Facts/pictures about your country

[Tuuletar]

^ Thank you!

Some from the past days in Kuusamo; more to come later.

A view to Lake Kitkajärvi from Kouervaara hill:

The canyon lake of Julma-Ölkky, the cliffs are 50 meters high and depth of the lake is the same 50 meters as well:

There was also a rock painting...

... which was inspired by these creatures:

 

[papajohnny]

I really love this thread.

I don't think I've posted much in it, simply because I don't have any good pictures of my country that I've made...I have none actually.
But I do really love this thread. Always brings a smile to my face.

Thank you all for posting.

 

[Saara]

Such a beautiful landscape <3 I love those deers. They seemed no to worry about cars driving on the road when I was in Lapland, is that so always? I would have like to buy one as we had a sheep, chickend and ducks too and I got a contact to a man who has those and he said he will sell it but it is like a wild deer always, it will neve get tamed. I thought it cn be wild as it is but then I decided that I can live without an own deer.

 

[Saara]

I would like to see any photo of your country. No need to be perfect photos, mine are not perfect either. Please do post if you take any photo of your country
We will go fishing and camping to a wilderness at the evening and I will take a video of the silent finnish night at the wilderness. I wish to see a swan, my husband saw it again last time when he was at that same place. I am weirdly unlucky to see swans I would like to suggest somebody to create a topic where everyone could add videos, I think I don't know how to do it. Please, someone? And I'd love to see yours videos!

I really love this thread.

I don't think I've posted much in it, simply because I don't have any good pictures of my country that I've made...I have none actually.
But I do really love this thread. Always brings a smile to my face.

Thank you all for posting.

 

[Karhu]

Looks like Minnesota bear country to me, except the reindeer. MMMMmmm

 

[Saara]

 

[Saara]

By Suomenusko: August (elokuu) is the time of harvest (elonkerjuu) and sowing of the winter rye. In August, everything was supposed to be cut from the fields. It was believed that silent lightning strikes, called Kaleva’s fires or elovalkeat, which are common during this time of year, hastened the ripening of the grain.

August is the most rainy month of the year. Towards the end of the month days also become windy. In August mushrooms are growing, vegetable harvest is abundant and forests are full of berries.

Another name for August is kylvökuu (sowing month) which comes from the celestial moon phase observed when sowing the winter rye. It was believed that successful winter rye could only be sown during the waxing period, which was called ‘sowing moon’ (literally kylvökuu in Finnish).

 

[Eurynome]

Nice lake! Did you catch anything, and did the swans show up after all?

 

[Saara]

Thanks Eurynome None fish The fishing rod had something broken (like Juha is whining in the video). No swans and not any birds which I really wonder. There were nests of ducks and gulls and adult gulls made angry attacks against us when we were too close with the boat. That lake is full of pikes but because of the broken fishing rod we got none. I still haven't got a chance to try Angry Birds-minnows! If we'll get a fish by Angry Birds minnow I guess I laugh my brains out, they look so funny.

 

[Tuuletar]

And more landscapes from Kuusamo:

Kiutaköngäs rapids in Oulanka national park. It's said that this is one of the greatest rapids in Finland (325 meters long and drop-off is 14 meters in all).

There was also a big stone with these figures inspired by Lappish shaman drum (deers, swans, elks, a bear and some other symbols):

Riisitunturi national park and the fell of the same name:

And again our four-legged fellows:

 

[Eurynome]

Beautiful pics as always! The last one makes me feel a bit sorry for the reindeer on the right, with horns bigger than the rest of him. Hope he doesn't go to sleep with a sore neck every night...

 

[Karhu]

I still haven't got a chance to try Angry Birds-minnows! If we'll get a fish by Angry Birds minnow I guess I laugh my brains out, they look so funny.

No way! Didn't know they existed, I have simplified my fishing life with two lures:

Black and white #11 Rapala for bass...

and

Classic daredevil for hauki, and I did catch another 10# lunker this last weekend, almost tipped the canoe over trying to get it in. *whew*

 

[Karhu]

with horns bigger than the rest of him. Hope he doesn't go to sleep with a sore neck every night...

I think it's just turning his head (or her) ANTLERS, not horns and the photo perspective is goofy. But if I'm not correct, Reindeer are the only deer family where the females have antlers too in Europe?

Well anyway cool pix. You would do well here in Minnesota. Have there ever been any Wolverine sightings there? I forget if they are only North America.

 

[Eurynome]

ANTLERS, not horns

I stand corrected.

Have there ever been any Wolverine sightings there? I forget if they are only North America.

There are a few, hardly more than wolves; not much more than 200 at any rate and presumably a good deal less than that. So far - unlike wolves, which are actively being poached to exctinction in addition to the already scandalous legal hunting quota - they've been strictly protected, but now the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is comtemplating to sacrifice them to the desires of the hunting lobby as well, together with raising the quota for lynx (claiming that the population of the latter has become "unbearable" after rising to over a thousand). I'm not alone in my opinion that the whole issue of wildlife protection should be handed over to the Ministry of the Environment, but if that's ever gonna happen, it might be too late for some species.

 

[Karhu]

I stand corrected.

There are a few, hardly more than wolves; not much more than 200 at any rate and presumably a good deal less than that. So far - unlike wolves, which are actively being poached to exctinction in addition to the already scandalous legal hunting quota - they've been strictly protected, but now the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is comtemplating to sacrifice them to the desires of the hunting lobby as well, together with raising the quota for lynx (claiming that the population of the latter has become "unbearable" after rising to over a thousand). I'm not alone in my opinion that the whole issue of wildlife protection should be handed over to the Ministry of the Environment, but if that's ever gonna happen, it might be too late for some species.

200 Wolverines? or 200 Wolves? I was interested in this:

And Lynx are rare here, but more populous in Canada. Minnesota has Bobcat, a smaller version. And in some winters we get the Snowy Owl, depending on food for them and goofy winters, they go where the food goes. Horaaay for gobal warming.

I guess my question was: Many years ago where I currently hunt, there were stories about wolverines. Some sightings and reports along rivers around here but I never have seen one ever. Cougar sightings and tracks yes, wolves are around, yes. But nobody has seen a wolverine in years.

That would be fun!

 

[Karhu]

Oh and the moose population decline has been determined by ticks. One moose can have thousands of them on one moose and that's just not good. We have serious goofy ticks over here. :zombie:uke:

 

[Eurynome]

200 Wolverines? or 200 Wolves?

Ca. 150-170 wolverines (going by the figures provided by environmental conservation organisations as opposed to the above-mentioned ministry) and ca. 120-130 wolves. Hardly enough to be sustainable in either case, given the size of this country.

Many years ago where I currently hunt, there were stories about wolverines. Some sightings and reports along rivers around here but I never have seen one ever. Cougar sightings and tracks yes, wolves are around, yes. But nobody has seen a wolverine in years.

That would be fun!

They're legendarily shy of humans, smart little fellas. Hope the wolves get better at hiding soon, too, before it's too late for them.

This company offers Wolverine photo safaris, but I couldn't tell you how strong the guarantee is to actually see one. I guess they've "trained" a few to regularly show up at the same food place, so it's not quite the same as a chance encounter in the wilderness.

For some real-life wolverine pics, check out Antti Leinonen's page. His book is fantastic, I first came upon it in a shop this spring and could hardly put it down; it was a bit too expensive so I didn't buy it then but might someday anyway.

 

[Luoto]

During the night between Monday and Tuesday, the same lightning strike was captured by three different observers at different locations in Helsinki:

More brilliant lightning shots from the same night here.

 

[Eurynome]

Awesome, especially the first!!!

Speaking of lightning pics, some dude got his timing right in Moscow last weekend:

(by O. Morin, here's the story behind the shot)

 

[xptrinity]

@Blizk: Wow! Great pics!

Probably a Photoshop job, but nevertheless...