Arctic Adventures Day 2, Pasvik Valley, journey to Vadso
Day 2 Pasvik Valley
We were awoken to the sound of the local Brambling again. Definitely the sound of this years trip. The plan was to drive into Norway today and into the Pasvik valley. Lots of targets to hit and even a chance of Bear. Although highly unlikely it’s pretty cool to think you could cross paths with a European Brown Bear. We were also going to be close to the Russian border today as the River Pasvik is the border between Norway and Russia. I’m sure we could think of something nice to say to the locals.
Singing Brambling, Finland, June 2023
First stop was the church at Neiden. It’s in all the guide books as a good place for Arctic Warbler although June the 16th might have been a bit earlier as they are one of the last migrants to reach the Arctic. We had a good look and listen around and heard numerous birds including, Fieldfare, Redwing, House Sparrow, Siskin, Greenfinch, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Chaffinch and Pied Flycatcher. I used the Merlin sound ID app to see if it could pick anything else up. To be fair it was bang on with what it was picking up. We also had a flyover Crossbill sounded like common. The fieldfare had nested at numerous sites around the church all too high for us to look into. There was plenty of young Fieldfares in the surrounding area so most were probably empty. There was also a nice plant in the grounds of the car park. Dwarf Cornel or Bunchberry which we ended up seeing all over the Lapland. It’s a species of the dogwood family and native to cool temperate and subarctic regions of Europe and Asia.
Neiden Church, Neiden, Finland, June 2023
Fieldfare nest, Neiden, Finland, June 2023
Dwarf Cornel, Neiden, Finland, June 2023
Dwarf Cornel, Neiden, Finland, June 2023
We stopped a few times to admire the view the stunning views at one stop we saw a White Wagtail. It looked very smart in its summer plumage. Didn’t pose in the best of places. The fjords here are stunning but like small in comparison to others around Norway.
White Wagtail, Bjornevatn, Finland, June 2023
Bjornevatn, Finland, June 2023
Bjornevatn, 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!
Bjornevatn, Finland, June 2023
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.
Red Squirrel, Birk Husky, Norway, June 2023
Red Squirrel, Birk Husky, Norway, June 2023
Red Squirrel, Birk Husky, Norway, June 2023
Pied Flycatcher, Birk Husky, Norway, June 2023
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.
Height 96” border observation tower, Svanvik, Norway, June 2023
Height 96” border observation tower, Svanvik, Norway, June 2023
Views across to Nikel, Russia, from Svanvik, Norway, June 2023
Views across to Nikel, Russia, from Svanvik, Norway, June 2023
Views across to Nikel, Russia from, Svanvik, Norway, June 2023
As we sat and had dinner at what is known as Height 96” border observation tower. I could hear the distance sound of chicks calling I had a look around and found a small nest box. I stood and watched it for a while and watched a pair of Siberian Tits flying in and out. I’m not one for posting pictures of birds in or on nest boxes but I didn’t think I would get to see Siberian Tits let alone photography them. There was a few other boxes around, they all appeared empty. I climbed up to one to find the box lid was nailed on. It’s great to see so many nest boxes in numerous habitats.
Siberian Tit, Pasvik Valley, Norway, June 2023
Siberian Tit, Pasvik Valley, Norway, June 2023
Siberian Tit nest box, Pasvik Valley, Norway, June 2023
We headed further along the road and we were now really close to the River Pasvik and the Russian border we saw the occasional border guard driving the road who always seemed friendly as they would always wave. We found a little pull in and stopped for a wonder around. Again the ground looked great boggy with dead trees around it. Within minutes of getting out the car we had numerous Grey-headed Wagtails making their presence known there must have been a good 3-4 pairs breeding in here. 3 cranes flew across the bog. I could and should probably count this as a lifer. I have only seen these birds on the levels and slimbridge before and these are released birds although they are now breeding in the wild.
Bog, Pasvik Valley, June 2023 - great habitat for Waxwings
Grey-headed Wagtail, Pasvik Valley, June 2023
Grey-headed Wagtail, Pasvik Valley, June 2023
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.
Waxwing, Pasvik Valley, June 2023
Waxwing, Pasvik Valley, June 2023
Waxwing, Pasvik Valley, June 2023
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.
Arctic Fritillary, Norway, June 2023 (iPhone pic)
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
Wood Sandpiper, Svanvik, Norway, June 2023
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
Waxwing nest, Pasvik Valley, June 2023
Waxwing nest, Pasvik Valley, June 2023
Waxwing nest, Pasvik Valley, June 2023
Home made photography props
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.
River Neiden, Rapids, Neiden, June 2023.
River Neiden, Rapids, Neiden, June 2023
River Neiden, Rapids, Neiden, June 2023.
River Neiden, Rapids, Neiden, June 2023.
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.
Brambling Nest, Norway, June 2023
Brambling Nest, Norway, June 2023
Neiden, Norway, June 2023
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.
Varangerbotn, Norway, June 2023
Tundra Ringed Plover, Varangerbotn, June 2023
Tundra Ringed Plover, Varangerbotn, June 2023
Tundra Ringed Plover, Varangerbotn, June 2023
Tundra Ringed Plover, Varangerbotn, June 2023
Tundra Ringed Plover, Varangerbotn, June 2023
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.
Northern Hawk Owl, Varangerbotn, June 2023
Northern Hawk Owl, Varangerbotn, June 2023
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.
Greater Black-backed Gull nest, Norway, June 2023
Greater Black-backed Gull nest, Norway, June 2023
Greater Black-backed Gull nest, Norway, June 2023
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.
Bestemorhuset, Vestre Jakobselv, Norway, June 2023
View from the window, Bestemorhuset, Vestre Jakobselv, Norway, June 2023
view from the window at 1am, Bestemorhuset, Vestre Jakobselv, Norway, June 2023
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
Fish drying racks, Vestre Jakobselv, Norway, June 2023
Fish drying racks, Vestre Jakobselv, Norway, June 2023
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.
