|
By Antje Neumann
|
|
Thursday, 23 October 2008 |
If every bird had a dignified name, like Spotted Finch, or Arctic Bluebird, the world would be a wooden place. Some of them have to be called Kuukkeli, finds Antje Neumann, Oulu's wildlife whiz. You could call them Siberian Jay, but that would spoil all the fun.
I work in the visitor centre of the Nationalpark Syöte, about 150 km east of Oulu. During the last weeks we’ve had quite a lot of visitors: school classes, groups of travellers, businessmen on work outings, and private persons renting a cabin or popping over from Oulu for a weekend’s ramble.
 But now that ruska, the colour of Finland’s Indian summer, is over, the place is getting quiet again - or so I thought. This morning a special group lounged on the patio of the visitor centre: five reddish-greyish birds making sounds like laughter, peering curiously at us while we sipped our coffee. We threw some bread on the terrace, and they came closer – sitting in the trees nearby, observing.
As we backed up a little, they flew down to pick up the bread.
These tourists aren’t uncommon to these parts. Though happy in most parts of Finland, they are most common to the North-east. They need old, naturally-grown forest to live and survive off; in southern and western Finland most of the oldest forest has been forested away.
Finns call them Kuukkeli, “Koh-kelly,” birds of luck. To Germans–myself included–they’re Unglückshäher, Unglück meaning bad luck.
Looking at them now, it’s hard to believe they got that name. Historically, Kuukkeli visited medieval Germany as foreign guests: they’d migrate to central Europe in search of food during very hard winters–an omen of cold weather.
The English Siberian Jay is staunchly prosaic, referring loosely to their habitat, the taiga of Finland, Sweden, Norway and Siberia.
The Finns’ name is much more fun. During the summer Kuukkeli are occupied with breeding and raising young. In autumn they leave their hides and become more enamoured of hikers–or their food. Lucky for the birds: company for a skier breaking at a fire place.
The best way to observe them is on a hike in autumn, or cross-country skiing in winter. And you can bet the Kuukkeli will appreciate the sight of your bread and makkara.
|
