Table Of ContentLAPLAND:
A Natural History
LAPLAND:
A Natural History
DEREK RATCLIFFE
Illustrated by MIKE UNWIN
T & AD POYSER
London
Published 2005 by T & A D Poyser, an imprint of A&C Black Publishers Ltd, 36 Soho Square, London W1D 3QY
in the United Kingdom, and in the United States by Yale University Press.
Reprinted 2010
Electronic edition published 2010
Copyright © 2005 text by Derek Ratcliffe
Copyright © 2005 illustrations by Mike Unwin
The right of Derek Ratcliffe to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with
the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988.
ISBN (print) 978-0-7136-6529-1
ISBN (e-pub) 978-1-4081-3167-1
ISBN (e-pdf) 978-1-4081-3402-3
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means – photo-
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systems – without permission of the publishers.
Commissioning Editor: Nigel Redman
Project Editor: Jim Martin
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CONTENTS
Preface vii
Acknowledgements xi
Chapter 1 The Country 1
Chapter 2 The Lapland Naturalists 25
Chapter 3 Biogeography and Composition of Lapland Wildlife 41
Chapter 4 Ecology of Lapland Birds 69
Chapter 5 Boreal Forests 8 5
Chapter 6 Forest Peatlands 137
Chapter 7 Lakes and Rivers 191
Chapter 8 Coastlands 21 1
Chapter 9 Tundra 24 1
Chapter 10 Modified and Man-made Habitats 283
Chapter 11 Other Wildlife 289
Chapter12 WildlifeConservation 299
Appendix 1 The Breeding Birds of Lapland 315
Appendix 2 Wader Breeding Systems 335
References 34 1
Index 349
PREFACE
T"
IS book is primarily about birds in Lapland, with plants and vegetation described as
the essential background of habitat; but I was persuaded to enlarge it to say something
about the other wildlife groups of the region. My excuse for writing the book is that there
is no up-to-date account of Lapland wildlife in English. For birds, there is now a
considerable literature, from John Wolley's account of his egg-collecting forays to the region
in the 1850s, up to the books and technical papers of recent times, but much of it-even if
published in English-is not readily accessible to the interested reader. In botany,
information on Lapland is perhaps still more scattered through a variety of sources, mainly
non-English-language journals. Many Fennoscandian biologists appear constrained in their
studies by the boundaries of the country to which they belong, and their writings on the
north tend to be about Norway, Sweden or Finland, rather than the broad region of
Lapland. Russian Lapland is even more inscrutable to outsiders because of the language
difficulty in the literature, as well as the lack of freedom in entering the country. During a
short interlude of glasnost, the daunting border notice posted in Pasvikdalen about
forbidden activities from the Norwegian side briefly disappeared, but has since been
replaced with no relaxation of the message.
I have thus attempted to fill what appears to be a gap in information about this region of
northern Europe, but trust that my attempt to write about a land to which I am but an
.. .
VI~I Ladand: A Natural Histom,
outside visitor will not appear presumptuous. I have no direct knowledge of Lapland other
than in early summer, and have never seen its striking autumnal colours or its snow-clad
winters, when darkness is virtually continuous, but for the sporadic swirl of the Aurora
Borealis across the sky. This book is based on gleanings from 14 visits with my wife
Jeannette in the bird breeding season, late May to mid July, from 1990 to 2004 (missing
only 2000). We have attempted to cover all the main habitats, with their plants and birds,
to learn something of their variety, distribution and ecology, but are least acquainted with
the rocky coasts, which most closely resemble Scottish counterparts. Our personal
experience can only be a fragmentary view of this large region, which covers an area about
the size of Britain, even without the Russian sector. I venture to suggest that a large part of
it is still virtually unknown to anyone but the Lapps. Some areas are so remote and
inaccessible that present knowledge is based on only sample or partial coverage, as the recent
bird atlases reveal, and fuller surveys are still awaited. Our forays into the wilderness have
seldom exceeded two or three kilometres from a road, so that perhaps we have missed things
that a dee-p er -p enetration mig- ht have revealed, and our observations may not be fully
representative of the whole.
The aim of this book is very far from attempting to be a ticker's pide to the wildlife of
Lapland. Whilst we were assisted with information on localities for a few rare or difficult-
to-find species of birds and plants, we have preferred to make our own way in Fennoscandia,
enjoying the feeling-however illusory-of pioneering and exploration. Although one sees
less this way than by having everything 'laid on', we find more enjoyment and satisfaction
in doing it for ourselves, and there are sometimes deeper insights to be gained by doing it
the 'hard way', which otherwise do not always manifest themselves. So, we suggest to other
naturalists that much more fun is to be had from just making your own way, examining
likely places and persevering until your efforts are rewarded. Many of the distinctive species
of Lapland birds and plants are widespread and will be found given a little determination.
The mention of certain localities and the information on protected areas will give some
pidance for those who prefer to have greater assurance on seeing as much wildlife as
possible during a fleeting visit. There are, in any case, already 'where to watch birds' books
that cover the region (e.g. AulCn 1996).
We have attempted to learn a little of plant ecology and bird breeding biology through our
simple observations, and in this book have endeavoured to blend our experiences with
published work on the species we have encountered. For those we have seen seldom or not
at all, there has been no choice but to rely on the work and information of others. The flora
of Lapland is much too large for me to attempt more than a selective treatment, principally
mentioning the more characteristic species and distinctive plant communities that visitors are
likely to encounter, or those of particular botanical interest. Many Lapland birds and plants
are little known in terms of scientific studies, and the task of unravelling their secrets awaits
the committed field biologists of the future. Some of the more elusive birds in their nesting
habits are, perhaps, too close to academic suicide for prospective postgraduate studies, and
deeper knowledge of their ways may depend on the efforts of dedicated amateurs.
The material is organised according to the six main habitat types (biotopes), although
many species of animal and plant occur in more than one of these, and a few birds breed in
one type but feed in another. When this is the case, the main account of the species is given
under its principal habitat, and briefer comment made under the subsidiary types. The
decisions on which species to include in an account of Lapland must always be arbitrary,
Preface ix
but I have given prominence to those which are either more or less confined to the region,
or are especially characteristic of it, and only a brief mention to the others. The lists of
selected plants are given in Table 1 a-f, and the definitive list of birds in Appendix 1.
In this treatment, I have tried to capture something of the excitement and wonder of the
northern wilderness and these key elements in its wildlife and their habitats, althoug-h
without losing accuracy of reporting. The photographs have been chosen to depict good
examples of the most characteristic habitats and some of the most noteworthy birds and
~lantsI. hope the habitat images also convey something of the beauty and fascination these
landscapes hold, although the endless variety of feature and appearance cannot adequately
be represented in a work of such limited scope.
Sadly, there are signs that Lapland is not quite what it was, ornithologically, in common
with many regions farther south. Comparison with older literature indicates that some birds
have shown a long-term decline over recent decades. Many of the summering birds migrate
far south following breeding, and are then exposed to whatever hazards uncaring humanity
has devised for them; whether the atavistic Mediterranean bird-killers, the grandiose
development schemes of 'progressive' countries or the follies of strife between nations, such
as the Gulf War and its polluting aftermath. Still more significantly, during our decade or
so of visits, the lemming cycles have faded away almost to nothing, and some predatory
birds are now little seen as a result. Fennoscandia has suffered widespread acidification of
waters and soils, in the south from the polluting industrial regions of northwest Europe,
including Britain, and in the north from neighbowing Russia. The threat of global
warming, with the prospect of displacement of northern fauna and flora to still-higher
latitudes, now hangs over the region. Nor is it possible to foresee just what further economic
developments the Fennoscandian countries and Russia will choose to pursue in the north.
However, it is still a tonic to those from battered Britain to wander far and wide amidst
scenes where the effects of human hand are so little evident. We are grateful to have seen
Lapland whilst it is still largely unspoiled wilderness, a magic region which has repeatedly
drawn us back. We hope that this book will inform those who go to enjoy its wildlife in
pristine settings, at least for some years to come.
