Many of the migratory birds have already left Finland. The actual autumn migration ends in October, but some birds will not leave until the first frosts.
The autumn migration of birds is coming to an end.
At this time of autumn, for example, swans, ducks and geese are abundant in southern Finland. White-fronted geese in particular have come from Siberia to refuel on their migratory journey.
One of the most popular stopover sites for migratory birds is Heinlahti in Pyhtää on the southern coast of Finland. The water area attracts a wide range of birds.
Waterfowl, such as ducks and swans, thrive in Heinlahti because it is good for them to feed in the shallow bay.
A rare guest
At the end of September, a rare guest, an Eskimo goose, was seen in Heinlahti. It has only been seen in Finland a few times before.
Antto Mäkinen, chairman of the Kymenlaakso ornithological association, saw the bird once. The bird stood out among the white-cheeked geese in the Heinlahti field with its white appearance. Mäkinen thinks that it was a garden bird, because it had a ring on its leg that indicated it.
– In addition, I am not completely sure whether it was a pure Eskimo goose or whether it had characteristics of a cross with, for example, a snow goose.
More migratory birds in autumn
During autumn migration, there are more birds in traffic than during spring migration. The reason is that birds die most easily during their first year of life. In autumn, there are even more young birds alive than in spring.
Antto Mäkinen estimates that from the point of view of birdwatching, both autumn and spring migration have their advantages.
– There is a certain melancholy in autumn migration, when the birds leave and then it’s winter, when there are fewer of them to be seen. In spring, there is that joy again when the migratory birds come back.
The largest migratory flocks leave Finland by the end of October. However, you can still see birds after that.
– As a whole, the fall migration continues until the ice comes. In some years, the autumn migration can still take place in January, says Antto Mäkinen.