In wintertime, Repovesi National Park offers lesser-known experiences such as silence, the opportunity to see the stars of the spring night sky without disturbing light pollution and hear the sounds of the owls, who are believed to be the wisest animals of the forest. During the excursion, three or even four different species of owls can be heard from one place at the same time in the best weather and listening conditions, and several individuals of the same species can also be heard.
Repovesi National Park´s spring-wintertime nature and owls
The area of Repovesi National Park is a rugged and wilderness area, where clear-water lakes and sheltered ponds lie between rocky cliffs and hills. The forests in the area are of different ages, ranging from pine forests that are a few decades old to dark spruces that are more than a hundred years old. The area's terrain type and forests offer good living conditions for owls, even though there are no farmlands inside the park that would attract rodents.
The owl species in the area is quite rich. The Eurasian pygmy owls and Boreal owls are the most common and announce their territories every spring. Ural owl blows its own sweet dog-like sound, startling the hiker to note that the park is not completely silent even in winter. For the Eurasian eagle-owl, the park, which is filled with rocky cliffs, offers several suitable nesting sites, and this large owl can sometimes be heard from the high hills of the park, as its sound carries from the nearby areas of the park. The Great gray owl has also visited the park, but as far as we know, this wonderful owl is not a permanent resident in the park.
Time, duration and place
Those taking part in the excursion will gather on Friday 10 March 2023 at 17:15 at the Tervajärvi Rental Base at the Tervajärvi gate of Repovesi National Park at the address Kivisilmäntie 720, 47910 Kouvola. The excusrion ends at the starting point by 22:30.
About the excursion
At the start of the owl excursion, the guide tells about the owls in the national park area, their habitats, lifestyles, sounds, etc. After this, there is about 3 km listening trip is carried out on foot, walking slowly, stopping and listening. If there is a lot of snow in the terrain, the trip will not be directed only on the roads. After the first phase of listening, we will take a break at a place for campfire of the national park and enjoy a campfire and snacks. After the break, another listening phase will be made, returning to the starting point. Considering the weather and snow conditions, the return route may be the same as the first route. The length of the return route is approx. 3 - 5 km.
Number of participants, registration
There are a total of 16 places for the excursion and registration closes on friday, March 10, 2023 at 10:00 a.m.
Price and content
The price of the trip is 25€ for people over 14 years old and 5€ for people under 14 years old. The price includes coffee before the start of the excursion, the guidance and Metsähallitus´s Right of the Use Fee.
Equipment
The participant must have sturdy and well-fitting footwear because, considering the weather conditions, the there would be very slippery. It would be advisable for the participants to also bring a light, e.g. a headlamp. Weather-appropriate clothing makes the trip pleasant (e.g. warm socks, footwear, headgear and gloves in cold weather, and footwear that keeps your feet dry). In addition, it is good to have a jacket, seat mat, mug and snacks in the backpack. The speed of walking in the listening phase is not very fast.
Noteworthy
The guide has been following the life of owls in Repovesi Area for many years all year round. The implementation of the guide is based on your main guide's own observations of the owls in the area. The guide conducts preparatory listening sessions before the guided excursion in order to direct the guidance to the areas where the owls have announced their territories. In this way, the aim is to ensure a successful listening tour and experience for the participants with the greatest possible probability. However, due to the weather conditions and the owls themselves, the guide cannot guarantee a excursion where you would definitely hear owls.
Safety
The company has Liability Insurance of Action and the guide prepares a safety plan for the excursion. In addition, the guide has first aid equipment.
Responsibility
Eränen is Metsähallitus' cooperation company. The excursion will take place on the park's roads and trails, and the excursion will not be directed to known nesting sites. Observed birds are not approached unnecessarily close. There are no trash cans in the national park. Please bring a container/bag for your possible garbage. We recommend using non-plastic bags.
Weather, Force majeure and Actions of Cancellation
If the weather is not a pleasant for listening (forecast; e.g. strong wind, heavy snowfall are promised), the excursion is cancelled. The excursion can be canceled if the minimum number of participants (5) is not enough. If the forecast is uncertain about the listening conditions, the guidance will be implemented and no separate notification will be sent to the participants. The guide will support more knowledge of the owl point in the Repovesi area and the guide will be supplemented with additional samples (sound samples, vomit balls, etc.). In other possible cases of Force majeure - when the cancellation is notified as in other cases. In the first mentioned situation, the participants will be notified of the excursions cancellation by e-mail pl. the cancellation takes place on the day of the excursion, the cancellation will be notified by text message and email by 1:00 p.m. the excursion is canceled for the reasons mentioned above, the participation fees are returned.
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Delivery Terms
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