This cracking tour will take us through Siberian taiga forests of central Finland through to the northern coasts of Norway. We begin our birding in Oulo, searching for numerous breeding owls such as Great Grey, Ural, Northern Hawk, Boreal, Eurasian Pygmy and Short-eared Owls. Moving on to Kuusamo we can expect a number of encounters with a veritable feast of eastern specialities, including Siberian Jay, Grey-headed Chickadee, Parrot Crossbill, breeding Red-flanked Bluetail, Little and Rustic Buntings, Bohemian Waxwing, Black and Eurasian Three-toed Woodpeckers, Hazel Grouse, Western Capercaillie, Willow Ptarmigan, Red-necked Grebe and Little Gull.

Moving northwards, we cross the border into Norway, spending the remainder of our tour birding the scenically superb, bird-rich Varanger Peninsula. At such a northerly latitude, this really is the ‘Land of the Midnight Sun’. Amongst the numerous specialities we can expect to see are such sought-after species as King Eider, Red-throated, Black-throated and Yellow-billed Loons, Common Merganser, Glaucous Gull, Common and Thick-billed Murres, Razorbill, Atlantic Puffin, Rock Ptarmigan and Lapland Longspur. Comfortable accommodation and long summer days, surrounded by spectacular landscapes and birds, ensures that Lapland and the Arctic Circle are one of Europe’s classic birding destinations.