Day 6 - Day 2 In Batsjford the tundra huntIt was the final day in Norway before heading back to Finland and after another decent breakfast in the hotel we headed back out on the tundra in search of the elusive Dotterel. It was another beautiful day and felt pretty warm in the sun.
We turned our attention back to the dotterel. We had seen a roadside pull in a couple of miles down the road and that was to be our next stop. It looked over a beautiful valley and onto a whale back pleatau perfect for Dotterel. We pulled up and saw a LT Skua feeding to our left, our experiences of these birds so far told us there would be an incubating bird nearby. Turned out later we would find one there and it was to the right of us about 200m ahead. Adrian planned to walk up the road on the right side and Ricky and I planned to cross over and go up the left side. We had read that the local Dotterels often nest close to the road. So the tactic this morning was to stick close to the road. Ricky crossed over ahead of me and it was then I heard those famous words again. Matt I got a wader here. On the other side of the road was a large patch of melting snow and a very wet area. Ricky had spotted a wader in the snow. It turned out to be a Purple Sandpiper. It was feeding on the snow line probably feeding on insects that die as they hit the snow. I then caught site of another bird. Boom it was a stunning female Dotterel. It too was feeding along the snow line but it was a start. Ricky and I started to tog the waders taking it in turns both birds were very confiding. The Dotterel walked right up to me and passed my lens not bothered by me at all. The Purple Sandpiper did the same, it was an awesome experience. Adrian walked on heading up to a nearby ridge to scan for the Dotterels boyfriend.
Dotterel, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023 As we togged the Dotterel and Sandpiper there was another wader joining us and it was easy to call what it was before we saw it. We had several Temmincks Stints doing there butterfly flight routines and trilling all around us. They must be breeding nearby. They would at times join the other waders on the snow patch. Other birds were around as well we had a few snow buntings feeding, but always to quick to get any decent pictures. We also had a few pairs of Lapland Buntings and Red-throated pipits calling around us. We had hit another hot spot. Clearly this patch of snow was the place to be.
The Dotterels flew off over the car and towards the ridge we had seen from the car. I lost it and didn’t see it drop down. I was also watching the Temmincks and they appeared to launch their display flights from an area of rough grass about 20m up the ridge. Clearly an area they must be nesting in. I had a walk along and first put out a few lemmings that got my heart racing and then a pair of Dotterel. I didn't currently have my camera on me as I had left that by the snow patch. I watched them for a while but they didn’t seem to be doing much. I marked the area to check again later. Adrian had come back down of the ridge and had seen a pair of Laplands but not much else. We decided to walk the side of the road as planned to see if we turned anything up. The area was pretty wet with a rapid snow melt on the higher parts filtering down to were we now walked. We put out a Willow Ptarmigan that got the blood pumping. We also had a pair of Dunlin that were very vocal and probably had chicks in the area.
We were again treated to a lovely song flight of a Red-throated Pipit and as we walked back to the car a female Ruff flew into the snow melt to feed. We decided to use Adrian’s skills to see if we could find another Temmicks nest and it wasn’t long before he had watched a bird back from a feeding foray back onto its nest. Boom number 4 of the trip and in complete different habit to the first ones we had found. These were several 100m above sea level in a montane setting. The ones we had found previously were pretty much at sea level along an estuary. We were sure there were a few more pairs to be found but we needed to put some time into the Dotterel. We were now buoyed by the fact we had seen 3 birds.
We moved a few miles or so down the road past some random garages that were in the middle of nowhere. We guessed these garages were maybe were the locals kept their snowmobiles. Just looked very strange having a row of garages miles from any civilisation. We took a small track we had seen yesterday that lead onto the tundra. We found a place to pull over and after tucking into some lunch we headed off across the tundra we had snow bunting pretty much after leaving the car. We headed higher up and then walked across the plateau. It was a beautiful but some what empty landscape, I could imagine how bleak it is out here in the winter.
Tundra, Batsjford, June 2023 - random middle of nowhere garages
Tundra, Batsjford, June 2023 After not seeing anything we headed back down across some large snow patches it was here we caught site of another pair of Dotterel. Both females. They weren’t very accommodating and flew off. As I crossed the snow I heard the sound of one of my favourite waders. A series of short, high-pitched whistles that suddenly increase in frequency. A Purple Sandpiper again it was feeding on the snow it wasn’t the easiest to get down to so I moved on. Soon after it flew off probably to its montane breeding grounds. We headed toward the main road a few miles west. We could now see the garages again. The ground was wet in place’s probably due the rapid snow melt. The temperature was into double digits and the sun was high in the Arctic sky. Again not the weather we’re had been expecting all week. We had certainly been blessed. We caught site of another Dotterel again a female this one i managed a few distant pictures of.
The question was where are all the females boyfriends? Female Dotterels are unlike most birds they don’t incubate the eggs or raise the chicks, that is left to the male. We continued to walk across the Tundra I was just ahead of Ricky and Adrian slightly down hill when I heard the shout. I got a wader here!! Boom Ricky had struck again a male Dotterel came up at his feet literally right in front of him. Golden boots!!!!! It did what a lot of waders do and that’s to fake an injury so you (or predator) follow it and move away from its precious cargo the eggs. It’s really clever and amazing to watch. I had my camera to hand so managed a few pictures. We had a search at the area it come up from for its eggs. Their camouflage is amazing we know where it had come from but it took some looking to locate the scrape. A one point we were on our hands and knees going very careful with every movement. It was well worth the many miles we had put on over the last 48hours. I have dreamed of seeing the nest of a Dotterel for a long time and now I was staring at a beautiful full set of 3 eggs. It’s common for Dotterel to lay 3 eggs which I have always seemed is rather odd!!
We took some quick photos and I set my GoPro up on the nest to return to later. We had only moved away about 10meters and the male was already on the move within minutes he was back incubating. It was a great opportunity to get some pictures of him incubating on the nest. These pictures will be passed onto a team of scientists who are looking at incubating waders and their camouflage. The GoPro was probably far enough away for me to remove it without disturbing the bird so I slow crept in and removed it. These birds are incredible confiding I could of probably reached out and touched it.
The walk back to the car was made a lot easier now we had found our first and only Dotterel of the trip, it was made even better by a very showy Rock Ptarmigan. The Ptarmigans here are much like Iceland they seem to be a lot more cautious of people than the Scottish population. I wonder if that’s because they could be hunted here.
Rock Ptarmigan, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023 Rock Ptarmigan, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023 Next on the agenda was to have a look the Long-tailed Skua we had spotted early on in the day. The off nest bird was again feeding on the same spot and we could see the incubating bird sat on a 100m up the road. We walked towards the bird and it took flight we walked in on the area we thought it was in to find another c2. I have later learnt that it’s common for Long-tailed Skuas to lay 1 egg. All the sets we had seen were c2s, these often happens in a good Lemming year when food is plentiful. We quickly took a w3w location and a few photos and left. I understand that nest recording isn’t very everyone and people may claim it causes a lot of distress to the birds but these birds are fairly resilient and like the Dotterel it had returned to its nest within minutes. We had earlier watched this pair leave the nest and chase off a Rough-legged Buzzard.
Long-tailed Skua habitat, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023 We had been in the hills for a few hours and had ticked our major targets so tired and hungry we headed back to our base in Batsjford for some food. We had a big drive tomorrow so I didn’t plan on returning to the hills tonight. As I didn’t need to dive later we celebrated the successful day with another Pizza and a couple of Norwegian beers.
After tea we had a walk around Batsfjord it was a lot nicer than some of the other ports we had visited. We saw the floating hide which is used in the winter to tog the sea ducks. Hopefully I will be back on day to have a go at this.
Batsjford harbour, Norway, June 2023 Batsjford harbour, Norway, June 2023 - Floating hides
Day 5 - The journey to BatsjfordOn the road early doors as we take the 2 hour journey to Batsjford. Really excited to hit the tundra around this part of northern Norway. I had done lots of research about this area and it sounded fantastic. Hopefully we would have another chance for Dotterel. Long tailed Skua was high on the agenda as well. It was another glorious day with the sun already high in the sky. Won’t be great for togging though sadly. First stop was a garage an Varangerbotn, about 30mins into the journey for some much needed food after yesterdays cock up. I ordered some kind of continental sausage thing that looked pretty grim and basic but was actually spot on. It was so good I almost went back for another.
Brekkie, Norway, June 2023 Across from the garage was a bird hide overlooking the end of the Varangerfjord it was part of the Varanger Sami museum. It was closed this early in the day but we walked out to the bird hide as it was so say good for Bluethroats. None seen again. The search continues. The hide looked great but no birds seen apart from a family of Hooded Crows. This was mainly because the tide was out. As we walked back we caught site of a family of stoats they gave us 30 mins of entertainment. They were catching rodents at a very good rate. The sun didn’t help with the photograph here but was great to watch.
We took the E6 inland to Tana Bru and then headed back towards the coast at Batsjford. We would pass over some good high ground before reaching Batsjford and this is where we planned to spending most of our time in the search for Dotterel. As we reached the higher ground the scenery changed and the tree lined roads soon became open Tundra. It was a stunning drive up. It wasn’t long before we caught a glimpse of one of our top targets a Long-tailed Skua. There were 2 birds present one was clearly sat on whilst the other stood guard on a nearby rock. It allowed a very close approach and posed for some stonking shots. Such elegant birds
Long-tailed Skua, Norway, June 2023
We next walked towards the incubating bird who rose to greet us. Skuas are very aggressive birds but these two took it to another level. Im used to be being dive bombed but generally the birds miss. These didn't and bosh it hit me on the back of head and knocked my baseball cap off. I had planned to leave a Gopro on the nest for a few hours but bugger that. I took a few quick snaps before retreating back to the car. The off nest bird followed and attacked us all the way back to the car. The incubating bird was back on sat tight by the time we had managed to take cover.
Next stop was at Geatnjajavri a large lake. We had some great views here of Red-throated Pipits one sat on the notice board and sang for most of our pit stop. The water didn't hold much so we quickly moved on.
Red-throated Pipit, Getnjajavri, Norway, June 2023 We headed further into the mountains stopping next at a road intersection at Berlevag. There was what looked like a disused building here which housed numerous Fieldfare nests all empty apart from one with chicks. A few white Wagtails were clearly nesting nearby. The surroding pools had Black-throated Divers and Long-tailed ducks on. This hills around were full of bird song it looked to be a great area.
Fieldfare nest, Berlevag, Norway, June 2023 We continued onwards stopping at another body of water Magisttarjavr here we had some lunch. I watched a Wheatear back in and went to investigate, but they bloody thing just vanished either it was sat tight or it gave me the slip. We decided to spend the next few hours on a nearby hillside here looking for breeding bird. First birds were encounterd were a pair of Red-throated Divers followed by a female Long-tailed Duck. This also did the disapearing act and most have been sat tight somewhere nearby. A male Ruff posed nicely but a tad distant and the results weren't great in the high afternoon sun.
Ruff, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023 We also came across, Lapland Buntings, Golden Plovers and Snow Buntings as we trekked for several miles across the Tundra. After a few blank hours we headed back to the car. I had run out of water so headed down first. As i approached the car a wader shot out at my feet. I shit myself before trying to establish what had I had just flushed. It was a stunning Northern Golden Plover, who had done the dying rat routine before disappearing. She revelaved a magnificent set of 4 eggs. the nest was a stones throw from the car and on the way up we would of passed it by a few feet.
Whilst I had been back at the car Adrian and Ricky had been watching a very suss pair of Lapland Buntings. I joined them a little way back up into the hills. I sat back as I approached because Adrian was on the case. Another nest of the Lapland Bunting was uncovered. It was in a little hole on a grassy tump and again lined with what looked like Ptarmigan feathers, another beautfiul looking nest. Same scenario as the last nest we found the male bird was present and singing. He would move around his territory singing. When we got to close to the where the undiscovered nest site was he would stop singing and make a different call. This would call the female of the nest and the clear sign a nest was in the area. All we had to do then was sit and wait and watch the female back to her nest. It was eventually uncovered and a beautiful nest lined with what looked like Ptarmigan feathers was found.
Lapland Bunting nest, Berlevag, Norway, June 2023 Lapland Bunting nest, Berlevag, Norway, June 2023 Lapland Bunting nest, Berlevag, Norway, June 2023 Although we had walked miles in search of Dotterel and not had a sniff of a bird we had still had a pretty productive day. It was now early evening and time to head to our digs in Batsjford. It wasn't to far so we planned to head back after tea. We were staying in the Batsjford Hotel and the place was probably the best accommodation we had all trip. We had a 3 bedroom suite this was decorated with lots of bird and whale pictures. Turns out it’s run by the same person who operates the floating hides in the Batsjford for the Steller's Eiders. The only downside was the heating was on and yet it was pretty warm outside so the rooms become super hot and sleeping wasn’t easy. The food was decent and enjoyed yet another Pizza. Outside the hotel there were lots of Icelandic Poppies I saw more here than I did in the whole of Iceland.
Icelandic Poppies, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023 Icelandic Poppies, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023
After tea Adrian and I set off again for the hills. We again put in some decent miles. The snowy landscape was beautiful and went as far as the eye could see, but finding birds was proving difficult. We had a brief sighting of a Willow Ptarmigan and a Rock Ptarmigan was heard calling. Eventually we found a pair of Shorelarks. Another target for us so we invested a bit of time to see what they were up to they gave us the round around for a while and i really struggled to get any pics. They werent that approachable. We marked the area and planned to return tomorrow, we were sure if they had a nest nearby.
Batsjford, Norway, June 2023 We continued our search further into the hills we came across some kind of way finder in the form of rocks on top of each other you could clearly see a patch that disappeared deep into the middle of nowhere. Would love to know how long and who put them there. Nearby i found a pallet which was pretty large. I hoped it might be a Snowy Owl but i still have no idea what left it.
The sun was just starting to set behind a nearby hill creating some beautiful light but sadly we couldn't find anything to tog. Eventually we came across a Rock Ptarmigan they showed distantly. I managed a few pics before it walked off into the shadows. It was fast approaching midnight and time to head back for some sleep. Mission Dotterel had failed so far but tomorrow is another day.
Batsjford, Norway, June 2023
Day 4 up to Vardo the Temmincks Hunt continues.After drawing a blank yesterday on Temmincks Stint the plan was to head out again today to try some other areas. We had also located a few areas that might be good for breeding Turnstone. We hoped to get to the end of the main road through Varagner if time aloud, to the old fishing port of Hamningberg. Today was also Father’s Day and I had great pleasure opening the card my five year old daughter Isabelle had drawn and popped in my case before we left. We had seen numerous White-tailed Eagles about and a few probably were togable but we didn’t stop until we saw one near a parking spot. It was sat posing on a huge rock on the shoreline. Ricky and I took a slow walk in to photograph this beast of the skies. It’s not until you’re within a few feet of one’s of these magnificent birds that you realise how big they are. Their talons and beaks are humongous. The eagle aloud really close approach and we sat togging it before it got bored of us and flew off. Again we struggled to get a background to photograph against. White-tailed Eagle, Vadso, Norway June 2023 After leaving the Eagle we headed along the road towards Vardo. Historical it’s been good for Stints so would be a good place to start todays quest. As we approached Vardo we came to a village called Skallelv it was on the river Skalleelva. As we approached the village we crossed the bridge and I noticed a small bird flying a bit like a butterfly. It had got my heart racing, it was tiny and everything about it said Temmicks Stint. Parking areas are not that common in the Arctic, but lucky for us just after the a bridge was a little area to park. We would be greeted on arrival by a vocal Common Gull more on this later as we had Temmicks on our hit list. We sat on the banks and waited.
There were plenty of Eider Ducks, Red-breasted mergansers on the river and a few Redshanks were feeding on the mudflats. Within about 5 minutes I could hear the sound of a trilling wader it could only be one thing a Temmincks stint. I couldn’t see it yet but they were definitely here. Adrian and Ricky struggled to hear the distant bird and for a few minutes I thought maybe I was hearing things but soon enough one came within earshot of everyone and landed in front of us on the mudflats below. I haven’t seen one of these tiny waders for a few years and it may have been a lifer for the others. Through the bins we could see the yellowish legs to clinch the ID. It wasn’t long before we heard and saw numerous birds and there was probably about 4 pairs here. I caught site of one displaying on the other side of the road bridge and was using a post and a large rock to display from. It would launch itself off from here trilling in the sky and flying around in a kind of butterfly flight. It was amazing to watch. I managed a few distant shots of it on the post before a car drove past and it took off to the other side of the river. I settled down near to the rock it was using and waited, within about 15 minutes it was back and this is where I filled my memory card. It was very accommodating and allowed some close ups. I also managed to film it on my phone. My only regret is I didn’t film it on my camera. They are so tiny and I imagine it would have been very difficult anyway. Temmincks Stint, Skallelv, Norway June 2023 Temmincks Stint, Skallelv, Norway June 2023 Photographing these waders was my number one Arctic target. Some might say why as they can be a bit dull looking. But waders are my favourite genus and I have a big affection to rare breeding waders of the UK. Temmincks are definitely rare breeders and for that reason you need a license to look for these breeding in Scotland. I have visited some historic sites in Scotland but they haven't been recorded breeding for many years. So here we were on their breeding grounds in Arctic Norway. I love the way they displayed to attract a mate they fly up trilling and then float down like a butterfly. They then land on one of a selection of song post where they continue to call and display with their wings in the air. As I sat watching these birds do their thing a pair of Reindeer crossed the road ahead of me, these were different to most of the others we saw as they weren’t tagged in anyway. Also in this picture you can see the issues with heat haze something i wasn't expecting in the Arctic circle.
Temmincks Stint, Skallelv, Norway June 2023
Whilst I was photographing the Stints. Adrian had located a pair of Arctic Skua on the sandy ground about 150m back along the road . We checked them out to find a newly hatched chick and an another egg ready to hatch.
Arctic Skua, Skallelv, Norway June 2023
The plan was to now check the area for breeding Temmincks the habitat looked great for them the only downside being the Arctic Skua living next door. We spent the next few hours checking the area. I had a few close calls with Lemming’s running out at my feet which gets the heart pumping. I also had two Meadow Pipits come out at my feet the first a c5 in a small overhang on a sand dune and the 2nd had chicks. We also had our first Eider of the trip. It was a Strange nest as it had no down unless it had been taken. No luck with the target bird the Temmincks stints.
Adrian had located a Wood Sandpiper but the area it was on just looked like a feeding area. It was acting very strange though and got very vocal as we approached its vantage point. At one point if flew and landed within a few feet of me allowing so very close photos. It was acting like the last Wood Sandpiper I photographed so we guessed it had chicks in the wet marsh. We left it alone and headed out. Was still are real treat to get some close range pictures of these stunning waders.
I had watched a small bird come off the river and had gone further upstream so Adrian and I walked further up stream to see if we could locate it again. No luck after another 30min search. We turned and headed back to the car we walked an area we had all passed earlier that day when a small wader came up at our feet and did the famous dying rat routine and disappeared. Your heart starts to race when a wader gets up at your feet and does this and the adrenaline starts to flow. We watched as a the Tiny wader disappeared into the grass and we confirmed the ID as a Temmicks Stint. After a few high fives we set about locating the nest. What was surprising was how long we took to find the nest normally you can see it straight away as the bird has popped up only a few feet in front of you. Not being able to see it meant we had to tread very carefully and at one point i was on my hands and knees. Eventually Adrian uncovered it among some grass on a small bank a few meters from the river. It’s an amazing feeling when you are staring down at the prize you have spent so long looking for. It was a stunning set of eggs and you can see why many years ago people would collected and display them. Lucky now most people understand the fact that egg collecting is not acceptable and can have a detrimental effect on many species. I feel the advances in camera technology has aided this as you can get some great pictures of these eggs in their natural habitat which in my opinion is far better than seeing them on cotton wool in an old set of draws. Nest recording still has its issues and its often looked upon negatively but be rest assured with us the welfare of the bird always comes first and great effort and consideration is taken which each potential nest target. Plus there is some serious experience within our group who always calls the shots. The nest and eggs were tiny but still quite large compared to the size of this bird. We took some photos and recorded the location of the nest before retreating. We could see the incubating bird already moving its way through the grass back towards the nest site.
It was now earlier afternoon and our hard work had paid off. There must be other birds nesting in this area though with 3-4 pairs displaying in the vicinity. I spent some more time photographing the individual that was posing on the roadside. Whilst Adrian and Ricky went in search of more birds. It wasn’t long before Adrian had located another pair by watching an off duty bird back to its nest. I walked over to where they were and they forgot to mention an Eider they had come across that came up at my feet. I shit myself and so did the Eider, all over its eggs. It’s not uncommon for them to do this.
The Temmincks was another complete set of 4 similar type of habitat to the last one just a little further away from the river. We wondered how many more could be in this vast area. It would take time to survey such a large area and time wasn't on our side.
Temmincks Stint nest, Skallelv, Norway, June 2023
Temmincks Stint nest, Skallelv, Norway, June 2023 The Temmincks had nested on the edge of an Arctic Tern colony we weren’t looking for these but did find one nest as we walked back to the car. It had been numbered up so someone I guess someone was surveying them here.
Next stop was Vardo the most Eastern most town in Norway and is further east then Istanbul and St Petersburg. Its also another Norwegian Island and is connected to the mainland by a 2.8Km tunnel that runs under the Bussesundet Strait. Its another hot spot mentioned in the books. We weren’t just here to see the birds we hoped to pick up some food as well, Being a Sunday we discovered most shops were closed by had hoped Vardo would offer us some sanctuary. Sadly we were wrong there was very little on Vardo and nothing was open. Looks like we were going hungary for the day we had a few snacks and some bottled water but not really enough to see us through the day. So lesson for anyone travelling to the far north remember things don't open on a Sunday. The town was a bit run down and has seen better days. Its home to 1000s of kittiwakes who nest among some abandoned buildings.
Next we parked up near to Vardohus Fortress which was first built in 1306 and was used a POW camp for german soliders during World War 2. We didn't have time to look around but it looked pretty impressive. We sat here and had some lunch well the few basic supply's we had left. We watched a pair of Tundra Ringed Plover they were clearly nesting and soon lead us to our first nest of this subspecies it was a C3 so probably not a complete set still nice to find and just meant we had to find a 4 before we went home.
The area surrounding it was said to be good for Bluethroats. Guess what it wasn't. We did have Sedge Warblers here. It seemed strange to hear these birds so far north also here was good numbers of Red-throated Pipits. The tidal pool was empty and no waders were seen in or around the area. We did see numerous Cormorant’s flying up the channel between the island and the mainland. We also had a Black Guillemot here.
There was also a very strange looking building and a monument by the shore it was some kind of vistor's attraction so we went in for a look around. It was pretty dark inside and very spooky made even more spooky when we found out it was a monument called the Steilneset Memorial. It was built in 2011 to commemorate the trial and execution in 1621 of 91 people for witchcraft. 77 women and 14 men were tried and burnt at the stake. Inside the 328 foot long narrow wooden structure are 91 windows. Through each window is a lightbulb to represent all those executed. Each one is accompained by the story of the indivudals executed.
Steilneset Memorial, Vardo, Norway, June 2023
After not having to much success on Vardo we left the island and headed back to the mainland we didn’t have enough time to make it all the way to Hamningberg so we headed back towards Vadso. On the way up to vardo we had spotted a Biotape bird hide over looking Vardo near to the village of Kiberg. We decided to stop here and have a look. It was a good idea as we stepped out the car we heard a bird calling that i didn’t recognise. There was also a pair of Red-necked Phalarope on a road side pool. It didn't take long to work out the unknown calling bird and It was a lifer for us all. It was a stunning male Lapland Bunting or if you prefer a Lapland Longspur. It was frequently calling and moving around from rock to rock. It was very mobile and tricky to photograph which was a shame as i really wanted to get some decent pictures of this species.
Lapland Bunting, Kiberg, Norway, June 2023
We left the Bunting and headed towards the hide as we approached a pair of Arctic Skuas took flight it was a mixed pair of a dark phase and light phase. I haven’t got any decent pictures of a pale phase bird before so i focused my efforts on this bird they stayed loyal to the area and where very vocal so with previous knowledge we knew they would be nesting nearby. We retreated and watched the pale bird back onto the nest.
Arctic Skua, Kiberg, June 2023
We headed back towards the car and on approaching the car the male Lapland Bunting appeared again and was joined by a female. Now we were interested he had clearly called her off the nest as we approached the car. We moved away form the area and settled down out if sight to see what happened it wasn't long before the female slowly made her way back to her nest site we marked the area and moved in. It took a little finding but was a nest we didn’t expect to see and it was a beauty. Lined with white feather probably Ptarmigan and well consealed in the grass. They can have as many as 7 eggs this one was a C5 a fantastic find on what was already a superb day. What next????
Lapland Bunting nest, Kiberg, June 2023 It was now early evening but with 24 hours of daylight we had plenty of time for more stops on the way home. I wanted to try again for the stints in what I hoped would be some better light. Firstly we did a bit of off road driving on some tracks that went around the Komagvaerstranda nature reserve . We stopped to listen at points around the reserve at one stop we saw Whimbrel and Tundra Ringed plovers. Adrian also spotted a sitting Arctic Skua in the distance. It was miles away but looked good to be incubating so he marked his spot on the barren landscape and off he went. There was no chance he was going to keep his mark from such a distance so I walked slowly and distantly behind him. Over 400 steps later he walked right to the spot. Even I was pretty impressed, both birds flew off which is very unusual for this species.
It looked a great area and if we had more time here we would have loved to it explore further. I wanted to have another crack at the Temmicks in the late evening light and we were sure there were more nesting in the area. We arrived greeted by the sounds of trilling Stints and the tide was now heading back in. I set up by the song post of the individual I had photographed earlier and waited. Adrian and Ricky went off to explore more potential nesting sites. It was now past 8pm and it was a lovely calm evening with little cloud. It was really peaceful to just sit and watch the birds coming and going. At one point a local stopped and asked if I would be interested in seeing whales as a pod of killer whales had been seen near to Vadso. It would have been nice to see but I had eyes on the stints for the rest of the evening. Sadly they didn’t perform as well as they did earlier in the day but I still managed a few pictures.
Adrian and Ricky had been successful on their walk across the neighbouring dunes and had discovered at least one more Temmincks and a c4 Tundra Ringed Plover. Adrian was adamant there was at least one more Temmincks in the close proximity. Three c4s in a day wasn’t to bad a day, also not to forget the Lapland Bunting amongst others we had found.
To Finish off the day the vocal Common Gull that was sat on near to the car was off the nest when we walked back to the car so we had a quick peep at that. We also walked down to the river mouth as we had heard that Steller's Eiders were in the area none were seen by us. A few weeks after our visit a Stilt Sandpiper was seen in the river that would have been a good bird to connect with on our travels.
Few stops on the way home for turnstone with no success but we did have another showy Long-tailed Skua. Who wouldnt want to stop and have a look at these stunning birds. Day 3, Vadso and surrounding areaDay 3 Vadso - The Temmincks hunt begins
The guides all say how good the wasteland next to the birders hotel can be and it is the place to go for Red-throated Pipits and Temmincks stint. We walked the area and only founda pair of Oystercatchers, nesting Common Gulls, a nesting Lesser black-backed Gull, we did however had a single RT Pipit which was a lifer for Adrian and Ricky. Also randomly about 20 mountain hares come running out of the long grass and into the port. Strange place to find these.
We next headed to the island pool on the opposite side of the island. It’s meant to be a good place for Red-necked Phalaropes. We checked every bush for Bluethroats but drew a blank. Lots of Redpolls about maybe even the odd Arctic Redpoll but I didn’t see enough of them to call it. Adrian found a few Redpoll nest that had all been predated. We also started to see a few Red-throated Pipits but they were always distant.
The pool was busy with birds, Mallards, Tuffed Ducks, and Black-headed Gulls and plenty of Red-necked Phalaropes. They were very busy feeding and never stayed still. I love these birds but they are a bugger to photograph. I took about 1000 photos with about 99% being binned. Normally because the bird was facing the wrong way. The ones below aren't the best with the high soon reflecting off the water it was a bit of a nightmare to get any thing decent. 24 hours of daylight does have its draw backs lol. These were pretty much the only ones we saw all trip. Some times it’s just better to just sit back and and watch them for what they are. They came so close i was able to film them on my phone.
Red-necked Phalarope, Vadsø, Norway, June 2023 Red-necked Phalarope, Vadsø, Norway, June 2023 Red-necked Phalarope, Vadsø, Norway, June 2023 Red-necked Phalarope, Vadsø, Norway, June 2023 Red-necked Phalarope, Vadsø, Norway, June 2023
There is a large structure on the island which is listed as being the airship mask used by Roald Amundsen and Umberto Nobile for their expedition over the North Pole with the airship Norge in 1926. Not just about the birds we learn a bit of history on these trips as well.
So although we saw some good stuff we hadn’t seen what we were really looking for Temmincks Stint and Bluethroat. We tried behind the hotel for Bluethroat but only saw Mountain Hare and a single Wheatear. There was some nice views across the fjord from here
We next headed up in to the hills behind Vadso. We checked a few lakes out with not much success. It was then I caught sight of a bird flying in and around some bushes!!! Boom it was a Bluethroat infact it was better than that it was a pair of Bluethroat. We pulled up and got out hoping to tog some of these stunning birds. Sadly it wasn’t to be they had completely disappeared. We spent a a while checking out the area only turning up a Wheatear and I’m pretty confident I clocked an Arctic Redpoll as well. After no further success with the Bluethroats we left the area defeated and headed further inland we reached the end of the road at a small dam where we stopped for lunch. The usual £8 garage sandwich. Whilst here we watched a Wood Sandpiper, 5 Ruff and 2 pairs of Tundra Ringed Plover. We watched one making a scrape which was pretty cool. We also had a fly past cuckoo.
We took a walk across the hill top hoping for Long-tailed Skua we saw one but it was just hunting the ridge. It was a long walk for very little success. Had a few Lemming sightings and even came across what looked like an old nest I guess exposed after the snow melt. The hills here are said to be good for Snowy Owls when the conditions are right.
Returning down from the hill back to the car we had some good views of 4 Tundra Ringed Plovers joy flighting and displaying I sat and watched them taking what I thought would be some great photos but sadly my lens let me down and they were all slightly out of focus.
Tundra ringed Plover, Norway, June 2023 Tundra ringed Plover, Norway, June 2023 It was now mid afternoon and we hadn’t had a very successful day we moved onto Ekkroya. Here are some bird cliffs with breeding Kittiwake. It’s also a good place to try for Gyr Falcons. It was an impressive sight you can walk above or below with Ricky and I going below and Adrian walked the top. The cliff rises steeply 40-50 from the sea the cliff are about 1km in length and the home to about 20,000 pairs of Kittiwakes. I understand locals are aloud to take a quota of eggs for consumption. Not only was it an impressive sight the smell was also pretty impressive. A fishy poo stench filled the air. We didn’t stay lo long. Kittiwake cliffs, Ekkeroy, Norway, June 2023
We then headed onto the cliff tops for a look around there were a couple of Reindeer carcasses around picked clean by the sea eagles I guess. Also on the top was two ladies Gerda and Paula these are the names of two buildings build by the Germans during the 2nd world war. It’s one of the best places in Finmark to see buildings built by the Germans as most were destroyed as they retreated. The slopes also held massive man made caves which were probably where they stored their ammunition. The buildings looked like a great place for wheatears to nest with one empty nest found.
German world war 2 buildings, Ekkeroy, Norway, June 2023 German world war 2 buildings, Ekkeroy, Norway, June 2023
The top was pretty devoid of bird life some nice plants were seen. I promised myself I would do better this year at recording the plant life but yet again I didn’t take many pictures and any I did take I just used my phone rather than a macro set up. We headed down back towards the car checking a small area around here for breeding waders. None found again apart from a pair of Oystercatchers and a Common Gull was sat on the fish drying racks.
Ekkeroy, Norway, June 2023
Ekkeroy is a small spit of land that stick out into the Varangerfjord the causeway that links it to the mainland has a nice sandy beach on its north side. This looked great for waders so we stopped have a look. There was already some toggers here so it felt good. There was a fence keeping in some sheep that were grazing the dunes. From the fence was could see a small flock of waders, Dunlin, Tundra Plovers, Sanderling all feeding on the timeline. There was an area of seaweed that had Ruff, Turnstone and a small flock of brick Red breeding plumage Bar-tailed Godwit. These looked stunning up but weren’t in an area to get any good photos off. The Turnstones weren’t either this was another bird we had on our target list. Adrian had spotted another little wader on the tide line it was noticeable smaller than the Sanderling but a similar plumage and it was being bossed around by the other waders. As it turned we saw the light v shape feather feature on birds back it was a stunning Little Stint in breeding plumage. They breed here in small numbers and very much something we all wanted to see. The other toggers were focusing on the godwits so I accessed the beach just down from were the bird were feeding via a sty over the fence. I slow moved down the beach into a position were I could see the birds and also being careful not to disturb them. It was difficult to single out the Little Stint and when I did it never stayed still for long enough to really capture it as it’s best. Still I had a Little Stint feeding in its breeding grounds in front of me. Sadly this was the only time we saw this species and we never come close to finding a nest. Something for a return journey.
Little Stint, Ekkeroya, Norway, June 2023.
We finished up on the beach and headed in the direction of our digs we stopping a few times but didn’t turn anything up. After a bite to eat at our digs, Adrian and I headed out again. We had done a bit of research on Nesseby and thought it would be a good spot for our main targets. We stopped at a new raised beach with lots of good habit for Turnstone but after a good search we turned up nothing. The area was also an old Sami burial ground so we took great care when walking across this area.
Sami Burial ground, Vestre Jakobselv, Norway, June 2023 After leaving the Sami Burial ground we had our only Short eared Owl of the trip. It was a bit distant but posed nice in the late evening light. It sat for ages in a tree just watching me as I photographed it from the car.
Short-eared Owl, Vestre Jakobslev, Norway, June 2023 Nest stop was the church and surrounding area at Nesseby it was after 10pm when we arrived and it all seemed very quite. The tide was out and not many waders were in the bay. We had distant Curlew and Whimbrel. Behind the church was a small pond on here we had a feeding Wood Sandpiper and a small party of male Ruff. The Ruff were also feeding on the grassy banks allowing distant photography.
Ruff, Nesseby, Norway, June Whilst i was trying in vain to get decent pictures of the Ruff Adrian had found a C2 Oystercatcher along the beach just above the tideline we sae numerous nesting Oystercatcher but they werent really on our radar so they went under recorded.
Oystercatcher nest, Nesseby, Norway, June 2023
We stopped off en route back to the digs at the river in Vestre Jakobselv at around 23.20 just as the sun went behind the hills. This was about as dark as it got all week. Nothing of note was seen apart from the usual Redshanks and Common Gulls. We did so some pretty impressive buttercup like flowers. I think they where Globeflowers and if correct you can see where they get there name from. They brought the end of a slightly disappointing day but we still had time on our side.
Vestre Jakobselv, Norway,June 2023
Globe flower, Vestre Jakobselv, Norway,June 2023 Globe flower, Vestre Jakobselv, Norway,June 2023
Arctic Adventures Day 2, Pasvik Valley, journey to VadsoDay 2 Pasvik Valley
Singing Brambling, Finland, June 2023
Fieldfare nest, Neiden, Finland, June 2023
We continued our journey into the Pasvik Valley this road sign told us we were close to the Russian border we took note of the signs saying don’t make rude gestures at any Russians! We took numerous stops at areas of water throughout the drive and we didn’t find a great deal. First stop we had a pair of Red-throated Divers calling distantly on the water and a Cuckoo was also in the neighbourhood. We were looking for waders and hadn’t turned up any. A bit like yesterday waders were very thin on the ground. The habitat looked good but there was so much of it over a vast area. We next headed to a place called birk Husky it was a place that had feeders that attracted some of the star species too. The first birds we heard were Pied Flycatchers there were numerous birds using the nest boxes around the cabins. Also in attendance were House Martins that were hunting flies over the open grassland. The feeders had lots of common stuff like House Sparrows, Greenfinch, Great tit, Blue Tit, and a few Red Squirrels. The occasional Brambling dropped in as well. The setting wasn’t the most photogenic area but we had good fun watching the squirrels interacting with each other. There was a small lake below the lodges and this had a few distant ducks on with plenty of House Martin’s and Swallows hawking the water. Also had what looked like a Sand Martin fly through.
We had stopped en route to re fuel and pick up a sandwich so lunch was next on the agenda I had read about an old Norwegian Army watch tower that looked over the border into Russia. From the view point you can see the Russian mining town of Nikel. It looked a shit hole from were I was standing lots of big chimneys and high rise buildings. Further reading about the town suggest it’s been a pollution nightmare which has angered the Norwegians.
Its also where we come across our first photographable Waxwings we had had a pair feeding low in the dead trees. This give good opportunities to photography them. Sadly they didn’t hang around for long but I managed a few snaps of these stunning birds. We were in perfect breeding habitat for them. Open ground with wet bogs near to a small mixed wood.
We traveled further into the bog hitting some solid ground here we saw a Wood Sandpiper fly up and start alarm calling then a raptor came into view. Boom a Rough-legged Buzzard and another lifer it disappeared quickly but the Wood Sandpiper had now seen us and stood on alert at the top of a pine tree. It wasn’t togable and that was a good thing as my battery in my camera died. I took some video on my phone (below) Adrian and Ricky stayed in the area to watch what the Wood Sand, whilst I walked back to the car to change batteries.
Wood Sandpiper, Pasvik Valley, June 2023 On the walk back I had a couple of fly over Bean Geese and the Wagtails followed me back to the car. Just before I reached the car I saw a Waxwing being chased off by another Waxwing it looked like it was being seen off from the other bird’s territory. I watched it back into a small wood but didn’t see anything as I walked through the wood. I changed battery and headed back into the bog. Adrian and Ricky were still watching the Wood Sandpiper but hadn’t found any evidence of breeding. As i approached them I noticed a butterfly that looked like some kind of Fritillary. Not 100% sure but I reckon it could be another Arctic Fritillary.
We decided to leave the Wood Sandpiper and head back towards the road but it decided to follow us which was odd it got very vocal and was clearly not happy about us being in the area. I took a few pictures of it at the top of tree that it had landed in which was a few feet in front of me. As I moved away from the bird I caught sight of why it had followed us back into the boggy area it was because it had chicks here. We saw at least 2 here before retreating from the area. They were probably only a few days old. Amazes me how quickly wader chicks leave the nest. The tricky part with the birds here is that it was quite flat and they like to sit in the tops of the trees. This means you struggle to get a decent background to photograph the birds against. I managed to manoeuvre a few times so that I had a slightly larger tree behind the subject to get some kind of background.
Wood Sandpiper, Svanvik, Norway, June 2023 Wood Sandpiper, Svanvik, Norway, June 2023 Wood Sandpiper, Svanvik, Norway, June 2023 Wood Sandpiper, Svanvik, Norway, June 2023 As we approached the road a Willow Grouse took off in front of us another life tick. Walking back to the road I told Adrian about what I had saw with the Waxwings. We decided to check the wood out in a bit more detail as it was highly likely the birds were breeding amongst the pines trees in there. After about 10 minutes of looking I called to Adrian about a Rough-legged Buzzard I saw high over the woods his response back was I have a nest here. I headed into the woods and could see the excitement on Adrian’s face as I walked in a saw what I thought was a Waxwing fly off the nest. It looked good from the ground. It looked a bit like a twiggy mistle thrush nest and was fairly large. It also felt good as we had seen a bird leave the area. The only issue and it was a big issue was it was about 8m up a tree and on the edge of some very thin branches. Basically it was unclimbable. We had to see what was in there as if this was a highly likely a Waxwing nest it would be an amazing find. We went through numerous ideas and together we hatched a basic plan using my GoPro camera. This we could use remotely with my phone and so we attached it to a selfie stick ( I didn’t bring this to take selfies with, this was the reason I bought it for any nest out of reach) This would still be far to short so we then attached 2 walking poles using red electrical tape. I careful tried to guide it in but it was obvious even with my extra reach we were still a few feet short. Adrian found a suitable sized stick, (thin tree trunk) that we attached to the home made extension pole and now we were in business. The GoPro was now linked to my phone so Adrian and Ricky guided me in with the live feed they were watching via my phone. It wasn’t long before a few swear words were coming from Adrian’s mouth something along the lines of it’s only a bloody Waxwing with 3 eggs in. Bloody hell why can’t it be a 6 LoL. Ricky used my phone to remotely capture a short video and a few stills of the nest. I then carefully removed the camera from above the nest. After a few high fives we quickly left the area to allow the female to return to the nest. What a moment it was from thinking there is no way we can reach that to peering into a Waxwing nest via live feed from a GoPro. Hopefully the offspring will be visiting a nearby supermarket car park this winter. We were only on day 2 and we had already achieved some awesome results. Waxwing nest, Pasvik Valley, June 2023 Having spent a fair few hours here we didn’t have too much time to head further into the Pasvik Valley as tonight’s accommodation was near the Norwegian town of Vadso about 2 hours from where we were. We decided to head in that direction stopping at suitable sites en route. We all wanted to see Bluethroat and despite stopping in great areas we had yet to see one. First we stopped just west of Niden to view a pretty impressive set of rapids. Not much bird wise here. We had hoped to see Dipper which would be the Black-bellied form.
We had further stops along the way we resulted in our 2nd Brambling of the trip. Adrian had located this one. It was an about 3 meters up a silver birch tree. We found a few other empties nearby.
As we approached the Varagner one thing become evident and that was the amount of White-tailed sea Eagles in the area they soon became one the most common birds we saw. I have only seen them distantly on Mull a few years ago so it was great to get some close views of these magnificent birds. We stopped at a river mouth near Varangerbotn and watched several birds effortlessly glide around the area. We also noted a pair of Tundra Ringed Plover on the beach a smaller subspecies of the Ringed Plover.
We also had another lifer in the area in the form of a Northern Hawk Owl. We were driving along when we spotted something unusual on the wires I thought it looked like a big shrike so we turned around to check it out and glad we did . It’s was a bird on our radar but never expected to see one. It was sat on the wires in someone’s garden and it aloud a pretty close approach. Not a fan of photographing birds on wires but beggars can’t be choosers.
We continued along the main road towards our digs for the night which were just outside of Vestre Jakobselv. We a Greater black-backed Gull sat on with a few feet of the road we parked up and walked back along. Another new nest for me with a lovely set of 2. All the way along the road we continued to see White-tailed Eagles. We also saw the occasional Rough-legged Buzzard.
We soon arrived at our digs for the night called Bestemorhuset, it was a nice house on the edge of Vestre Jakobselv. It was spacious and had facilities to make tea. This was good as there wasn’t many restaurants in the area. We had stocked up en route and had a delicious home cooked meal of pot noddles and crips. Washed down with what I would describe as a blueberry milkshake. We planned to head out again so had some beers in the fridge ready to toast an already successful day.
After tea we headed back to the other side of Vestre Jakobselv. On the way in we had noticed a nice River delta which may be good for Temmincks Stint, a bird we all hoped to see. We scanned the area and could see a large gull nesting colony which probably wouldn’t be good for the stints. A few birds were in the estuary Redshank, Ringed Plovers and then mainly gulls and Red breasted mergansers they were probably the most numerous duck we saw on the trip. Mainly males I guess after mating the leave the females to it. We headed up a track into the hills and came across we was described as a Bird park. There was a sign telling you that there was no admittance and the area was watched by cctv. It looked like someone had a professional togging set up there. The area was pretty devoid of bird life so we moved on. We then checked out the coastal area and this was also pretty quite just a pair of Oystercatcher and a few Gulls. We did have time to have a look around the wooden fish hanging frames that were in and around every village we passed. There was an old hooded crows nest in one of the stacks of wood.
Fish drying racks, Vestre Jakobselv, Norway, June 2023
We ended the day at about 1am all was pretty quiet now so we went back to celebrate a successful day with a few cans of Norwegian beer. I have had better but beer is beer. Big day planned tomorrow visiting vardo and vadso with the hope of photographing one of my main targets Temmincks Stint.
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