HANKO PENINSULA, FINLAND
Hanko Peninsula offers a flight photography feast on the most southerly spot in mainland Finland.
The tip of Hanko Peninsula is a nature reserve, and it is the location of the Hanko Bird Observatory. Hundreds of thousands of birds move south along the lines of Hanko Peninsula. Many species won’t start out to sea before they’ve reached the very tip of the narrow spit, which collects birds like a funnel, making this an excellent site for banding, observing, and photographing birds. In autumn this is the absolute best location for taking flight shots of migrating birds, excluding waders and seabirds. The tip draws masses of small birds, too, as they contemplate the task of crossing the water, so the trees and bushes are positively teeming with birds to photograph. Good opportunities for photographing resting waders are normally found on the rocky shores around the tip, especially on the southwestern sandbar.
Entry to the observation center is through a free port, but it requires permission from the center attendant.
Contact details can be found at www.tringa.fi (Tringa is the ornithological society for the Uusimaa province in southern Finland). The center has lodging facilities for longer stays, but it’s possible to make day trips too. The weekends in September and October are fairly busy, so it’s good to book early.
The flying birds can be photographed from the roof of an old bunker, which is where the migration observers are stationed, or on the rocks at the very tip of the peninsula. The bunker is higher up than the rocks and offers better chances of getting trees and the sea into the background. However, space on the bunker roof is limited, and the long-term occupiers get preference, so at the busiest times in September and October, photographers tend to end up on the rocks.
The best time to photograph on Hanko Peninsula is from the last week in August to mid-October. Fair to strong winds from the south, and clear or partly clear skies, are the best weather for photography because the wind forces the birds to fly low as they approach the tip of the peninsula, offering ample opportunities for vigilant photographers. At Hanko Peninsula the most numerous migrating raptor is the Eurasian Sparrowhawk, with a few hundred individuals per day counted on several days during autumn. In ideal conditions, they fly just above the treetops, and at times they whiz by right next to the bunker.
The numbers of other raptors are noticeably lower, but over the years I’ve shot a lot of good photographs of species such as Rough-legged Hawk, Common Buzzard, European Honey-buzzard, Northern Harrier, Eurasian Hobby, Eurasian Kestrel, and Northern Goshawk.
The Hanko Bird Observatory is known for its nomadic birds and is a world-class photo location for many species. The nomadic birds’ numbers fluctuate greatly from one year to another, and the years can peak at long intervals. In some years between the peaks, some nomads aren’t seen at all, or there may be only a precious few. Depending on the year, at least the following species can be seen at the center: Black Woodpecker, Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Long-tailed Tit, Eurasian Nutcracker, and Eurasian Jay, plus many owls, including Eurasian Pygmy-Owl and Boreal Owl. Tits are the most common nomads (Great Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, and Coal Tit), and sometimes in their midst are a few of the Eurasian Nuthatch’s eastern subspecies Sitta europaea asiatica.
A flock of Bohemian Waxwings and a view south from the bunker (Bombycilla garrulus)
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III, 70–200mm f/2.8, 1/2000 second, 120mm, f/7.1, ISO 800, continuous focus with 45 focusing points, handheld camera. Hanko, Finland, October 2008.
The Hanko Bird Observatory is the best place I know for photographing Eurasian Sparrowhawks in flight (Accipiter nisus)
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II, 500mm f/4.0 plus 1.4x extender, 1/2000 second, f/9.0, ISO 400, continuous focus with a central focusing point, Gitzo tripod, Manfrotto 501 video head. Hanko, Finland, September 2005.
A young European Honey-buzzard flying very close to the photographer (Pernis apivorus)
Canon EOS-1D Mark II, 500mm f/4.0 plus 1.4x extender, 1/800 second, f/5.6, ISO 500, continuous focus with 45 focusing points, Gitzo tripod, Manfrotto 501 video head. Hanko, Finland, September 2006.
Black Woodpeckers are a daily sight at the Hanko Bird Observatory (Dryocopus martius)
Canon EOS-1D Mark II, 500mm f/4.0, 1/3200 second, f/4.5, ISO 500, continuous focus with 45 focusing points, handheld camera. Hanko, Finland, October 2005.
Migrating Common Wood-Pigeons flying into a headwind with the sea in the background (Columba palumbus)
Canon EOS-1D Mark III, 500mm f/4.0, 1/1600 second, f/8.0, ISO 800, continuous focus with an extended central focusing point, handheld camera. Hanko, Finland, September 2007.
A Eurasian Jay on an eruption migration (Garrulus glandarius)
Canon EOS-1D Mark III, 800mm f/5.6, 1/3200 second, f/7.1, ISO 1600, continuous focus with an extended central focusing point, Gitzo tripod, Manfrotto 501 video head. Hanko, Finland, October 2008.
Eurasian Jay eruptions occur every few years, when they come to Hanko Peninsula in the thousands—a recordbreaking day saw more than 3,200 migrating Eurasian Jays. When they fly in loose flocks they give photographers easy opportunities to practice taking flight shots.
Hanko Peninsula is along the migratory path for many thrushes, waxwings, jackdaws, and cranes. A good migration day prevents photographers from taking much time off.