Fjords, Arctic Birds & Northern Lights. A Norwegian Coastal Voyage

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1 Fjords, Arctic Birds & Northern Lights. A Norwegian Coastal Voyage Naturetrek 24 February 1 March 2015 Coastal Scenery Common Eider Reindeer The Seven Sisters Report by Rob Mileto Images by Jeremy Aldred Naturetrek Mingledown Barn Wolf's Lane Chawton Alton Hampshire GU34 3HJ England T: +44 (0) F: +44 (0) E: info@naturetrek.co.uk W:

2 Fjords, Arctic Birds & Northern Lights. A Norwegian Coastal Voyage Tour leader: Rob Mileto Participants: Jill Aldred Jeremy Aldred Odette Goff Dave Goff Day 1 Tuesday 24th February London Heathrow to Tromsø, Weather: Cloudy, light snow at times We met early and rather bleary-eyed at Heathrow airport, and departed promptly for the short flight to Oslo. Here we were soon on our way over snowy peaks en route to Tromso, where we arrived in the early afternoon. Although we had had an early start, everyone was keen to make the most of our holiday time. After picking up our hire car and a quick supermarket shop on Kvaloya, we sat eating our picnic overlooking the sea, the snowy mountains and the Hooded Crows. Then we set off on the coastal road towards Kvaloyvagen. The first stop was at a small fish farm. From the water s edge we could see a nice mix of Cormorants, Herring and Great Blackbacked Gulls, and a handful of Red-breasted Mergansers. We were just about to leave when Rob caught a glimpse of a dark fin breaking the calm waters and then another and then another. Very soon we were looking at a fair-sized pod of White-beaked Dolphins busy feeding in the middle distance and giving us great views as they surfaced to take breaths a real treat and a great start. Driving on, we stopped just beyond the tunnel entrance to Ringvassoya where we saw a log-like tight raft of birds which were nearly all Common Eider, but included at least one very smart King Eider. They were diving regularly for mussels, and somewhat distant. We then headed back towards our hotel in Tromso. Arriving just after dark we had plenty of time settle in, shower, eat and then head out again to look for the northern lights. Beautifully, but frustratingly, snow was gently falling in the mountains. It was lovely to sit and walk in the silent white landscape but there was no chance of seeing the dancing aurora through the dense cloud. Day 2 Wednesday 25th February Kvaloya, Weather: Light sleet/snow at times After a good night s sleep and an excellent breakfast, we headed back to the island of Kvaloya and retraced our steps towards Kvaloyvagen in the hope of better views of King Eider. En route a plump white flying blob coasted over the road and landed at the base of some nearby Birch trees. Luckily it was safe to stop and we soon saw that the white blob had a dark currant-like eye and a dark bill, but otherwise appeared pure white like the snow it sat in - it was a Willow Ptarmigan in full winter plumage. As we hunted for a better view, one or possibly two other individuals took flight and landed, ensuring we all got great views. Moving on we soon spotted a raft of ducks not too far offshore. As before, most were Common Eider (many making their odd cooing call) but Naturetrek March 15 1

3 slightly apart were a couple of smart King Eider males that, through a telescope, were our first clear sightings of this lovely duck. As we headed back southwards we stopped to look at a set of bird feeders in someone s garden (well this is the best way to pick up a few garden birds) and here we saw Great Tit, House Sparrow and some lovely Greenfinches. It was then time to head off on the road to Sommeroy. The scenery was stunning and the day so still that the snowy hills were perfectly reflected in the mirror-like waters. Consequently we made several stops to take photographs, and often there were also birds to see including Grey Heron and Red-breasted Merganser. Rounding a corner, a large brown hunched figure at the water s edge turned out to be our first White-tailed Eagle an immature, but imposing nonetheless, especially given it massive yellow hooked bill. A picnic lunch was taken near a beach overlooking the bridge to Sommeroy it probably would have been taken on the beach but the snow that was falling made that a rather too adventurous prospect. After lunch we drove over the bridge and into Sommeroy village. In the harbour were a fine assortment of Common Eider, Cormorants, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull and a lone Black-headed Gull. Also on its own was a fine male Long-tailed Duck with a pair of Black Guillemots nearby. We drove to another vantage point on the other side of the harbour to get a better view. As we were leaving, movement on a little beach revealed itself to be a dumpy little Purple Sandpiper and as we watched, a handful more revealed themselves. As we left the village we chanced upon some Reindeer grazing on a nearby hillside. They are semi-domesticated in these parts which was very evident shortly afterwards when a young one was seen munching on hay at the back of a barn! We took the coast road back to Tromso, drinking in the scenery by the fading light of the day, but also adding to our sightings Raven, and rather unexpectedly given the time of year, some Fieldfare feeding on what was left of the juniper berries. We then spent the evening at leisure, touring the city before meeting up again later that night and boarding the Kong Harold for our three day cruise down the intricate and grand Norwegian coast to Trondheim. Day 3 Thursday 26th February Vesterålen and Lofoten archipelagos. Weather: Mostly bright and sunny Dawn brought us our first views of the dramatic Norwegian coast from the water. This cruise has been hailed as one of the most beautiful in the world and it was easy to see why: a wild landscape of snow-topped granite peaks falling, sometimes as sheer cliffs, into pure blue waters, and colourful houses in remote fishing villages nestled along a narrow coastal ribbon. Scanning the waters and promontories often brought rewards by way of King and Common Eiders, Long-tailed Ducks, Velvet Scoters, Cormorants, Shags, a glimpse of a seal, White-tailed Eagle, and Whooper Swan. For those interested in maritime history, in Stokmarknes there was just enough time to see the Hurtigruten Museum. This 2 Naturetrek March 15

4 cruise line was set up in 1893 to sail coastal Norway and has been in business for over 100 years. It was a fascinating museum with lots of maritime photos and memorabilia, and one of the early ships on display. In the late afternoon, our entry into the 12-mile strait of Raftsundet was heralded by a low-level fly past by a majestic White-tailed Eagle. This part of the cruise is billed as the most scenic part of the voyage and as we steered a tricky course through the narrows, a soaring bird turned out to be a Golden Eagle, the rarer of the two species in these parts. As the sun set we arrived at the grand finale; the stunning, sheer-sided Trollfjord which we could only view from a distance because of the strong winds. After dark, the ship docked for an hour in Svolvaer, the main town of the Lofoten islands. Here some visited the War Memorial Museum crammed with all manner of mementoes and stories of the Norwegian resistance during World War II. We checked the night sky but sadly there was lots of cloud so probably little auroral activity tonight. Day 4 Friday 27th February Ornes to Folda the Norwegian coast. Weather: Cloudy am, mostly sunny in the pm Around 9.30am we crossed the Arctic Circle and looked out over the golden globe marking the north latitude of the Circle. We also had a good look at Horseman Mountain but could not really see the resemblance! Strolling around the ship there were always new and exciting vistas to be seen and a scattering of the usual birds on and near the water including the always welcome White-tailed Eagles. Around lunchtime we passed the Seven Sisters, a row of Helgeland Mountains towering to over 1,000 metres and the subject of a great and rolling folklore saga that concludes with seven dancing sisters being turned to stone. The less romantic reality is that they are seven peaks separated by deep glaciated U-shaped valleys. The town of Brønnøysund gave an opportunity for a stroll and to sample hot drinks in the local cafes. Late in the afternoon we passed another mountain with a story Torghatten, the hat-shaped mountain with a hole. According to legend, the hole was made by the troll Hestmannen while he was chasing the beautiful girl Lekamøya. As the troll realized he would not get the girl, he released an arrow to kill her, but the troll-king of Sømna threw his hat into the arrow's path to save her. The hat turned into the mountain with the arrow hole in the middle. Only visible from a particular angle, this hole is 160 metres long, 35 metres wide and 20 metres high. It was actually formed during the Scandinavian ice age. Ice and water eroded the looser rocks, while the harder ones in the mountain top resisted erosion. Frustratingly, the forecast was for reasonable auroral activity, but once again any chance of a view was stymied by the horizon to horizon cloud cover. Naturetrek March 15 3

5 Day 5 Saturday 28th February Trondheim. Weather: Sunny intervals Arriving early in the picturesque city of Trondheim, we had time for a final leisurely breakfast on board before making a short transfer to our modern and stylish waterfront hotel. Having dropped off our luggage we set off to see the choice parts of the old city. Crossing a watercourse, we spied some ducks which turned out to be Goldeneye and so new to our list. We then strolled around the impressive and rather gothic Nidaros Cathedral and found a couple of Blue Tits (new for the list) in its cemetery, as well as some familiar Greenfinches and House Sparrows. After more strolling through cobbled streets, we make our way to the bus stop and took a short ride to the Sverresborg Folk Museum where, after some lovely hot drinks, we wandered around a fine collection of traditional buildings including the nightman s house complete with a haunting audio story of the dark lives of these shunned individuals in Medieval Trondheim. Day 6 Sunday 1st March Trondheim to London Heathrow. Weather: Overcast but dry Our hotel is (rightly) renowned for its amazing breakfasts. As one Tripadvisor review put it The best thing however is the excellent breakfast, I recommend taking your time through the various breakfast stations. From the boost-lady to the cheese-guy, there is basically everything you have ever had for breakfast. It was all too easy to over-indulge! Consequently post breakfast we went on a (slow!) stroll around the port area to say goodbye to this lovely part of the world, and to some close Common Eiders that had become our daily bird treat. It was then a taxi ride to the nearby airport and after short delays and changing planes at Oslo, we arrived at Heathrow a couple of hours behind schedule. We said our farewells to each other and then it was then time to make our way home with fond memories of the stunning wild places and wild creatures we had seen. Receive our e-newsletter Join the Naturetrek ing list and be the first to hear about new tours, additional departures and new dates, tour reports and special offers. Visit to sign up. Naturetrek Facebook We are delighted to launch the Naturetrek Facebook page so that participants of Naturetrek tours can remain in touch after the holiday and share photos, comments and future travel plans. Setting up a personal profile at is quick, free and easy. The Naturetrek Facebook page is now live; do please pay us a visit! 4 Naturetrek March 15

6 Species List Birds ( = recorded) February/March Common name Scientific name Yellow-billed Diver Gavia adamsii 2 2 Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo 10 3 European Shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis 8 4 Grey Heron Ardea cinerea Mallard Anas platyrhynchos Common Eider Somateria mollissima s 100's King Eider Somateria spectabilis Velvet Scoter Melanitta fusca 6 9 Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula 5 11 Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator Willow Ptarmigan Lagopus lagopus 3 13 White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos 1 15 Purple Sandpiper Calidris maritima 7 16 Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus 1 17 Herring Gull Larus argentatus 2 18 Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla 1 20 Black Guillemot Cepphus grylle Feral Pigeon Columba livia 'feral' 2 22 Fieldfare Turdus pilaris 5 23 Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus 2 24 Great Tit Parus major Eurasian Magpie Pica pica Jackdaw Corvus monedula Hooded Crow Corvus cornix Common Raven Corvus corax 4 29 House Sparrow Passer domesticus Greenfinch Chloris chloris 6 3 Mammals 1 Reindeer Rangifer tarandus 7 2 White-beaked Dolphin Lagenorhynchus albirostris 20 3 Common Seal Phoca vitulina 1 Juv White-tailed Eagle in snow Naturetrek March 15 5