TRIP REPORT NORTHERN NORWAY APRIL 12 TO 17 2013 TONY DAVISON, RICHARD PITTAM, MIKE RICHARDSON & GLYN SELLORS
DRAKE STELLER’S EIDER, BATSFJORD
FLIGHT FROM HEATHROW TO OSLO, AFTER A FOUR HOURS’ WAIT WE FLEW ON OUR CONNECTING FLIGHT TO KIRKENES IN NORTHERN NORWAY, ARRIVING AT 8PM. WE COLLECTED OUR CAR AT THE AIRPORT, A 7 SEATER VW TOURANTHIS WAS IDEAL FOR FOUR ADULTS WITH LUGGAGE. IT WAS ONLY 20 MINUTES’ DRIVE TO THE HOTEL RICA ARCTIC IN KIRKENES. THE NEXT MORNING WE DROVE DOWN THE PASVIK VALLEY TO BIRKHUSKY – WE HOPED TO SEE PINE GROSBEAK, SIBERIAN TIT, SIBERIAN JAY & ARCTIC REDPOLL. UNFORTUNATELY IT WAS DISAPPOINTING, APPARENTLY THE BEST FEEDERS ARE IN THE FOREST SEVERAL KILOMETRES AWAY& THE ONLY WAY WAS BY DOG SLED & HUSKIES. BRIEF VIEWS OF A POSSIBLE SIBERIAN TIT & POOR VIEWS OF ARCTIC REDPOLL – THERE WERE A FEW MEALY REDPOLLS & A CRACKING RED SQUIRREL. AT THE LOCAL NATURE PARK THERE WERE C. 30 SNOW BUNTINGS COMING TO THE FEEDERS – A FEMALE LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER FLEW IN CALLING & LANDED ON THE FEEDERS TWICE & THERE WERE A FEW MEALY REDPOLLS. THIS WAS MY THIRD VISIT TO THE PASVIK VALLEY IN WINTER, SO WE TRIED OTHER GARDEN FEEDERS ON OUR WAY BACK TOWARDS KIRKENES. WE DIDN’T HAVE MUCH LUCK, BUT I REMEMBERED A FEEDER IN ONE OF THE LAST GARDENS – AS WE PULLED UP I SAW A LARGE FINCH FLY ONTO THE GROUND, I NIPPED AROUND THE BACK OF THE HOUSE TO CHECK IT OUT – IT WAS A MALE PINE GROSBEAK – AT LAST! I SUGGESTED WE SPENT SEVERAL HOURS HERE & IT PAID OFF2 SIBERIAN TITS, SIBERIAN JAY, 2 PINE GROSBEAKS & SEVERAL ARCTIC REDPOLLS – ALSO NORTHERN WILLOW TITS & BULLFINCHES - A RED SQUIRREL SHOWED REALLY WELL,- RUNNING UP & DOWN THE BANK BURYING SEED & NUTS FROM THE FEEDERS. AT LEAST EVERYONE WAS SMILING, NOW! IT WAS NOW LATE AFTERNOON, WE DECIDED TO MAKE OUR WAY TOWARDS BATSFJORD, ABOUT 3 HOURS’ DRIVE. I HAD ARRANGED TO MEET ORJAN HANSEN – HE HAS RECENTLY BUILT SEVERAL FLOATING HIDES IN BATSFJORD HARBOUR. ORJAN HAD BOOKED US INTO THE POLAR HOTEL & SAID HE WOULD MEET US THE FOLLOWING MORNING AT 4.30 AM – IT’S A VERY EARLY START BUT THE LGHT IS BETTER EARLY MORNING & THE STELLER’S & KING EIDERS MOVE OUT OF THE HARBOUR LATER IN THE MORNING. ORJAN DROPPED US OFF AT THE HIDE – THERE WERE QUITE A FEW STELLER’S EIDERS, BUT AS WE OPENED THE HIDE FLAPS THEY ALL FLEW OFF – YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN TONY’S FACE –
I SAID, DON’T PANIC, THEY’LL BE BACK – AFTER ABOUT 30 MINUTES THEY STARTED TO FLY BACK IN FRONT OF THE HIDE GIVING STUNNING CLOSE VIEWS. AFTER ABOUT AN HOUR AN IMMATURE MALE KING EIDER APPEARED- WE WERE HOPING FOR AN ADULT MALE & EVENTUALLY MIKE SHOUTED, ADULT MALE KING EIDER FLYING IN, IT LANDED RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE HIDE & SWAM WITHIN 20 FEET – WE ALL STARTED TO MACHINE GUN AS MANY IMAGES AS POSSIBLE BEFORE IT WAS TOO FAR OUT. IF YOU VISIT BATSFJORD IN WINTER THESE HIDES ARE A MUST – THE CLOSE VIEWS OF STELLER’S, KING & COMMON EIDERS ARE FANTASTIC. AFTER FOUR HOURS I PHONED ORJAN – HE COLLECTED US IN HIS BOAT & TOOK US AROUND THE HARBOUR – SEVERAL MORE ADULT MALE KING EIDERS WERE SEEN & GOOD NUMBERS OF STELLER’S & COMMON EIDERS. IT WAS NOW LATE MORNING, SO WE SET OFF FOR VADSO – EN ROUTE THERE WERE PLENTY OF SNOW BUNTINGS – I SAID, WATCH OUT FOR PTARMIGAN – NO SOONER HAD I FINISHED MY SENTENCE & RICHARD SAID, THERE’S ONE OUT HERE. I STOPPED THE CAR & WE SNEAKED UPIT WAS A NICE MALE IN FULL WINTER PLUMAGE – WE MANAGED A FEW SHOTS BEFORE IT FLEW. EN ROUTE TO VADSO WE STOPPED OFF AT NESSEBY ( THERE’S A LOVELY LITTLE CHURCH) AGAIN, PLENTY OF SNOW BUNTINGS & A FEW PURPLE SANDPIPERS – AN ADULT WHITE-TAILED EAGLE FLEW OVER. EARLY EVENING WE BOOKED IN FOR TWO NIGHTS AT THE RICA HOTEL, VADSO – I’VE STAYED HERE SEVERAL TIMES IN WINTER & SUMMER- I KNOW ANITA WHO RUNS THE HOTEL QUITE WELL. SHE MET UP WITH US THE FOLLOWING EVENING FOR A CHAT. THE NEXT MORNING IT WAS ABOUT AN HOUR’S DRIVE TO VARDO – ANOTHER EXCELLENT HARBOUR FOR STELLER’S EIDERS – THE WEATHER WAS AWFUL – LOTS OF SNOW – BUT THIS HAD ALL BEEN CLEARED BY SNOW PLOUGHS FOR OUR RETURN JOURNEY IN THE EVENING. WE BOOKED OUR SEATS ON THE SMALL BOAT FOR OUR TRIP TO HORNOYA ISLAND – IT’S ONLY A 10 MINUTES’ CROSSING – AS YOU APPROACH THE ISLAND THERE ARE 1000S OF GUILLEMOTS, PUFFINS, KITTIWKES & MIXED IN WITH THEM A FEW BRUNNICH’S GUILLEMOTS, RAZORBILLS & SHAGS. 3 HOURS LATER WE HAD PHOTOGRAPHED ALL OF THESE BIRDS – GREAT FUN TRYING TO PHOTOGRAPH 1000S OF AUKS FLYING BY. AN EXHILARATING EXPERIENCE & BRUNNICH’S WAS A NEW BIRD FOR RICHARD & TONY ( I PRESUME MIKE SAW THEM IN ALASKA)
THE BOAT PICKED US UP AT 3PM & DROPPED US OFF BACK IN VARDO HARBOUR. TONY PHONED LOCAL BIRDER TORMOD AMUNDSEN – HE SAID, POP AROUND, I’VE BEEN FEEDING SNOW BUNTINGS AT THE BACK OF MY HOUSE. WE SPENT A COUPLE OF HOURS TRYING TO GET FLIGHT SHOTS & BIRDS ON THE GROUND – EVENTUALLY NAILING A FEW NICE IMAGES. ON OUR PENULTIMATE DAY WE CHECKED VASDO HARBOUR & MADE OUR WAY SLOWLY BACK TO KIRKENES. THE PASVIK VALLEY WAS ON THE WAY, SO WE WENT BACK TO THE HOUSE WHERE WE HAD SEEN PINE GROSBEAKS, SIBERIAN JAY, SIBERIAN TITS & ARCTIC REDPOLLS. AFTER ANOTHER 3 HOURS’ STINT WE SAW 3 SIBERIAN JAYS, SEVERAL ARCTIC REDPOLLS, 2 SIBERIAN TITS & 2 – 3 PINE GROSBEAKS ( 4 DIFFERENT BIRDS OVER OUR 2 VISITS) BACK IN KIRKENES THE CAR STARTED TO MAKE SOME HORRIBLE NOISES FROM THE BACK WHEEL – WE THOUGHT GREAT ON OUR LAST EVENING – I DROVE AROUND FOR SEVERAL KILOMETRES & IT WENT AWAY- PROBABLY A STONE CATCHING ON THE BRAKE DISC. THE NEXT MORNING WAS UNEVENTFUL, OUR FLIGHT BACK TO OSLO WAS AT 11.30 AM – THEN FROM OSLO BACK TO HEATHROW. ALL IN ALL ANOTHER GREAT TRIP TO THE NORWEGIAN ARCTIC – I’M SURE WE’LL BE BACK AGAIN IN SUMMER & WINTER.
FACTS & FIGURES FLGHTS FROM HEATHROW TO OSLO – OSLO TO KIRKENES - £ 424 EACH CAR HIRE – 7 SEATER VW TOURAN ( EXCELLENT FOR 4 ADULTS ) £ 600 CAR PARKING – HEATHROW - £48 FOR 6 DAYS ACCOMMODATION - B & B – RICA ARCTIC HOTEL, KIRKENES – RICA ARCTIC HOTEL, VADSO & POLAR HOTEL BATSFJORD – APPROX. £ 600 FOR 5 NIGHTS. SPENDING MONEY FOR EVENING MEALS, FUEL, BOAT TRIPS TO HORNOYA & BATSFJORD ETC. APPROX. £ 450 EACH
KEEP SCROLLING FOR IMAGES
MALE PINE GROSBEAK, PASVIK VALLEY
MALE PINE GROSBEAK, PASVIK VALLEY
MALE PINE GROSBEAK, PASVIK VALLEY
RED SQUIRREL, PASVIK VALLEY
RED SQUIRREL, PASVIK VALLEY
SIBERIAN JAY, PASVIK VALLEY
SIBERIAN TIT, PASVIK VALLEY
SIBERIAN TIT, PASVIK VALLEY
ARCTIC REDPOLL, PASVIK VALLEY
MALE SNOW BUNTING, VARDO
MALE SNOW BUNTING, VARDO
MALE STELLER’S EIDER, BATSFJORD
MALE STELLER’S EIDER, BATSFJORD
MALE KING EIDER, BATSFJORD
MALE KING EIDERS, BATSFJORD
MALE KING EIDER, BATSFJORD
FEMALE KING EIDER, BATSFJORD
FEMALE STELLER’S EIDER, BATSFJORD
KING EIDERS, BATSFJORD
FLYING AUKS, HORNOYA ISLAND, VARDO
SHAGS, HORNOYA ISLAND, VARDO
SHAG, HORNOYA ISLAND, VARDO
PUFFIN, HORNOYA ISLAND, VARDO
PUFFIN, HORNOYA ISLAND, VARDO
PUFFIN, HORNOYA ISLAND, VARDO
BRIDLED GUILLEMOT, HORNOYA ISLAND
RAZORBILL, HORNOYA ISLAND, VARDO
BRUNNICH’S GUILLEMOT, HORNOYA ISLAND, VARDO
VARDO
THANKS TO TORMOD AMUNDSEN,VARDO - ORJAN HANSEN BATSFJORD & ANITA AT THE RICA HOTEL, VADSO.
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