Varanger Fjord, Northern Norway
26th-31st March 2004

by David Walker

Group Members:
David Walker, Peter Akers, Chris Philpott and Charles Wilkins.

In 1992 Birding World published a short article on winter birding in Northern Norway describing huge numbers of Steller’s and King Eiders along with Gyr Falcons and Brunnich’s Guillemots, White-tailed Eagles and Siberian Tits. Since then I have harboured a desire to make such a trip but have always been under the impression that the costs would be prohibitive. Late in 2003 I was surfing the web and casually looked up flights to Oslo with Ryanair and was surprised to find some remarkably cheap deals, 0.50p one way (plus the inevitable taxes.) This was the spur to investigate further and I began to put a package together. I contacted a few friends and very quickly had a party of four to make the trip.

The final route involved flying from Stanstead to Oslo (Torp), then a bus to Oslo (Gardemon) and flying on to Kirkenes on the southern side of Varangerfjord in the evening. Here we hired a car and drove to our accommodation at Vestre Jakobselv, half way along the north shore of Varangerfjord. We stayed here for four nights giving us four full days in the field. We returned via the same routes as our outward journey.

Flights
We departed from Stanstead at 0635hrs to Oslo Airport (Torp) arriving 0930hrs Although titled Oslo this airport is very small and is actually some distance from the main Oslo (Gardemon) airport. This was not a problem though as a bus is scheduled to meet the flight and transfer passengers. You have to change buses at the Central Station in Oslo but it was all very efficient and we arrived with lots of spare time at Gardemon for our onward flight to Kirkenes. The flight to Kirkenes was with Braathens and departed at 1720hrs and arrived at 1920hrs to be met with bitterly cold weather (-19C). The return flight departed Kirkenes at 1135hrs again allowing plenty of time to transfer to Torp and then on to Stanstead departing at2145hrs and arriving back in England at 2240hrs.

The flights were all booked by via the internet. Ryanair through there own web page and Braathens flights through www.opodo.com. Each flight was booked as a single segment.

Costs:
Stanstead to Oslo return £33
Oslo to Kirkenes return £138 including taxes.

The bus transfer between Oslo Torp and Oslo Gardemon was Kr215 (c£20) each way.  

Car Hire
We hired a car from Hertz via the Ryanair/Hertz partnership. This does appear to be genuinely cheaper than going to Hertz direct. Due to our late arrival to what is a very small airport it was necessary to make a special arrangement in order to pick up a car on arrival rather than wait for the “office” to officially open in the morning. In the event this worked perfectly and within a few minutes of our arrival we were on the road.

The car was a VW Passat Estate Diesel complete with studded tyres, air conditioning and heated seats.

The cost of the car hire was £414.

Fuel was about the same as anywhere else on the near continent ie, about two-thirds of UK prices. We spent the grand total of £13 on fuel.

Driving
Driving is on the right. Although we had fresh snowfall on every day driving was never a problem. The roads were kept clear by snowploughs working throughout the day and night. Do not get in their way though as they do not take prisoners. The roads were also fairly quiet for traffic, were never wet, and ice did not seem to be a problem. Many Norwegians seemed to drive very quickly whatever the road conditions.

Maps are hardly required as at this time of year there are no side roads or tracks to drive down. All our birding was done from the main roads or in the various harbours.

Accommodation

I was expecting that accommodation was going to be incredibly expensive. This is true if you want to stay in any of the hotels, about £100 per night seemed to be the going rate. We managed to find a self catering flat at Vestre Jakobselv, again via the web. http://www.pikkuskitsi.no/ at Kr950 per night (£15 per person) which proved to be ideal for our needs. We were given our own key which meant we were free to come and go as we pleased. We were also able to buy our own food and prepare our breakfasts and evening meals and make up packed lunches. We paid in Krone but Euros would have been accepted. This was about 110 minutes from Kirkenes.

Thanks to Jens Pederson for his hospitality. 

Food
Buying provisions was not expensive - being only slightly more pricey than at home. We ate out on two occasions. We had an excellent meal of Reindeer steak and vegetables at a transport café called Casa Carlos at the roundabout at Varangerbotn. With soft drinks and coffee this came to about Kr175. The petrol station in Vadso did excellent hot chocolate drink.

Finally, on the last night we just had to go for an Indian meal north of the Arctic Circle. This was very expensive but worth it just for the crack.

We paid for most items with Krone as we had it but many places would also have accepted the usual cards if needed.

Weather
We were obviously expecting it to be very cold. We were not disappointed. Several trip reports referred to the cold and commented that the temperature was hovering around 0C. In fact it never got above -4C during our stay and on some days the maximum temperature was -7C. Night-time temperatures went down to -19C. We also had snow on every day. Take plenty of warm clothing and a good pair of walking boots as you are often standing in snow.  

Daylight
It was getting light at about 0430hrs and dark at about 2000hrs (local time). We therefore had plenty of daylight for birding.

Locations
The article in Birding World Vol 5:1 gives details of all the sites we visited. In fact, almost all the birding is based around the shore of the fjord and the numerous small harbours. There was no access off the main road due to the snow. The main sites visited included:

Vestre Jakobselv harbour. Basically just outside our accommodation.

Vadso harbour. About 20 minutes east of Vestre Jakobselv. Excellent views of wintering ducks.

Ekkeroya. Huge Kittiwake colony with White-tailed Eagle in attendance. Ducks and Black Guillemot also present.

Ittre Kiberg. A small harbour with plenty of Glaucous Gulls, Brunnich’s Guillemot, small numbers of duck and Harp Seal.

Vardo. Another large harbour. Excellent for Stellers Eiders and Glaucous Gulls.

Hornoya. An island just west of Vardo. On one visit there were thousands of auks but most were too distant to identify. We did however have good views of some Brunnich’s Guillemot and also White-tailed Eagle.

Hamningberg. Said to be an excellent location. We were unable to get there due to the road being closed.

Nesseby. A traditional site for Red-necked Phalarope mentioned in all Bird Tour brochures. We visited just to say we had been there but did see good numbers of duck and White-tailed Eagle here.

30km N of Tana Bru. The site for Gyr Falcon.

Hoyholmen. A stunning location with masses of Long-tailed Ducks.

Berlevag. An awesome drive to the harbour with stunning scenery and lots of birds in the various bays and close views of a Gyr Falcon. The harbour may well be good for birds but we could not see it due to a total white out of driving snow. To get across the top it is necessary to go behind a snow plough in a large convoy which leaves every two hours or so. There are barriers closing the road and a sign gives details of convoy times. This makes stopping en route impossible.

We saw very little due to the weather conditions.

Itinerary
Day 1 26th Travelling to Vestre Jakobselv, via Stanstead, Oslo and Kirkenes

arriving at about 2200hrs.

Day 2 27th All day birding the fjord between Vestre Jakobselv and Vardo.

Day 3 28th Birding between Skiipagurra and Berlevag.

Day 4 29th Birding the fjord west of Vestre Jakobselv and north to Hoyholmen.

Day 5 30th All day birding the fjord between Vestre Jakobselv and Vardo.

Day 6 31st Return to Kirkenes with a few stops en route then home.

Birds

Red-throated Diver Gavia stellata

One at Nesseby on 29th.

Great Northern Diver Gavia immer

One on 31st between Nesseby and Varangerbotn.

Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo

Small numbers (one–three) at a few sites between Vestre Jakobselv and Vardo.

Shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis

300 in Kongsoyfjorden on 28th. Also many (presumed shags) on Hornoya on 27th.

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos

Four at Store Ekkeroy on 27th, six at Vestre Jakobselv on 30th, three at Vadso on 30th and four between Vadso and Ekkeroy on 30th.

Common Eider Somateria mollissima

1000 on 27th. 500 on 28th. 500 in western section of Varangerfjord on 29th. 300 at Hoyholmen on 29th. At least 1510 counted between Vestre Jakobselv and Vardo on 30th.

King Eider Somateria spectabilis

155 between Vestre Jakobselv and Vadso, 25 in Vadso harbour and 28 between Vadso and Yttre Kiberg on 27th. 50 in Kongsoyfjorden on 28th and 130 in western section of Varangerfjord on 29th. 20 off Vestre Jakobselv on 30th. At least 470 counted between Vestre Jakobselv and Vardo on 30th. 115 between Vestre Jakobselv and Varangerbotn on 31st.

Steller’s Eider Polysticta stelleri

Seen daily including 650 on 27th including 195 at Vadso and 140 at Vardo with flocks of up to 80 eastwards from Vadso and best views in Vadso and Vardo harbours, 100 in Kongsoyfjorden and three at Berlevag on 28th. At least 1250 counted between Vestre Jakobselv and Vardo including 165 in Vadso Harbour and 230 in Vardo harbour on 30th. 55 between Vestre Jakobselv and Varangerbotn on 31st. At least 2000 individuals recorded during the trip.

Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis

Seen daily including 250 on 27th, 40 in Kongsoyfjorden on 28th, 50 in western section of Varangerfjord on 29th. 150 at Hoyholmen on 29th. 50 off Vestre Jakobselv on 30th. At least 340 counted between Vestre Jakobselv and Vardo on 30th. 40 between Vestre Jakobselv and Varangerbotn on 31st.

Velvet Scoter Melanitta fusca

20 seen on 30th.

Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator

Fifteen between Vestre Jakoselv and Vardo on 27th. 20 between Kongsoyfjorden and Berlevag on 28th and 15 between Vestre Jakoselv and Nesseby on 28th. 43 between Vestre Jakobselv and Vardo on 30th. 14 between Vestre Jakobselv and Varangerbotn on 31st.

Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus

One on the journey back to Kirkenes on 31st.

White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla

An adult at Paddeby and a near adult crossed from Hornoya to Vardo on 27th. Two at Nesseby on 29th. One on cliffs at Store Ekkeroy on 30th. One near Nesseby on 31st.

 Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus

0ne over Hornoya on 27th and three at the traditional Gyr site 30km north of Tana Bru on 28th

One seen in flight and on cliff just above us near Kongsfjord on 28th. A pair at the traditional site 30km north of Tana Bru on 29th. One along the main road near Vestervelv on 31st.

Willow Grouse Lagopus lagopus

Two on the road between Skiipagurra and Tana Bru on 28th. A flock of 12 flew across the road on the south side of the fjord on 31st.

Purple Sandpiper Calidris maritima

Common along most of the coastlines.

Common Gull Larus canus

One at Vadso on 27th and two between Vadso and Store Ekkeroy on 27th and f ive at Hoyholmen on 29th.

Herring Gull Larus argentatus

Common and widespread along coasts, in harbours and on cliffs at Tana Bru.

Great Black-backed Gull Larus maritima

Small numbers, e.g. five at Vestre Jakoselv on 27th and 20 here on 30th.

Iceland Gull Larus glaucoides

An adult just east of Vestre Jakobselv on 27th and probably the same bird in the harbour at Vestre Jakobselv on 30th.

Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus

16 on 27th and probably the same birds on 30th. Eight on beaches north of Kongsfjord on 28th.

Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla

Small numbers at many sites along the fjord. Several thousand visiting Hornoya on 27th but none here on 30th. Nesting in Vardo Harbour. 10,000 on the cliffs at Store Ekkeroya on 30th where there had been none on 27th.

Guillemot Uria aalge

Large numbers off Hornoya on 27th.

Brunnich’s Guillemot Uria lomvia

15 on 27th at Yttre Kiberg and around Vardo. On 30th, one off Store Ekkeroy, one at Ittre Kiberg and three outside Vardo harbour.

Razorbill Alca torda

Two between Vestre Jakoselv and Nesseby on 29th.

Black Guillemot Cepphus grylle

40 on 27th. 15 around Kongsoyfjorden on 28th. Six on 29th. Two at Hoyholmen on 29th. 30 seen on 30th.

Puffin Fratercula arctica

Three between Vestre Jakoselv and Nesseby on 29th. One off Store Ekkeroya on 30th. Two off Nesseby on 31st.

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopus minor

Two around the settlement of Nieden on 31st.

Great Tit Parus major

Recorded at feeders/in gardens along the western half of the fjord and inland, up to 10 at a feeder just south of the road barrier on the road to Berlevag on 28th. Four at Vestre Jakobselv on 29th were the most easterly recorded.

Willow Tit Parus montanus

Six at a feeder just south of the road barrier on the road to Berlevag on 28th. Several north of Tana Bru on 29th. All of the subspecies borealis.

Siberian Tit Parus cinctus

Two at a garden feeder just north of Tana Bru on 29th.

Magpie Pica pica

Recorded daily in small numbers.

Seen daily including 50 on 27th.

Hooded Crow Corvus corone

Seen daily including up to 20 at Vestre Jakoselv.

Starling Sturnus vulgaris

One at Ittre Kiberg on 27th.

House Sparrow Passer domesticus

Small numbers around most small villages.

Greenfinch Carduleis chloris

Seen around villages including 15 at Skiipagurra on 28th. Unexpected as it is well north of the range shown in Birds of Europe Jonsson.

Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula ssp pyrrhula

Four at Skiipagurra, including two at a feeder on 28th. Three near Tana Bru on 29th. Slightly unexpected as it is north of the range shown in Birds of Europe Jonsson.

Snow Bunting Plectrophenax nivalis

Two at Hoyholmen on 28th. One over Vestre Jakobselv on 30th. In addition, the following species were seen from the bus as we travelled between the two Oslo airports:
Whooper Swan, Mallard, Buzzard, Grey Partridge, Lapwing, Black-headed Gull, Wood Pigeon, Nuthatch and Jackdaw spp monedula.

Some other species we were hoping to see and seen on some previous trips included Snowy and Hawk Owls and Arctic Redpoll. Note that Siberian Jay and Pine Grosbeak are usually seen further south.

Mammals

Red Fox Vulpes vulpes

Several animals seen.

Otter Lutra lutra

One just west of Vestre Jakobselv on 27th and one living under a small shed just outside our accommodation. This individual gave superb views on two occasions.

Harp Seal Pagophilus groenlandicus

One seen at very close range at a small landing stage at Kiby and three outside the harbour of Yttre Kiberg on 27th.

Common Seal Phoca vitulina

Seen in small numbers on each day.

Grey Seal Halichoerus grypus

One in Vardo Harbour on 27th.

Elk Alces alces

One seen on higher ground just to the west of Varangerbotn on 29th.

Reindeer Rangifer tarandus

Seen in small numbers along the E75 and in large herds over the top to Berlevag.

Two herds of 50+ animals on south side of fjord on return journey to Kirkenes.

Hump-backed Whale Mageptera novaeanglia

Four animals feeding in the fjord between Vestre Jakobselv and Nesseby on 29th and two (the same animals?) feeding off Vestre Jacobselv on 30th. The latter were viewable from the toilet window of our accommodation.

Northern Lights
Having had cloudy nights throughout our stay the last night was clear and we were treated to a display of the Aurora borealis.