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<\/a>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe first night behind, and already two wolves (too far for my snapshot gear), 7-8 bears, 50+ ravens, and a bunch of gulls. This particular hideout site is at the edge of a big swamp. The distance from the hut to the feeding place is about 50 m. The bears know you are there but don\u2019t care because of the food (pig or salmon, depending on what\u2019s available). Wolverines haven\u2019t shown up yet, perhaps because of wolves. Soon to today\u2019s\/tonight\u2019s trip in another site. The agenda: late lunch at 4pm, stay in hide 5pm-8am, breakfast, sleep. #wildlifefinland #kuikkacamp <\/p>\n\n\n\n
9.7<\/p>\n\n\n\n The second hideout was on the shore of an oval-shaped, dark-watered bog pond with water lilies. Most of the bear traffic was over at 9 pm already. I lost count of individuals but I\u2019d say not more than 10. The width of the pond was maybe 30 m at most, which was kind of thrilling. Other sightings were birds. Besides the usual suspects of ravens and gulls: a goldeneye, a juvenile white-tailed eagle, and a peregrine falcon who tried to catch a sandpiper but failed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During these still long midsummery days with hardly any night I begin to realize that the day versus night thing is also a social construct of the modern man. You need sleep but not 8 hours straight unless you have a daytime work inside four walls or something similar. Outside, it feels natural to split the day in 1-2 hour bursts of activity, followed by a nap. Not on top of the foodchain, humans better be prepared. #wildlifefinland #kuikkacamp <\/p>\n\n\n\n 10.7<\/p>\n\n\n\n The third hideout is by a beautifully rugged old boreal forest. Irregular terrain with big rocks, trees both alive and dead, shrubs of blueberry, crowberry and lingonberry, moss. A perfect place to play geocaching by modified rules: food is welcomed, and finders keepers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n None knows how to perform an unexpected arrival to the stage like the wolverine. Now it isn\u2019t there, now it is. With the no-nonsense determinism of an intelligent, curious and agile mammal who has a superb sense of smell, it checks every possible nook and corner, whether low or high. And the wolverine doesn\u2019t give up easily; if it suspects that some odd place was still left unchecked, it returns. One individual (recognizable from a scar over its right eye) kept coming back the whole night, once escorted by a red fox. The fox was screaming loudly, perhaps warning its cubs somewhere nearby. #wildlifefinland #kuikkacamp <\/p>\n\n\n\n 11.7<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because of the topsy-turvy agenda here, one really should be sleeping when at the camp. However, it isn\u2019t that simple. Local dogs for example need their daily attention. Note how the German wirehaired pointer can also be trained to find edible mushrooms. #wildlifefinland #kuikkacamp <\/p>\n\n\n\n 13.7<\/p>\n\n\n\n The last night at the swamp was dramatic although nothing actually happened as such. The bears acted quite differently than on the previous two nights. They seemed shy, even suspicious. Bolted away for no (for us) obvious reason, and stayed away for hours. Maybe there was a new smell, an unknown visitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bears are said to reveal their emotions and are therefore easier to understand whereas wolves for example are unpredictable. Maybe so but there is always the slippery slope of anthropomorphism. Anyway, wolves are 100% predators so to survive they need to have capabilities that let them attack the target. Bears on the other hand are all-eaters.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is only one known pack of wolves around this area. A \u201dpack\u201d in this case is only two, an alpha male and its new female. The old alpha female has died, and all the offspring has moved elsewhere.\u00a0The male wolf is a handsomely pale individual, almost white. We had zero luck in filming\/photographing it. An example of the unpredictability of the wolf if you like was that it seemed to visit the area during the wee hours of the day, around 2 am, except when it did not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The last morning was rainy. The wind blew harshly over the swamp from the North, making every loose part of the small hideout to flap. The camera lens needs protection from the rain, so we had pulled all our stuff in. It was time to leave anyway, we would be picked up in fifteen minutes. It was precisely at that point when the male wolf appeared from the right. Very close to the hideouts for some reason, or for no particular reason.\u00a0I had just enough time to see how the long pale fur waved in the wind, how light the gait was. There it was, the canine that is both passion and hate embodied for so many humans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We were not the only ones who suddendly saw the animal. When several long lenses hastely returned to the peeping holes and turned towards the wolf it stopped, turned on its heels and ran as hell back where it came from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of a snapshot featuring a wolf at close range, here is Antti Silen spreading some dogfood for the bears. He and other staff had interesting stories to tell about the life here at the border zone. Respect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 14.7<\/p>\n\n\n\n The distance between Kuhmo and Suomussalmi is a 2 hr drive. In theory. It took us 4 but then again we stopped twice: first at Tokmanni Kuhmo to buy SD cards and warm long johns for both of us, and later on at the M\u00e4kel\u00e4isen Pojat village grocery store in Ala-Vuokki.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The store isn\u2019t just for food. In 2000, the owner Saku M\u00e4kel\u00e4inen started an online shop of Pioneer electronics. Today, the selection is much wider. To enter his store is a Doctor Who type of experience. Outside, the building looks a regular K market with a small post office at the other end. Inside, it is something completely different. Surreal. Warmly recommended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Back to bears. Martinselkonen Wilds Centre is famous and it\u2019s easy to see why. There. Are. Many. Bears. And then there are cubs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first hideout place was in the corner of a swamp. A small area nicely framed by a forest. Bears walked closer the hides than ever in Kuhmo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These cubs are 1,5 year old. Baby cuteness is taken over by teenage looks and behaviour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 15.4<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just like at Wildlife Finland in Kuhmo, the second night was at a lake. The scenery was wide, wild, wonderful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n BTW here\u2019s one thing: pro nature photographers like water because it reflects, generates fog, is swimmable etc. In a word: action. A clich\u00e9, you might say, but surely water is a versatile element.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n No bears from 4:30 pm until 7:45 pm. Then, a more or less constant flow of them until almost midnight. Several families of mom and 2-3 young ones. Lone males in all ages, some deep brown, some with a silvery coating. Somewhere between 10 and 15 different individuals in total I think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although no open aggressions, there were few mild confrontations between the males. These were displayed by standing in a majestic posture on two feet against a dead tree and shaking it; rubbing the butt against a well-grown pine tree so that it sways, not much but just enough; blowing and teeth-clattering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What a show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 19.7<\/p>\n\n\n\n The last night at Martinselkonen was in the forest. They call this site their main one, and no wonder.\u00a0After a ten minute drive and a brisk 15 minute walk on the mosquito-rich forest path up and down small hills, past big dead tree trunks and over numerous roots, you arrive to a clearing – and it is full of bears! They just sit and stand there, waiting for us (well, food). We were told not to stop for photographs but to continue to our respective hideouts a bit further away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It looked absolutely crazy. True but so abnormal. A bit like in classic Disney animations were all the animals of the forest are gathered together to help Cinderella. Wild bears for sure but used to come here for supper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Later that night, a mother with three cubs loitered past our hut few times. Our position was not the best one perhaps but still, good to see members of the youngest generation. Cubs are not made for photos but film. They just don\u2019t stop but wrestle, climb, and run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bears are no early birds. Next morning we left at 7. Not a single bear was visible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Suomussalmi is within the reindeer herding area. This means that well before the opening of the bear hunting season on August the 20th, Martinselkonen is closing down, and bears wander wherever bears wander when they need to be on their own. Many of these individuals are wise enough to head East.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bye bye, brown bears. Take care and prosper. The hideouts are special movable constructions big enough for two normal size adults to sit and sleep. Basketball players might feel uncomfortable I think. You need to stay in for ~14 hours so there\u2019s also a pot. The tall chimneys are for ventilation. They produce a peculiar, wind instrument like deep humming sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Back in the camp it\u2019s time to relax, take a hot shower, eat, and cuddle the setter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If not for the bears, visit Martinselkonen for their jam made of strawberries, blueberries, and apples. Dark blue with an elegant taste that resembles black currant. Five stars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 19.7<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 4 hour drive from Suomussalmi to Lieksa is also a journey between two Finnish regions. You leave Kainuu behind, and enter North Karelia.\u00a0I fell in love with the vast uninhabited distances in Lieksa. Miles after miles without anything else in sight than green hills, and swamps with the most beautiful palette of colors. I tried my best not to see the frequent clearcuttings, and the shortage of (for me) real forests; the majority is cultivated tree parks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The last few kilometers before the destination you drive along a stunning high ridge of sand. The gravel road makes pleasant turns left and right, sometimes tilting horizontally. An awesome stretch of road!<\/p>\n\n\n\n At Er\u00e4-Eero you feel welcomed immediately. The camp site is like from a fairytale, or LOTR. Cozy old buildings, friendly atmosphere, and one of the best sauna experiences I\u2019ve ever had in Finland. Saunaseura\u2019s services in Lauttasaari are nr 1 but then again, that\u2019s their core business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Er\u00e4-Eero himself is a delight to listen to. He has tons of amusing backstage stories about the various international film groups that are frequently seen here, the top site in the world to film wolverines. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Whatever nature documentary you watch featuring wolverines, the chances are that they are filmed here at Er\u00e4-Eero, no matter which country the doc is said to represent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Julkaistu alun perin Instragramissa ja Facebookissa. 8.7 The first night behind, and already two wolves (too far for my snapshot gear), 7-8 bears, 50+ ravens, and a bunch of gulls. This particular hideout site is at the edge of a big swamp. The distance from the hut to the feeding place is about 50 m. … Continue reading Kuhmo, Suomussalmi, Lieksa 2019<\/span> ![\"Brown](\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/48328162416_b1e6e5fdbe_n.jpg\")
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