Arctic Birds

Arctic Birds

Enontekio's birdlife through the year, from the waders out on the mires to the raptors of the open fell, and when to look for them.

Many bird species pass through here, and the diverse landscape of the Hetta Area, old pine forests, vast mires, lakes and fells, makes it a rich habitat, a bird lover's delight. The best time to visit is probably between mid May and the end of June, though it is wonderful to watch the first swans, ducks and geese arrive in late April. Hetta has two bird observation towers near the village, the Yrjö Kokko Bird Watching Tower (enontekiolapland.com) and the Sotkajärvi Bird Watching Tower, arguably the best places from which to observe the area's large bird population, plus further towers out in the wilderness areas.

  • Cafe Peura at the Fell-Lapland Nature Centre - a local favourite since 2019
  • Post Office cafe (Eramaakota): bakery, flower shop, souvenirs and free internet
  • Reliable grill open most days until 8-9pm
  • Multifunctional petrol-station cafes at Karesuvanto and the Norway junction
  • Retkeilykeskus Kilpisjarvi: licensed restaurant seating 200, running since 1937

Arctic Birds

Enontekiö's birdlife changes with the seasons, and the two towers near the village are the easiest places to start. The latest bird sightings in the area are listed on the regional birding website.

  • Yrjö Kokko bird watching tower: approximately 10 km east of the village beside road 956, by the pool where the river Vanhajoki flows into the River Ounasjoki. Boards there introduce the birdlife of Joentekiäinen, the quiet pool in the River Ounasjoki, and the Finnish writer and scientist Yrjö Kokko, and an adjacent lean-to shelter makes a popular cyclists' lunch stop
  • Sotkajärvi bird watching tower: on the shore of Lake Sotkajärvi at Sotkavuoma about 18 km from Hetta en route to Palojoensuu, excellent during both migration and nesting time. Almost all the water birds that nest in or regularly migrate through Finland have been recorded here, along with rarities such as the American Wigeon (Anas americana) and the Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis), and sighting competitions are frequent. Both the adjacent shelter and the tower's lower platform are wheelchair accessible
  • Regional emblems: Willow Grouse are part of local livelihoods and traditional ways of life, and Capercaillie, Black Grouse and Ptarmigan are also common
  • Rarest sightings in Hetta: the Bee-eaters (Meropidae), the Great Skua (Stercorarius skua), the Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni) and the Dusky Thrush (Turdus eunomus)
  • Wilderness raptors and specialities: White-tailed Eagles, Golden Eagles, Rough-legged Buzzards, Ospreys, Hawk Owls, Tengmalm's Owls and Pygmy Owls, and more rarely Snowy Owls, Great Grey Owls and Gyr Falcons. Long Tailed Skua, Waxwing, Bluethroat, Arctic Tern and Black-throated Diver are also found in Enontekiö, and the closeness of the Arctic Ocean adds the Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) and the Little Auk (Alle alle) to the list
  • Summer fell birds: by late May there are birds almost everywhere. Hike into the Enontekiö wilderness or south of Hetta to Pyhäkero Fell for most of Finland's fell birds, including the Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta), the Eurasian Dotterel (Charadrius morinellus), the Long-tailed Jaeger (Stercorarius longicaudus) and the Lapland Longspur (Calcarius lapponicus)
  • Village songbirds: the lead singers of a summer morning in Hetta Village are the Common Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus), the Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca), the Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus), the Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) and the Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla), with the occasional song of Lapland's nightingale, the Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica)
  • Visitor favourites and summer migrants: visitors from abroad are generally most interested in the Whooper Swans (Finland's national bird), Siberian Tits, Siberian Jays and the various eagles, falcons, hawks and owls, while the Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis) and the Common Redpoll (Carduelis flammea) migrate here for the summer
  • As winter nears: when the shallow lakes freeze, point your binoculars at the unfrozen spots in Lake Ounasjärvi. Yrjö Kokko wrote of its Common Goldeneyes (Bucephala clangula), Long-tailed Ducks (Clangula hyemalis) and Smews (Mergellus albellus), and with luck you may spot a rarity such as the Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis) or the Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
  • Periläkoski Rapids: between Lake Ounasjärvi and Lake Periläjärvi, another fine destination. Finland's most northern sighting of a Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus) was made on the rocks there, among a flock of White-throated Dippers (Cinclus cinclus)
  • Deep winter: between 2002 and 2005, twenty-two species were sighted in winter on the bird watching route through Hetta Village, most numerously the House Sparrow (Passer domesticus), the Great Tit (Parus major), the Common Magpie (Pica pica), the European Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris) and the Eurasian Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula). Lapland regulars such as the Willow Grouse (Lagopus lagopus), the Siberian Jay (Perisoreus infaustus) and the Siberian Tit (Parus cinctus) are seen all winter, and the Carrion Crow (Corvus corone), the Willow Tit (Parus montanus), the Blue Tit (Parus caeruleus), the Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius) and the Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella) appear in small numbers in urban spots

Ready when you are

Real wilderness, 200+ huskies, eighteen winters in.

Find places to eat Ask us a question