An Arctic Adventure 19th - 24th March (Day 4)

If you are thinking of visiting Varanger Fjord the Vadso Fjord Hotel is a great place to stay as a base. Not only are you located in a great location for most of the best birding sites, but you will also have access to the latest bird news. One species that we were keen to see was Hawk Owl, but despite us looking hard we had failed, so when Frode, the owner of the hotel, told us of a sighting back at Nesseby we decided to have a look before breakfast. 

Sunrise was just after 5am so we got up early and headed off. Around Nesseby Si picked up a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, but as I was driving I missed it. We stopped for a look, but despite hearing it tapping away we could not relocated it. We did bump into a couple of British birders, who were also looking for Hawk Owls and told us of one to the west of Varangerbotn, so we set off. Fortunately, we did not have to travel that far as Si picked one up just along the road at Nyborg. This individual was initially staying within the dense vegetation, but eventually it adopted the more usual behaviour by sitting out on prominent perches. The British birders who we had bumped into earlier saw our car, and had soon joined us to enjoy this cracking bird. On the return journey to the hotel we picked up a couple of Snow Buntings, but they took flight as soon as we pulled over.

Hawk Owl - Nyborg

Hawk Owl - Nyborg

Our plan for today was to head west to Vardo, and then across to the Island of Hornoya. The Island is renowned for the thousands of seabirds that breed there, but at this time of year it was probably our best chance of seeing Gyrfalcon and Brunnich's Guillemot. We headed west along the E75 to Vardo, stopping at various locations along the way to scan for White-billed Diver. Despite our best efforts we failed to find any White-billed Divers, but did pick up some distant flocks of sea duck.

To get to Hornoya Island you need to take a short boat trip, and we arrived in Vardo at 11am, just as a boat was preparing to leave. A group of photographers had chartered a boat earlier than scheduled and invited us to join them, which we did without any hesitation. The trip took about 10 minutes and as we approached the harbour we worked our way through rafts of auks, it was truly spectacular. We saw the full range of auk species in the flocks, Common, Black and Brunnich's Guillemot, Razorbill and Puffin.

A raft of Common Guillemot

We landed on the island and asked to be picked up at 2pm, giving us about two and a half hours on the island. Many Shags and Kittiwakes were already on the island trying to get the best nesting sites providing excellent photo opportunities, and after spending while photographing them we set off to explore.

Shag - Hornoya Island

The noise was incredible and we were treated to fly-bys by swarms of auks as they came in close to investigate the cliffs. The recent snow fall had covered most of their nesting sites and that is probably why they were all sat of the water, although it was still a bit early in the season.

Passing Auks and Kittiwakes - Hornoya

We worked our way around the back of the Island and ended up on the top above the cliffs where hundreds of Kittiwakes were nesting and sat enjoying the atmosphere. The Kittiwakes were continuously lifting off the cliff and wheeling around, so we kept thinking that a bird of prey was around, and then it was. All the roosting gulls took flight and Si suddenly picked up a Gyrfalcon heading straight for us. I was fortunate in that I had my camera at the ready and grabbed a sequence of shots as it flew by. The flyby was over in a couple of seconds, it then briefly circled around the cliff and was lost from view......amazing!!

Gyrfalcon - Hornoya Island

Gyrfalcon - Hornoya Island

We hung around on the top of the cliff for a while hoping that the Gyr would come back past but it did not, but we were able to enjoy the aerial displays of Ravens. Time was now pressing on so we headed back down to the landing spot and where soon back amongst the shags and kittiwakes.

Black-legged Kittiwakes

Kittiwakes wheeling overhead

Before long we were back in Vardo and ready to work our way back east. We stopped at a few local birding spots on Vardo before heading back through the tunnel that links Vardo to the mainland. On our way to Vardo we had noticed a few gulls in the harbour at Svartnes and so decided to go and have a look. We took a small gravel track to an area where a few gulls were feeding near an outfall and began to scan. I started looking in the middle whereas Si looked nearer the outfall, and immediately noticed a small white gull and exclaimed Ivory Gull!! From where I was stood I could not see where he was looking and so quickly moved out to get a view, and yep there indeed was an adult Ivory Gull and a new bird for me!! I make no apologies for posting so many pictures of this very fine bird.

Adult Ivory Gull - Svartnes

Adult Ivory Gull - Svartnes

Adult Ivory Gull - Svartnes

Adult Ivory Gull - Svartnes

Unsurprisingly we spent quite a long time photographing the bird as it picked up scraps in the harbour, and then it decided to come and land right by us and begin washing in the snow. We crept up as close as we dare, but soon realised that this bird was not at all concerned by our presence and even allowed us to take a couple of selfies!

Adult Ivory Gull - Svartnes

Adult Ivory Gull - Svartnes

Selfie with the Ivory Gull

We felt bad leaving such an amazing bird but were pretty chuffed with our find. We were unsure of the status of Ivory Gull in Norway so Si sent a text and some back of the camera pics to Simon Rix (Oslo Birder). As it turned out Ivory Gull was a bit of a mega and the speed with which we had put the news out enabled many local birders to see it.

Feeling pretty chuffed with our days birding we headed back to the hotel but as there was still a bit of light left we stopped for a quick look over the nearby harbour. There was a good selection of gulls to go through but one individual stood out, and we both immediately thought Thayer's Gull, could lightening really strike twice. We spent a while watching and photographing the bird and taking notes and headed back to the hotel to paw through our reference guides. Frode was waiting at the hotel and informed us that an Ivory Gull had been found at Svartnes, we obviously recounted the story to him and then started circulating images of the possible Thayer's and the Ivory Gull.

Odd Gull at Vadso Harbour

Odd Gull at Vadso Harbour

Odd Gull at Vadso Harbour

Images were circulated locally, to Simon Rix and to Hugh Harrop and Martin Garner in the UK. The general consensus of opinion was that this bird was not quite right for a Thayer's as the band on the tail was not strong enough, and it also showed an odd pale band. The patterning on the primary tips were also not quite right, but it was an interesting lesson for us.

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.

An Arctic Adventure 19th - 24th March (Day 1)

Back in 1999 I did a trip with a group of mates to Finland and Varanger Fjord, Norway in search of owls, seabirds and sea ducks. The trip ran from 29th May through to 6th June and there are certain experiences from that remain as vivid memories. When I was asked by my good friend Simon Colenutt (The Deskbound Birder) if I fancied a winter trip to north Norway, I jumped at the chance. My trip in 1999 was a whistle-stop tour that focussed on key sites for key birds, and this trip was no different. It was primarily designed to get Simon two key species, Steller's Eider and Pine Grosbeak, both of which would be new for him. I was not expecting to get any new birds.

Our trip began on 19th March with a flight from London Heathrow to Oslo and then an onward flight to Kirkenes in the north. There was a 4.5 hour gap between flights and so we had arranged to meet Simon Rix (Oslo Birder) a British birder now based in Oslo. There wasn't much around but a spot of birding was infinitely better than sitting in the airport for four hours. After checking in our baggage for our onward flight we met up with Simon and headed out. Our first stop was scheduled to be Nikevegan, which was the staging site for a flock of 'Taiga' Bean Geese. Our trip got off to a good start as en-route to the Bean Goose site we bumped into a Great Grey Shrike, which performed well for a while and whilst watching it we also had Bullfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Greenfinch.

Great Grey Shrike

After a few minutes enjoying the shrike we pressed on to the Bean Geese and picked up a couple of Goldeneye on a small stream, before arriving at the site. There were around 50 birds on show and Simon reckoned that the the rest of the flock, which normally numbered around 150 were there but just out of view. There is an interesting story to these birds in that they winter in Scotland, and have been the subject of a study by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust to establish where they breed. The birds were initially fitted with neck collars and then satellite transmitters and it is now known where they breed, winter and the route they use for their migration. Details of the study can be found on Angus' Bean Goose Blog.

'Taiga' Bean Geese - note the silver neck collar on the bird in the foreground

Whilst we were watching the Bean geese one thing that was very apparent was the number of Yellowhammers around, a species that is increasingly more uncommon on the south coast of Hampshire. A flock of nine Whooper Swans and a Common Crane were nice additions to our species list.

Six of the flock of nine Whooper Swans

Our next stop was the Glomma River at Udenes, which is apparently a good spot for migrants. It was still a little early in the season for good migration and we were there in the early afternoon, so not the ideal time, but it was worth a shot. We were once again very fortunate in that two Moose were out in a field feeding on the young spring growth of grass. I have seen Moose in Canada on numerous occasions, but this was a new mammal species in the Western Pale-arctic for me.

Two Moose Grazing on the young spring grass

The Glomma River was quite low and there was very little to see, but we did see a couple more Common Cranes, another Whooper Swan, two Greylag Geese, some Mallards and a couple of Herring Gulls. With our time now running out we headed back for another look at the Bean Geese and the Great Grey Shrike and then back to the airport.

We said our farewell to Simon and worked our way through passport control to our onward flight to Kirkenes, all was going well until that is, we tried to land. A change in the weather, and a heavy blizzard meant that visibility was too poor to land and the pilot aborted our landing. We circled for a while before it was announced that we were being diverted to Laksalv Airport, to the west. We had planned to pick up our hire car at Kirkenes and had booked a night in the Scandic Hotel, but unfortunately that plan went out the window. A five hour overnight coach journey meant we arrived at our hotel and 04:50 in the morning.