Knowledge from the
outside does not stay in any head
Sámi Proverb
Where did you say we were Sam?
The border crossing that we took into Norway could
well have been missed if we had blinked as it was marked only by a change in
road surface colouring. It did seem that
nearby habitat stretching for what seemed many square kilometres of trees had
been ravished by an invasive moth species, showing just how fragile such
environments can be. Our Destination
today was to be Vadso on the shore of the Varanger Fjord. Over the next week our days of viewing were
to encompass vast areas of fjord and sea, cliff and mountain, tundra and pool
and all seen in changing weather conditions ranging from calm and wind, mild
and cold, clear light and mist, sun, snow, hail and rain. The mix of conditions showing the area in
many of its dramatic moods. Thankfully
dry clear conditions prevailed more often than not, but everyone soon realised
that those extra layers had not been packed in vain, as that wind could get to
the bones! Everyone also realised that the
back seats of the van give a perfect opportunity for a short spell of shut eye
on long days in the field, so on occasions it wasn’t talking heads, but perhaps would be better described as nodding heads. Eyes could not stay closed for long
however, such was the dramatic landscape and of course wildlife.
Long Tailed Skua
Long Tailed Skua
As we passed through the area of Varangerboten and Nesseby
on the Varanger Fjord sightings of White-tailed
Sea Eagle and Long Tailed Skua
became quite common place. Sam and I
enjoyed our first feel of the biting air as we walked out to the point past
Nesseby Church, counting Wheatears
along our way. Our first night in the
area was spent at Vadso and despite our tiredness Sam and I were unable to
resist a walk after dinner across the bridge to the island of Vadsoya
and how pleased we were to have taken the chance as we were met by the most
perfect clear white evening light of the entire trip. As we walked onto the island we found a flock
of Knot which looked stunning in the
bright sunlight. We watched rafts of
gulls lift from the fjord as they were disturbed by numbers of Arctic Skua and lesser numbers of Long Tailed Skua. We also found our first Red-throated Pipit of the trip and had close encounters with Arctic Terns. We were drawn to the small pool on the island
as it looked ideal for Red-necked
Phalarope and sure enough we were soon settled down to watch these birds at
close quarters as they fed. We noticed what had been the airship mast where
Roald Amundsen and Umberto Nobile had set out from on ‘balloon’ explorations of
the North Pole. In 1928 Nobile had set
off from here in the airship Italia on an expedition during which on the 25th
May 1928 the airship crashed onto the ice causing some fatalities. As Sam and I walked back towards the hotel
after 11.00pm reflecting upon the fact that this evening had been a highlight
of the trip, the sun shone brightly behind the arch of Vadso Church and we
agreed that one night we would get up around 3.00am (not for the first time on
this trip) and take photos of ‘night
birders’. Unfortunately tiredness
ensured that this idea was not acted upon!
The following morning we were back out onto the island watching the
birds again this time with the group, but that light of the evening before
could not be repeated.
Red necked Phalarope
Red necked Phalarope
Red throated Pipit
Almost a midnight sun at Vadso
For the next few days we explored Varanger Fjord and the
exciting coastline of the Arctic
Sea from Vadso, and then
Vardo where we spent three nights. I had
no doubt we were in the Arctic Circle by
now! Vardo is joined to the peninsular
by a tunnel which replaced a ferry service some years ago. I found the lighting effect of this lengthy
tunnel quite eerie and so christened it ‘The
Road to Hell’ in tribute to Chris Rea.
From our hotel room we were able to watch Glaucous Gull in the harbour and a short walk away we watched Kittiwakes on the harbour buildings,
kind of ala North Shields. Sam and I explored Vardo on relaxing
evenings. Hornöya Island
is but a short boat trip away and we paid an all too brief visit here. Having so little time to spend on this
island was a rare disappointment on this tour.
At least we did have time to see Brunnich’s
Guillemot along with Guillemot,
Razorbill, Puffin, Kittiwake and Shag
et al and we had a rather nice lunch with ice cream on return to the town.
Arctic Tern at Vadso
Shag
Kittiwake
The cliffs along the coast of the Varanger Peninsula
offered perhaps the most dramatic vista of the tour and on one occasion as we
watched the sea and nearby White-tailed
Sea Eagle and waders, cloud and then mist rolled in over the precipitous
cliffs eventually blocking out totally any previous sunlight and thus giving
the feeling of mystery and drama. The Chiffchaff (a rarity here) heard calling from the rare area of
trees had now become silent.
White Tailed Sea Eagle
The sea provided us with many sightings, amongst them a
single Pomarine Skua seen close to
shore, and a single Great Skua which
ensured our list of skuas was complete.
Both Great Northern Diver and
White Billed Diver completed our
list of divers, the latter species not without some substantial effort and in
some cases the use of matchsticks to keep the eyelids open! Sam found us our first King Eider amongst a flock of Common
Eider, and notably he found the female bird first of all. Unfortunately all Steller’s Eider had
departed the area. Then there were
flocks of Common Scoter, Guillemot,
Black Guillemot, Shag, Long-tailed Duck and hundreds of Goosanders et al.
White-tailed Sea
Eagle of all ages were common place and often seen at close range. Rough
Legged Buzzard continued to be seen regularly but Gyr Falcon was more difficult to find and I heard that this species
is suffering from the hands of egg thieves.
We did eventually find Gyr Falcon,
a pair in fact and we did have decent scope views of them. I seem to remember fellow birder Liz was very
good at finding species on vast areas of cliff.
A pair of Peregrine Falcon
was also found.
Bluethroat display
I enjoyed a brief sighting of breeding plumage Shore Lark and on one occasion we all spread
out in an attempt to find Twite. I glimpsed one after Sam had heard them and
seen at least one fly in to the area we were standing. As Sam and I moved back from rough ground
towards the road I heard a Bluethroat
flying into the area that we were standing.
Sam was onto it like a shot and my eyes were on it within a second or
two afterwards. We had seen numbers of Bluethroat by now but this sighting
proved to be up there with the best of the trip as the male began displaying to
the female. Sam and I watched and
photographed as we simultaneously called the rest of the group over. As the male Bluethroat circled the female posturing as he went this provided
one of the best photographic opportunities of the trip, not least because it is
so rarely seen and these birds were not far from our feet. The male bird so beautifully marked, used
these marking as best he could to impress the female and as he twisted and
contorted the sunlight upon him ensured that the colour as seen in different
hues. I remember Sam liking this to a
lek and I myself felt it was like watching a Bird of Paradise displaying. I know that watching this display was a new
experience for all including Killian and Dick.
Carl Linnaeus historically referred to the Bluethroat as the ‘Swedish
Nightingale’ and it does have a very distinctive song.
Tundra on the peninsular
Our exploration continues for a few more days and included
sightings of Snow Bunting and Lapland Bunting plus a find of a party
of seven Little Stints feeding along
with Dunlin. Botanical interest was never forgotten and I
believe Sam has pressed an individual of the world's smallest tree species in
the form of Dwarf Willow Salix herbacea. And still there is more to come!
Do you believe
The clear white light
Is going to guide us on?
Running along the ground singing a song in the morning light
Follow flowery fields as far as out of sight
Turning your head to the clouds and the skies and the trees
'cause you never know what you might see.
The clear white light
Is going to guide us on?
Running along the ground singing a song in the morning light
Follow flowery fields as far as out of sight
Turning your head to the clouds and the skies and the trees
'cause you never know what you might see.
Lyrics by Lindisfarne
Excellent report, and love the Bluethroat displaying.
ReplyDeleteThanks Brian. I'm hoping to get the last part of the report up in the next twenty-four hours. The Bluethroat display was indeed something very special. Cheers.
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