Ylläs Yöpuu is a paradise for birds, bird- watchers and photographers. Ylläs Yöpuu is an official partner of both Finnish BirdLife and Pallas-Ylläs National
Park.
Yöpuu host, Vesa, is himself an enthusiastic bird-watcher, so we have special services for birds and animals, nature lovers, bird- watchers and photographers.
The prime service is Yöpuu’s own TV channel, Tintti-TV. In each of the cottages, there is a birdhouse in the window. From inside the birdhouse, an infra-red camera, which does not disturb the birds, transmits a picture to the TV in the cottage. Of course, we cannot guarantee that there will always be residents in every bird-house.
The most common occupants are tits and pied-flycatchers. In Lapland, nesting usually continues well into July.
Nesting Boxes
There are several nesting boxes in the yard and around the beach. The first to be occupied is usually the roadside box. During May-June there is a huge buzz in the camping grounds when laying is in progress.
Did you know that multiple birds can lay eggs in the same nesting box? This can result in one mother having deal with up to 20 chicks! The male birds leave the lake for about 24 hours during the hatching season, usually around midsummer, but they will be feeding around the lake all summer.
Swallow Nests
We have installed felt nests under the eaves for feathered visitors. Swallows arrive around midsummer and their nesting sometimes lasts until late August. In Yopuu’s evening airspace, there is more action than at Heathrow airport! Another favourite is the Arctic Tern, which can be followed and photographed swooping and diving over Äkäslompolo lake. Likewise, the pied-wagtail and the European dipper, who also have their own special nesting sites provided.
In the winter, the European dipper is a regular visitor at the front of the Lake Sauna and can often be seen showing-off, dancing and singing… to his own reflection! Parrots are ten a penny, but a dancing dipper is a real rarity!
Other Facilities
Nearby, bird-watchers will also find nesting swans, ruff and red-necked phalarope. In springtime, even the pine grosbeak can be found in the area.
Kotka Studio
As a special treat, you can visit our “Kotka Studio”, a large, fully equipped eagle hide where you can watch and photograph Golden Eagles at close range. Eagle season is from the beginning of September to mid-May ..
Our winged friends show their gratitude in their own way; eating mosquitoes that might otherwise harass our guests. According to the conservative estimate of our host, every summer tens of kilos of mosquitoes are eaten! Feeding In summer, our beach has feeding and resting rafts for waterfowl. Feeding is especially important for chicks and Lapland’s summer can be very changeable; in June 2014 the weather varied from +30 C to -2 degrees and snowfall!
Along with songbirds, our regular visitors include whooper swans, golden-eye ducks, mallards and teal. We’ll stop feeding our feathered friends in September so they will not leave their migration too late. In winter, we offer birds fat-balls, nuts and sunflower seeds. In addition to willow tits and Siberian tits, the feeding site has, at its busiest, dozens of species, such as bullfinch, Arctic jay, great spotted woodpecker, and pine grosbeak. In springtime we are also visited by many hungry red squirrels and hares.
Our feeding and nesting facilities offer excellent opportunities for bird photographers, and, from our beach hut it is also easy to observe and photograph
waterfowl and Arctic tern. At Yöpuu, we live in harmony with the environment and the wildlife, which benefits us all.
