Common Redpoll at Skellefteå

Skellefteå's boreal forest & mire, shaped by the Skellefteälven as it runs down to the Gulf of Bothnia, offers a quiet backdrop for photographing Common Redpoll in March. The birch & conifer edges typical of this taiga landscape give photographers plenty of perches to work with against the pale northern light. Those joining Northern Sweden's Eagles In Winter should keep a lens ready between raptor sightings, as this small finch is well worth the extra frames. Patience among the frost-lined branches here is usually rewarded.