunch by open fires on the lakeside, and a variety of activities from smoke saunas to church-boat rowing, we'll drive back to Savonlinna for our evening opera. Night in Savonlinna.

Day 5: After driving to Helsinki to catch the morning flight to Ivalo, the day will be devoted to birding in the woodlands and marshes of Lapland looking for Red-necked Phalarope, Temminck's Stint, Siberian Jay, Siberian Tit, Pine Grosbeak, and Little Bunting. After dinner we'll enjoy a private midnight-sun kantele concert in a mountain-top cabin overlooking the lakes and hills of Lapland, a totally unforgettable and magical experience. Night in Ivalo.

Day 6: The day will be taken up with the drive from Ivalo to VardØ, in Norway, birding in bogs and on mountain slopes en route, where we'll hope to see Long-tailed Skua, Red-throated Pipit, Brambling, Bluethroat, Arctic Redpoll, and Lapland Bunting. Along Varangerfjord we may see such highlights as White-billed Diver, and Steller's and King Eiders. Night in VardØ, an island in the Barents Sea.

Day 7: After a short boat trip to the island of Hornöya for Brünnich's Guillemots and other auks, we'll continue to Hamningberg, as far as it is possible to drive on the European mainland, for seawatching, and then head back to VardØ, if we are very lucky spotting a Gyrfalcon or Snowy Owl en route. Night in VardØ.

Day 8: We'll spend the morning driving back along Varangerfjord, birding at Ekkeröy cliffs where White-tailed Eagle is regularly seen, and looking for Shorelarks and Snow Buntings. During lunch (hopefully outdoors) we may enjoy another private concert - this time Saami joiku by a very professional entertainer. Or we may save this until after our dinner at Saariselka, where we'll enjoy a Lappish evening with local reindeer herders round a log fire in a traditional hut, maybe with Willow Grouse wandering outside. Night at Saariselka.

Day 9: After an early morning search of the mountain slopes for Dotterel and Ptarmigan, and a post-breakfast search for Two-barred Crossbill or Siberian Tit, we'll spend most of the day driving south to Oulu, birding en route and stopping to pay our respects to the real Santa Claus as we cross the Arctic Circle. Night near Oulu.

Day 10: A day birding in Finland's best wetland, Liminganlahti, should produce many waterfowl and waders, as well as Common Crane and Rustic Bunting. There will be another special culinary interval (for the celebrated salmon soup lunch), and an exotic dinner at a Snail Farm will be accompanied by a private concert by Harmony Strings (Haydn, Saint Saëns, Kuula, Merikanto and others). Night near Oulu.

Day 11: After some more birding around Oulu, we'll fly to Helsinki and on to Tallin in Estonia. In the evening we'll attend the opening concert of the Tallin International Organ Festival. Night in Tallin.

Day 12: We'll visit Saaremaa island for birding, with lunch on Muhu (folk costume and accordion music). We should see species not found in Finland - such as White Stork and Red-backed Shrike - before returning to Tallin for another organ and orchestral concert. Night in Tallin.

Day 13: We'll experience a sung mass in the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Alexander Nevsky, followed by folk dancing and more birding in the open-air museum. We'll then take a walking tour of Tallin old town, a quite entrancing medieval Hanseatic port with wonderful old buildings. In the evening we'll attend a final organ concert. Night in Tallin.

Day 14: After the option of a relaxing morning around Tallin or birding at Tuhula (where we have seen Lesser Spotted Eagle, Black Woodpecker, and Scarlet Rosefinch), we'll drive to the airport via the Song Festival ground and Peter the Great's Palace (a site for Icterine Warbler) for an afternoon flight back to London, via Helsinki.

Cost £3570

(includes good tickets for all operas and concerts)

Single Room Supplement £240

Maximum group size: 16 participants and 2 leaders.

Finland bird list
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