An Arctic Adventure 19th - 24th March (Day 3)

The primary reason for coming to Batsfjord was for the floating photographic hide that was located in the harbour. Both Simon and I are keen photographers and so the opportunity to 'get amongst the birds' really appealed to us, although the thought of floating over icy water for 5 hours was not top of our wish list. We need not have been concerned though, since before entering the hide you are provided with an all-in-survival suit, which kept everything warm......except our feet that is!

We met on the quayside at 5am with a handful of other like minded photographers and were quickly transferred to the hides. There are two floating hides in the harbour, and we were put in the smaller one. I think on hindsight we would have preferred to be in the larger hide, as the small one was less stable, and moved around with the tide quite a lot and also when one of us changed our position. That said, we were closer to the shore and therefore did get some better views of birds on or near the foreshore. 

The harbour was full of ducks when we arrived, Steller's, Common and King Eider and a handful of Long-tailed Ducks were all present but they flushed as we approached the hides in our rib. But it was not long before they returned and we were photographing our quarry. Initially the birds were slightly nervous of the sound of whirring motor drives, but they soon became accustomed to it, with some birds swimming right up to the hides, it was a fantastic experience.

Unfortunately the weather conditions whilst we were in the hide were not the best, and there were regular snow flurries and subsequently poor light. This did not damper our spirits and we were still able to get some reasonable photos.

Male Steller's Eider

Male Steller's Eider

Female Steller's Eider

Male Steller's Eider

Male King Eider

Female King Eider

King Eiders - Female Left, Male Right

Male Common Eider

Male Long-tailed Duck

Female Long-tailed Duck

After five hours we were ready to leave, our feet needed warming up, we were hungry and also had to head back south to our next hotel. After a shower and a spot of breakfast, we were heading back south across the pass, which was now open. I have to say, it was much more nerve-racking crossing the pass without the comfort of the support vehicles. Although it was open, visibility was at times very tricky, and occasional snow showers and drifting did not help. The scenery was amazing and we stopped on occasion to take some photos of the landscape, and a couple of Reindeer that were grazing near the road.

The Arctic conditions on the pass

Reindeer on the pass

After successfully crossing the pass we worked our way south through the Tana Valley. Snow was banked up on either side of the road and therefore it was difficult to find places to safely pull over, but was managed a few stops. We did see a few species on the way, including Willow Tit, Greenfinch, Great Tit and Hooded Crow in the roadside vegetation and Red-breasted Mergansers and Long-tailed Ducks on the Fjord. Our next hotel was the Vadso Fjord Hotel where we would be based for two nights. We stopped at Varangerbotn for a quick refuel and a bite to eat, and then headed east along the E75 to Vadso. 

We were intending to stop at Nesseby as there is a small fishing harbour there, and subsequently lots of gulls, but made an unscheduled stop when we picked up an adult White-tailed Eagle on the beach. Despite being about 300m away the bird flushed as we got our of the car, so it was a frustrating encounter. 

The Church at Nesseby

We arrived at Nesseby and stopped first at the church, overlooking a small bay. There were around 50 Purple Sandpipers feeding on the beach, and in the fantastic light we headed down to the beach to photograph them. Getting to them was interesting as the snow was thigh high, but it was worth the effort, as the birds were very confiding.

Purple Sandpiper - Nesseby

We moved on to the harbour and as expected were faced with a good selection of gulls, Herring Gull, Glaucous Gull and Kittiwake were the most numerous species; a lone Iceland Gull was a nice bonus. King, Steller's and Common Eiders were also in the harbour but we were now in gull mode. A small fishing boat was just offshore and slowly returning to the harbour, it was surrounded by gulls and as we scanned through the distant flock an immature White-tailed Eagle made an inquisitive fly-by but did not linger.

White-tailed Eagle flying over the gull flock

We had been up since 4am and were now feeling pretty jaded and so pressed on to our hotel where we were able to relax with a cold beer and reflect on the day.

An Arctic Adventure 19th - 24th March (Day 2)

After two hours sleep, and feeling surprisingly refreshed, we set about arranging for our hire car to be transferred from the airport to our hotel. The weather was fantastic, still and sunny with a cloudless sky that belied the conditions we had experienced overnight, although the fresh covering of snow was very evident. The plan today was to drive north to Batsfjord, and as we had a long drive ahead we were keen to get moving.

View from the Scandic Hotel - Kirkenes

Our car arrived within half an hour, and in a matter of minutes we were on our way, well almost. Whilst loading up the car we were continually being distracted by a small flock of Waxwings that were flying around the town. On a couple of occasions it appeared that they would land in a nearby tree, so we had our cameras at the ready, but they didn't. But as we were leaving the town we stumbled across a flock of over 100 birds feeding on berries. With the morning light being so good we couldn't resist stopping.

Waxwing - Kirkenes

Waxwing - Kirkenes

Waxwing - Kirkenes

With time pressing on, a long journey ahead of us and feeling slightly nervous about the driving conditions we were soon on our way. We were hoping the see the eclipse of the sun at 11am but as we left Kirkenes cloud was already building, and as we headed north it became decidedly thicker. It was a great relief to feel how the studded snow tyres dealt with the compacted ice on the roads, and we were soon making good time. One of the areas we were hoping to bird en-route was the Tana Valley, as it was a good area for Hawk Owls, but by this time the weather had really taken a turn for the worst. Not only had the light gone, due to the eclipse, but the blizzard conditions made visibility very poor. 

We were aware that the mountain pass to Batsfjord was only passable in convoy, with a snow plough in front and a support vehicle behind. There were set times when they crossed the pass, the next being 14:30, we were one of 11 vehicles in the convoy and made it through without a hitch.

The Convoy North to Batsfjord

We arrived in Batsfjord at around 15:30 to a very wintering scene of light snow and bitterly cold conditions, but then we were in the Arctic. As the light was failing we decided to do a bit of birding rather than check into our hotel, and at our first stop we picked up a couple of Steller's Eider roosting on the snow, one of Si's target birds. There were also a couple of Common Eider on the water but otherwise it was just gulls.

Steller's Eider - Batsfjord

We continued exploring and soon found a flock of roosting gulls near a fish process factory. The flock included several Glaucous Gulls, of mixed ages, Great Black-backed Gulls, Herring Gulls, of the nominate race argentatus, Kittiwakes and a single Iceland Gull. 

Adult Glaucous Gull - Batsfjord

1st Winter Glaucous Gull - Batsfjord

Adult Glaucous Gulls - Batsfjord

A summer plumaged Black Guillemot and a handful of Long-tailed Ducks were the only birds to speak of on the water, but a flock of roosting Purple Sandpipers were a nice find. There were over 200 birds present roosting on the side of a seawall, and as is quite usual for the species, they were very approachable. Simon spent a bit of time photographing them but I had foolishly left the car without my hat and gloves on, and could only grab a few shots before having to head back to the car to warm up. The picture below highlights just how effective the insulation of birds feathers are, as the snow was laying on top of the birds.

Purple Sandpiper - Batsfjord

With the light now all but gone we headed to the Polar Hotel, which was our accommodation for the night.