Fewer UFOs
When moving to a new country where the main language(s) is unfamiliar, you end up learning a lot of new vocabulary.
Often, the names of plants and animals remain unknown for a long time, and some of them might not have existed at all in your previous country of residence.
An UFO stands for an unidentified flying object. At times, this is a sufficiently specific description.
To me, identifying something as merely a “lintu” (a bird) isn’t precise enough. That’s why I decided to deepen your knowledge of birds found in Finland, starting with a couple of exotic species that play football.
The Finnish men’s national football team got its name, Huuhkajat (the Eagle Owls), when an eagle owl happened to sit on the eaves of the Helsinki Olympic Stadium, watching the match. The eagle owl is a large owl with the scientific name Bubo bubo. In other European countries, it’s known by names such as Berguv, Uhu, and Hibou grand-duc.
The women’s national football team is called Helmarit. Helmari is a birdwatchers’ abbreviation for helmipöllö. Its scientific name is Aegolius funereus, and in other languages, it’s called Pärluggla, Tengmalm’s Owl, Rauhfusskauz, or Chouette de Tengmalm. Among these names, I think Helmarit is the easiest choice.
In Finland, it’s customary to help birds find food during the winter. People place various seeds on bird feeders and hang suet balls from tree branches. Many of our birds migrate south for the winter and return to nest again once the ice has melted.
A friend of mine who is also today my business mentor colleague, Matti Hannula, is an enthusiastic photographer. He sent me a few photos of winter birds that are easy to recognize:
- Talitiainen, Parus major, Talgoxe, Great Tit, Kohlmeise, Mésange charbonnière
- Punatulkku, Pyrrhula pyrrhula, Domherre, Bullfinch, Gimpel, Bouvreuil pivoine
- Sinitiainen, Parus caeruleus, Blåmes, Blue Tit, Blaumeise, Mésange bleue
- Keltasirkku, Emberiza citronella, Gulsparv, Yellowhammer, Goldhammer, Bruant jaune.
Chirp chirp,
Jukka Isotalo
Photos: Matti Hannula
