WWF Wildlive – Winter birds & Northern Lights

Birds by day, auroras by night. Watch a bird feeding site deep in Finnish Lapland, in Tirro, Inari. During the day, old-growth forest birds come to feed in the freezing cold. At night the camera turns to the sky, and with a bit of luck you’ll see the northern lights.

From autumn until April, the camera follows life at a feeding site in a rocky old-growth forest. During the polar night, birds come to the feeder only in the short hours of daylight. As spring nears, the days grow longer and returning migrants bring new species.

Visitors include Siberian Jays, Siberian Tits, Willow Tits, Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Pine Grosbeaks and Bullfinches, and many of them are old-growth forest species. We’re also waiting to see whether a forest predator turns up: a Pygmy Owl, a Boreal Owl or a Goshawk. At times the feeder is busy, and at times you’ll wait hours for the next visitor. Patience pays off!

When darkness falls and the birds settle for the night, the camera turns skyward. If you’re lucky, the aurora lights up the sky.

In partnership

The winter feeding site is run by WWF Finland together with Terhi Hultamo and Arto Saikkonen of AT Nature. Technical production: Pukki Visuals (streaming, distribution and interactive services), Live Eye (camera system integrated into the feeder) and WWF.