Finland sees biggest Siberian nuthatch influx in more than 30 years

Hundreds of eastern nuthatches have arrived in Finland in the country’s largest influx in more than 30 years, Yle reports. Sightings have been especially numerous in eastern Finland, with birds also recorded as far south as the tip of Hanko.

The migration began with an exceptional count in Joensuu in late September: 74 nuthatches were recorded in a single day along the shore of Lake Pyhäselkä. That was the highest inland count of the autumn. BirdLife North Karelia says the birds have been seen throughout the region, and the Kuikka bird association has reported a similar situation in North Savo.

As the autumn migration progressed, the number of eastern nuthatches recorded in flight was seven times the average for 2007 to 2025. Comparable numbers were last seen in 1995, and before that in 1976, says Aleksi Lehikoinen, a senior curator at the Finnish Museum of Natural History.

Large migrations are usually linked to a poor crop of seeds from trees the birds rely on for food. A seed shortage may prompt them to travel in large numbers. It can be difficult to assess the scale of the migration because the European subspecies, europaea, has become a regular breeding bird in Finland in recent years. The subspecies look similar and can be distinguished only with good knowledge of the birds.

The full scale of this autumn’s migration should become clearer as the birds from Siberia settle at feeding stations. BirdLife Finland expects a new record in next year’s Pihabongaus, a bird-counting event held in gardens.

Earlier migrations have been concentrated in central and northern Finland. Most eastern nuthatches are thought to reach the country by travelling north of Lake Ladoga, a route supported by this year’s observations in North Karelia of birds heading south or west. Birds at feeding stations are often unafraid of people and may take a nut from someone’s hand, Lehikoinen says.