THE Finns must be some of the most hospitable people in the world.
Where else would seven cold birders be invited out of the snow and into the home of a total stranger to continue their birding in the warm while being plied with hot drinks and delicious home-made rhubarb upside-down cake?
Perhaps it's the long distance between neighbours that makes Finland such a welcoming country, but I was truly impressed by the kindness and hospitality we received last weekend.
We had gone to Finland to look for an Azure Tit.
This stunning little bird (think Blue Tit in smart blue and white livery and you're not far off) is normally found in Siberia but had just been seen on a birdfeeder in Finland.
Siberia's not an easy destination, so a handful of hardy British birders have made the trip out to Finland, all commenting on the amazing Finnish welcome.
Apart from spending a fortune on birdseed to aid the survival of this diminutive traveller (the bird that is, not the British birders!), the local residents had dug out a parking area amongst the deep snowdrifts.
To prevent visitors becoming lost in the tangle of narrow, icy, forest roads they had even put out signs in English directing the human travellers to the site!
How often would this happen in the UK?
Studded tyres and skillful driving helped keep our vehicle on the road as we made a pre-dawn start in these treacherous conditions.
The landscape was a winter wonderland: frozen lakes, thick snow underfoot and mile after mile of forest, covered in an even coating of snow.
In temperatures of around -20ºC, wearing seven layers of clothing, two pairs of gloves, four pairs of socks, a balaclava, hat and scarf, I joined the early morning group, all lined up watching the feeding station with eager anticipation.
Willow Tit, Blue Tit, Common Redpoll and Red Squirrel all provided some entertainment while we waited for our target bird to arrive.
Time passed and our toes became numb; our fingers turned into frozen stumps making handling binoculars tricky; our breath froze into ice on the outside of our balaclavas.
Suddenly the bird appeared, and panic ensued as birders jostled for the best view, frozen fingers trying to focus bins and telescopes.
What a gorgeous little bird, it seemed totally unperturbed by the commotion it caused as it hopped from tree to bush to ground and back again.
All too soon, it flew off again, no doubt following a circuit of Finnish birdfeeders which have sustained it in these desperate conditions.
Hawk Owl
So what next? Well, Finland is a hard place to go birding in the winter.
Our group of seven hardcore birders (OK, to be honest Hannu Jannes, our guide and probably the best birder in the world, no exaggeration, five of Wales' finest birders, and me) only managed to see 42 species in three days and this would have been impossible without the skill of Hannu in finding them.
But it is the place to look for woodpeckers and owls, and boy did we see some quality birds!
Grey-headed Woodpecker, White-backed Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Three-toed Woodpecker and, possibly my favourite, Black Woodpecker: the archetypal Woody Woodpecker, a huge bird, black all over apart from a red crown a 5cm-long bill, and a manic white eye!
Not to mention Eagle Owl, a sleepy character by day, dozing on a tall building in central Helsinki, and the charismatic Hawk Owl, posing on the top of a spruce tree (see photo).
Don't ask me to name the sites where we saw these birds, I can't pronounce the names, never mind write them, and you'd certainly get a good Scrabble score for most of them!
But if you fancy some delicious home-made cake and hot coffee to help your winter birding, I know just the place!
