Swan Song

7/12/2024

The Whooper swan (Cygnus cygnus) is an icon of Finnish wildlife. Now widespread throughout the country, it almost went extinct in the 1950s before a conservation campaign saved it. It's the national bird of Finland, and a crowd's favourite on my birding tours around Helsinki.

Whooper swan (Cygnus cygnus)

Whooper swans spend winter away, but they are among the first ones to come back in March, when they are often seen feeding on fields where soil and stubble start to show up among melting snow. They also gather in coastal waters where the ice recedes first.

One place where I've seen them is Kallahdenniemi, a peninsula protected by a nature reserve on land and sea. It's a lovely place, and as a result it's popular: don't go there to photograph birds at sunset, there are way too many people walking their dogs! Sunrise is a better bet.

Whooper swan and Canada goose (Branta canadensis)

Whooper swan

In 2022, I found a large group of Whooper swans and got to witness spectacular fights.

Whooper swan

Hooded crow (Corvus cornix)

In 2024, I only found their southern cousin, the Mute swan (Cygnus olor). They are not entirely silent, they utter deep grunts in spring, but they are indeed a lot more quiet than the whooping yellow nose. On some of them, I noticed ice forming on feathers that touched the water. The night had be cold, but the sun was about to warm up the day.

Mute swan (Cygnus olor)

Mute swan

Mute swan (young)

Tufted duck (Aythya fuligula)

Mute swan

Mute swan (young)

Mute swan

Mute swan, bathing

Great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major)

Mute swan

Just as I was ready to leave, a young White-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) glided by and perched on a pine. The local Hooded crows (Corvus cornix) immediately started to harass it, and scored a win when the bird of prey left for greener (and calmer) pastures.