We were coming home from a birthday party and decided to take the scenic route up the coast back home. There is not much of a sea view straight from the roads that align with the coastline, but you can drive out a few kilometres here and there to find all sort of beaches. I've heard surprised gasps from people when they are shown gorgeous sandy beaches they didn't know Finland even has. Newsflash; we have four seasons, one of which is summer, and there are thousands of kilometres of sea shore with very nice beaches, and thousands and thousands more inland because there are lakes everywhere.
It's surreal to be able to enjoy a clear blue sky, wearing summer clothes, yet there is ice still floating close to the shore and snow in some shadowy areas. It's also quite rare for the sea to be this still, the surface like a mirror, it was incredibly beautiful.
I'm beating myself up for not having a longer lens with me, would have come in handy trying to get a few shots of the birds. There was an older couple at the beach with binoculars and it was clear they were there to look at the birdies.
We heard a few shots carried over the water from far far away and my man told me that was probably from the seal hunters. The grey seals are hunted apparently because they cause quite a lot of harm to other fishies and fishing nets and such. From what I know, which is very little, there are long standing traditions of seal hunting here in Bay of Bothnia.
Shot with the Nikon D750 and Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8.