Common Redpoll at Skellefteå

Skellefteå's boreal forest and 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 and 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.