Autumn changes bird photography quite quickly here in Finland.
Many of the summer birds are leaving, the breeding season is over and the forests become quieter. At first it can seem that there is simply less to photograph than in spring and summer.
In some ways that is true.
But the birds that remain are now surrounded by a very different landscape. By September, yellow begins to replace green, ruska colours the vegetation and misty mornings become more common. There is more rain too.
For me, these conditions are an important part of autumn bird photography. I am not only looking for a bird. I am also looking at what autumn can add to the photograph.
And there are still plenty of birds to work with.
Golden eagles in autumn colours
The golden eagle is probably one of the most familiar autumn photography subjects in Finland.
Our season normally starts around the middle of September and continues throughout the winter. I like the beginning of the season because it gives a completely different setting from the classic winter eagle photography.
The landscape still has colour.
Yellow trees and autumn vegetation can become part of the background, while misty mornings can create much softer surroundings. An eagle photographed in September can therefore look very different from the same bird photographed a few months later against snow.
At this point in the season, I don’t expect a huge number of eagles at the feeding sites.
Usually it is still the local territorial pair visiting. If they have bred successfully, their youngster may also be around.
So there can be long periods of waiting.
Fortunately, there is often something much faster happening while we wait.
If you would like to photograph golden eagles in Finland, you can find more information about Finnature’s Golden Eagle photography hides here.
Sparrowhawks and jays
Sparrowhawks often gather around the eagle hides, where they seem to spend a surprising amount of time interacting with jays.
I have watched this many times.
A jay comes to a branch and waits. A sparrowhawk arrives at speed and scares it into flight. Soon afterwards, the jay is back on the same branch.
Then the sparrowhawk comes again.
It doesn’t usually look like the sparrowhawk is seriously trying to take the jay as prey. The size difference between them is perhaps too small. Instead, it often looks as if they are competing or even practising flight together.
Whatever the reason, it can be very entertaining to watch.
It is also difficult to photograph.
A sparrowhawk is an extremely fast-moving bird. Finding it quickly enough, keeping it in the frame and maintaining focus gives both my own reactions and the camera a proper test.
There can be many attempts without a successful photograph.
I don’t really mind. Watching the birds is already interesting, and when everything finally works, the result feels earned.
Autumn days in an eagle hide are still quite long. There is plenty of daylight for photography compared with December and January.
If someone wants a short eagle photography day, I would recommend midwinter instead.
Then, of course, the lack of light becomes the challenge.
If you would like to photograph sparrowhawks from a hide, you can find more information about sparrowhawk photography hides here.
Eagle owl and goshawk
The eagle owl is another bird that can be photographed in Finland during autumn.
At our feeding site, eagle owls visit regularly from around August until June. August and early autumn can be particularly interesting because there is still a good possibility of photographing them in natural light.
As autumn moves towards winter, that changes.
We normally enter the hide around 18:00 early in the season, or later in autumn roughly two hours before sunset. As sunset moves earlier, the time spent in the hide naturally becomes longer.
Goshawks can visit the same feeding site.
Their visits are more irregular, especially earlier in the season. Normally they become more frequent as we move towards winter, although there are always differences between years.
This year, for example, the first goshawks have already visited the feeding sites.
For me, this is one of the interesting things about following the same locations through the seasons. The calendar gives some idea of what to expect, but the birds do not follow it exactly.
If you would like to photograph eagle owls and goshawks from a hide, you can read more about the photography location here.
The autumn lek of black grouse
Black grouse are one of my favourite birds.
They are strongly associated with spring photography, but they also have an autumn lek. It is much less known than the spring lek, even among photographers.
The autumn lek is usually not quite as active as the spring one.
But there can actually be more birds.
The young birds from the summer are now joining the adults. I particularly like seeing the young males at this time of year. Their change from juvenile towards adult is still in progress, and some of them can look slightly funny.
At the same time, they are learning.
The autumn lek is important for black grouse. The older birds are establishing the best places for the following spring, while the younger birds can learn from the more experienced ones.
This gives the autumn lek a different character from spring.
There may be less intense action, but there is plenty to observe.
Unfortunately, black grouse are also hunted from autumn lek sites in Finland. I find this rather short-sighted. The birds are gathered together and concentrating more on the lek than on a hunter, which naturally makes them easier targets.
For me, the lek is much more interesting as something to return to with a camera.
Especially in autumn, when the young birds are only beginning to understand how it all works.
If you would like to photograph black grouse from a hide, you can find more information about black grouse photography in Finland here.
Waxwings, swans and cranes
Not all autumn bird photography needs to happen from a hide.
This is a good time of year for simply going out with a camera and looking for what autumn brings.
Some years, rowan trees are heavy with berries. When this happens, they can attract flocks of waxwings to feed.
At the same time, swans, cranes and geese begin gathering in fields before autumn migration.
These gatherings can create very good photography opportunities.
I especially like situations where the landscape is allowed to remain part of the photograph. A group of birds in a misty autumn field can sometimes say more about the season than a close portrait of one individual.
But large flocks in fields can be quite shy.
This is something worth remembering before approaching them. It is easy to see hundreds of birds and immediately start thinking about how to get closer.
Sometimes one approach is enough to send the whole flock into the air.
I prefer to watch first and give the birds space. There is little point in getting closer if the result is that the subject disappears completely.
Small birds around feeding stations
Autumn is also the time when bird feeding becomes more active again in Finland.
Feeding birds is common here. Many gardens have feeders, and they are also used at many photography locations.
Great tits, blue tits, crested tits and bullfinches are among the familiar visitors.
For photography, a feeding station makes the birds’ movements somewhat more predictable while still allowing them to behave naturally.
Natural branches can be placed close to the feeder, giving the birds suitable places to land before they move to the food. I can then pay attention to the branch, background and direction of the light.
In autumn, the background can be especially important.
Yellow leaves and other autumn colours can turn a very familiar small bird into a photograph that feels strongly connected to the season.
This is one reason I don’t think autumn bird photography needs to be about unusual species.
Sometimes a common bird in the right surroundings is enough.
Fewer birds, different photographs
Autumn is certainly quieter than spring in Finland.
There are fewer species, less song and less of the constant activity that comes with the breeding season.
But I don’t think that makes it a poor bird photography season.
Golden eagles are returning to the feeding sites while there is still colour in the landscape. Sparrowhawks keep us busy during the waiting. Eagle owls can still be photographed with some natural light, and goshawks gradually become more regular as winter approaches.
Black grouse return to their lekking grounds for a less familiar part of their annual cycle. Waxwings may find the rowan berries, while swans, cranes and geese gather before leaving.
And around feeding stations, even the most familiar small birds have completely new backgrounds.
For me, this is what autumn bird photography in Finland is about.
There may be fewer birds.
But the photographs don’t have to look like anything from summer.
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