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After another breakfast of sausage, egg, salad, yoghurt and toast and marmalade we walked back along the track to the public hide where we spent a bit of time.

A Capercallie called from the forest but didn't come out and the Tree Pipits and Rustic Buntings from the early morning had dispersed so we wandered back, loaded up the car and set off back towards Tampere.
 We stopped a couple of times, seeing Hooded Crow, Buzzard and a few gulls, once at an odd sign which turned out to be a forest path to a well which looked reasonably OK apart from some long green algae.

We began looking for accommodation when we were about 2 hours away from Tampere and eventually turned left towards a sign which turned out to be a converted farm building which could hold conferences and up to 70 in the sauna.
It looked deserted but eventually we found the owner and she checked us in. We had to drive about 15 minutes down the road to a restaurant on the edge of the lake where we had a lovely meal, including a very nice glass of Blueberry wine, produced by the restaurant owners from their own fruit. We returned to the hotel for a sauna, with Chris being brave enough to finish off with a cold shower. The electrics in the other room failed and the owner had to come and remove a self-installed lamp before it would come back on, which was a little worrying.

Breakfast was the usual egg, meats, saddle and salads. We had a look around the buildings which were the landladies natal home and chatted to her husband about their plans, which include a trail up the hill opposite with a watch hide form the top. They are renovating this part of the farm and he showed us the locking mechanism, which is 19th century with an enormous key. He was being help up by a 'special bird' that was nesting in the end room.

We walked up the road where there were birds flitting about among the trees, including Willow warblers, tits and a Great spotted Woodpecker before setting off for the airport and home.

 

Bear Nights 2

Because we had been there already we were allowed to take ourselves to the hides when we were ready so we collected our snack packs and set off. There was a group of photographers who were spread out among the other hides, including one in a single hide. We swapped hides this time and settled down for another watch. The weather had not been good and there were no birds to help keep us amused but luckily a bear appeared before it got dark. Unfortunately it spooked and disappeared back into the woods and we had to wait a while before the neck collared bear appeared and spent some time foraging along the shoreline. It walked to our left and then approached closer, finding a feeder about 30 feet away, standing up to check out the surroundings. It also appeared at the back and made a wide circuit of the wet meadow behind the hides. The light was better but not good and we managed to get some photographs.
The bear spent some time feeding and then went off about it's business. Next morning the chap in the single hide reckoned he had up to 3 bears around his hide during the night as well as a big bear out in the meadow.
Next morning we woke up to another damp but less misty morning and on cue at 4.15am a Wolverine appeared among the trees, making it's way left to right. I managed to see it for about 2 seconds as it bounded between some trees and disappeared.

The bears are supposed to only be active between 7.00 at night and 6.00 in the morning so we were really surprised, as we were just beginning to pack up ready to return to the lodge, to see a large bear appear at 6.35 picking it's way around the food, but not staying very long before ambling off to the right and away.

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Around Kuhmo

After a buffet breakfast which was the usual mix of porridge/muesli with a selection of nuts or fruit plus eggs, sausages, meat, cheese and salad with fruit juices we decided to take a drive around, find some lunch and, hopefully, see an Elk, something I really wanted to see. We tried one of the forest tracks, looking for any suitable habitat. One stop gave lots of Capercallie poo but no birds and a then we found a good viewpoint our over the forest with Honey Buzzards, Waxwings and *
The forests are quite difficult to penetrate are as the trees grow close together and any gaps are covered with moss and shrubs like Bearberry, Cowberry and Blaeberry. Along the paths there were several fungi of different colours, shapes and sizes.

Then we went back to the main road and drove towards the Russian Border crossing, turning round before it and taking a right hand road to the north. Various stops gave not much and it was quite damp with showers on and off all day. One stop had a bird singing quite strongly but we couldn't get a view and it remains a mystery. However, we did stop to make our way through a damp, mossy wood to view a wet meadow and there, crossing from left to right was an Elk! Great views but no cameras.

Time was passing so we headed back to the lodge for another 4.00pm dinner of soup, chicken curry and rice and fruit jelly before collecting our snack packs and setting off back to the hides for a second evening of bear watching.

Brown Bear Nights 1

During dinner we told about how/what to do and a safety talk in case of trouble! Then we picked up our snack bag which held a ham sandwich each, a piece of fruit and a flack of hot water with tea-bags and coffee, sugar and milk plus a teaspoon, and set off through the forest paths to the hides. You have to be in the hide by 6.00pm and lock yourself in until 7.00am next morning.

There are 2 kinds of hides. On the slope coming out of the forest are three public hides which hold 8 people and are available through the day. Then there are several photographic hides which are set around the lake facing across it or looking out over the wet meadow between the slope and the lake. All the hides have slit viewing slots and camera holes with sleeves so that cameras and lenses can be set up without disturbing the wild life.The hides are basic but do have reasonably comfortable bunk beds and a bucket toilet.
We settled into hides 1 & 2 and peered out of the windows. On the bank opposite there were Baltic Gulls, Ravens, Hooded Crows and Herring Gulls picking around the stashed food which is put out for the bears which kept us interested through the darkening evening.











Just as we were thinking that nothing was coming a bear appeared in the distance, moving to eh lt through the trees at the back of the wet meadow. Unfortunately it disappeared but patience was rewarded when it appeared again through the trees on the left and worked it's way along the bank opposite, shuffling and crunching it's way through the food provided. It was too dark for photographs but great views. Then a second bear appeared and also investigated the food stashes. It eventually moved off to the right and was seen again foraging around the wet meadows behind our hide.

A reasonaby comfortable but broken nights sleep and an early dawn brought a very misty morning, and through the mist a Wolverine appeared bounding through the mist for about 10 seconds and was gone.

Wild Brown Bear Lodge

We left around 10.00 stopping off at the lake on the outskirts of Lapinlahti. We saw the first of few House sparrow, Siskin and Greenfinch. There was a garden with some sculptures made from natural materials.

 

We made a few stops along the way seeing a flock of Cranes, Tree Pipits, Yellow Wagtails and an Osprey which flew across the road and then spent some time quartering and hovering over the wood.

We arrived at the Lodge around 2.00pm checked in and then went out for a walk before getting back for  4.00pm dinner. We wandered along the track and then took a side track where we heard and then saw a flock of waxwings, many of them juveniles. On the road there were some interesting fungi. There were also Brown Hawker and Common Aeshna flying around.

We returned to the Lodge for Soup, Salmon and mashed Potato with an interesting selection of side dishes which included olives, tomatoes, beetroot, and cucumber, followed by fruit for desert.

 

Off on a Bear Hunt

As there had been several, regular sightings reported we decided to take a short trip to Finland for Brown Bear, Wolverine, and Wolf. We flew Ryanair to Tampere and then drove up to the Wild Brown Bear Lodge at Kuhmo, near the Russian border.
We landed about 12.30, collected a nice, roomy Hyundai i30 and set off. We drove as far as Lapinlahti and stopped at a Hotelli for the night. We stopped for lunch and enjoyed views of Red Squirrel and Black-throated Divers. We made a few stops, including Satami boat harbour and Jamsa lake where we found Red-throated Diver, Snipe, Great-crested Grebe, Common Gull, Honey Buzzard, Common Tern, Jackdaw, Hooded Crow and Magpie.

Around this car park there were Red-backed Shrike, Willow Warbler, Blue Tit, Robin and Lesser Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler, Siskin, Spotted Flycatcher, Reed Bunting and Kestrel. Across the lake the filed was full of Fieldfares with Mistle Thrush and Redwing among them as well as Wood Pigeons and a Sparrow Hawk.

Another stop at lake Jarvis with Red and Black-throated divers, Gret-crested Grebe, Coot and Marsh Harrier among other birds.
We managed to find the Hotelli we stayed at last time and booked in before driving back down the road to the service area for dinner.
€80 per room/night + breakfast.

In the morning there were Fieldfares in the Rowan outside and after a breakfast of egg, cheese, cold meats, tomatoes and cucumber. We set off for the Wild Brown Lodge.
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Trips Out

Over the week we managed to visit a variety of places, most of which revolved around dog-friendly pubs for lunch. Our first foray was to find the Cerne Abbas Giant - slightly confusing the Satnav and driving places we wouldn't choose to! and then exploring the abbey in the village

 We visited Abbotsbury Swannery where swans have been cared for since at least Medieval times.

We drove past Corfe Castle, among a plethora of other cars, and we made it to Lullworth Cove and Durdle Door, where we managed to find several Lullworth skippers and 2 Rose Beetles, among lots of whites and Meadow browns. There were a few Pyramidal orchids just in flower on the path down to the door.