BIRDING ABROAD LIMITED

NORTHERN – EARLY SPRING IN THE ARCTIC CIRCLE

12 - 18 MARCH 2020

TOUR OVERVIEW: The Varanger Peninsula in offers some of the finest and most accessible Arctic bird watching in the world. Situated within the Arctic Circle, it is a land adorned with stunning landscapes and seascapes; an iconic destination irresistible to globe-trotting bird watchers and nature lovers alike. By March, with the spring equinox approaching, days will have lengthened significantly, and the early spring sunlight casts a dazzling aura over the , fiords and forests. Bird activity will already be in full swing. Sheltered bays are largely ice-free due to the influence of the Gulf Stream, and these host sea duck a plenty, including colourful and resplendent Steller’s and King Eiders. Offshore, large seabird colonies can be approached by boat, giving access to the much sought after Brunnich’s Guillemot. Nearby the open Arctic tundra is still frozen but resident Willow Grouse and Rock Ptarmigan tough it out on the stark fells, ideally adapted to this challenging environment. The area is also home to Reindeer and Elk, both eking a living from their bleak but beautiful surroundings and with luck some sea mammals might additionally be seen.

Just south of the Arctic tundra, the Pasvik valley is a patchwork of ancient woodland, bogs and lakes, which forms the most north-western corner of the great Siberian taiga forest. Amongst many great birds, this is home to the stunning Northern Hawk-owl.

Here too several keenly sought-after northern species can be found, including Siberian Jay, Siberian Tit and Pine Grosbeak, which often show very confidingly at feeders provided by local residents.

A male Pine Grosbeak at a forest feeder

Varanger is an incredibly scenic place to visit, an appeal enhanced by it being one of the last true wildernesses in Europe. Nevertheless, it is known as the ‘accessible Arctic’ for good reason, with well- developed infrastructure including good roads and hotels and friendly, welcoming local communities. There is a good chance at this time of year, if the weather is clear, that we might witness a display of the famous and spectacular Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights, a truly wonderful ‘icing on the cake’ on any Arctic adventure.

TOUR DESCRIPTION: A six-night stay in Arctic Norway, exploring the bird-rich coastline of the Varangerfiord and the hinterland of the Pasvik valley to the south. The famous fiord stretches inland from the Arctic Ocean bringing seabirds to its sheltered bays and harbours, affording ideal viewing opportunities for bird watchers. Our tour includes the most northerly coastal towns in Europe; we stay in just two centres - Kirkenes (on the first and final two nights) and Vadso (on the middle three nights) each giving good access to the key areas along the northern shore line of Varanger and the Pasvik Valley. Journey times are not long, and we will average around 100 miles per day, broken by many birding stops. Roads are generally of good quality and cleared regularly should there be any snow. PHOTOGRAPHIC OPPORTUNITIES: The Varanger Peninsula is home to abundant wildlife, especially birds, many of which are seldom found in the UK. An excellent variety of sea duck, auks and woodland species await our group, and a slow pace will enable much time to be spent out in the field. The early spring light is bright, so expect many opportunities for great photographs.

For those who may wish, we can incorporate time in specially commissioned floating hides which gives close access to sea duck, particularly Steller’s and King Eiders, but you must let us know at the earliest opportunity if this is of interest.

Flocks of King Eiders come close in shore at the time of our visit

BIRD LIST: The area is very rich in tundra and sea birds, many of which are common, others scarcer and more localised. Our targets will be White-billed Diver, King Eider, Steller’s Eider, Long-tailed Duck, Velvet Scoter, Common Scoter, Red-breasted Merganser, Goosander, White-tailed Eagle, Gyrfalcon, Northern Goshawk, Willow Grouse, Rock Ptarmigan, Purple Sandpiper, Western Capercaillie, Black Grouse, Glaucous Gull, Iceland Gull, Brunnich’s Guillemot, Black Guillemot plus all the common auks sometimes in spectacular numbers, Purple Sandpiper, Northern Hawk-owl, Short-eared Owl, Siberian Tit, Willow Tit borealis, Siberian Jay, Arctic Redpoll, Common Redpoll, Pine Grosbeak and Snow Bunting.

Hazel Grouse, Three-toed Woodpecker and Parrot Crossbill are occasionally noted though these species live very sparingly in these remote taiga forests. Siberian Tit, an inhabitant of taiga forests and a key target species

MAMMALS & OTHER WILDLIFE: Reindeer are notable amongst the mammals, and these can be seen roaming the fens and mires throughout the area. The next most common mammals include Red Fox, Mountain (Arctic) Hare, Pine Marten and Elk. The small seed eating Norway Lemming form the basis of the food chain in this part of the world, though they spend the winter in burrows under the snow. We are more likely to encounter a Eurasian Otter, or even a magnificent cetacean from amongst Minke Whale, Orca, Harbour Porpoise, White-beaked Dolphin, Grey Seal, Common Seal or perhaps even the rare Harp Seal.

ACCOMMODATION & FOOD: Accommodation throughout will be on a half board basis in two modern, very comfortable hotels, with en-suite rooms. Both hotels have restaurants where we will take our evening meals, and licensed bars where we can retreat for a well-earned night cap after a full day outdoors. Lunch will generally be a picnic though a hot drink at local cafes will no doubt be welcome. Meals start with an evening meal on arrival in Kirkenes and end with breakfast on the last morning.

WEATHER & CLOTHING: Day length will have risen significantly by the time of our visit, but the sun’s rays will still not have produced any real thawing, so expect it to be cold, with temperatures around but often slightly below freezing point during the day. Snow showers are still likely and lying snow will be present on surrounding fells. We will spend the bulk of our time on the shoreline where a keen wind may blow, so we need to be prepared with full UK winter clothing. Walking boots are essential. This is , where all seasons in can occur in the same day. Insects will not be a problem! EASE AND PACE: With a six-night stay and around 12 hours of daylight, early starts are not needed, and we can pace ourselves to suit the group. There will be plenty of time to explore this Arctic paradise at a steady pace.

Breakfast will be taken at about 07:00 each morning and we will have concluded the days birding by dusk at 17.00, taking breaks as required at local cafes. Basic fitness is all that is required because virtually all our birding will be close to the vehicles or involve only short walks.

The tour route involves drives of around 100 miles per day, incorporating plenty of stops to experience this marvellous area. The drive on day five from Vardo back to Kirkenes and then Pasvik takes three and half hours, but we do this in several stages taking in good birding stops along the way.

One of several ‘architectural’ hides created by Biotope - function with style

PRICE: The price is £1900, to include all guiding and travel in Norway, half board accommodation (bed, breakfast and a £40 per night allowance for evening meals), based on two persons sharing a twin room. Not included are the international return flights (UK to Kirkenes in Norway), your drinks during the day and from the bar, and lunchtime snacks which can be bought from local shops or as a packed lunch ordered from our hotels. Expect to pay between £350 and £500 for the scheduled return flight to Kirkenes with SAS Airlines, with early booking often securing the best price. A single room supplement is available upon request. Scandinavia and Norway in particular, has a high cost of living, but we believe this tour offers very good value for money considering the high standard of accommodation provided and the quality of birding on offer in this wonderful part of the world.

GROUP SIZE: The tour will proceed with 5 group members plus a Birding Abroad leader and the maximum group size will be 12 including two leaders. DAY TO DAY ITINERARY:

Day 1: Flight from UK to Kirkenes in Norway. Outward flights can be taken from either Manchester or London Heathrow, both departing before lunchtime to Oslo, from where we take a connecting flight arriving at Kirkenes in the evening. This small town lies 250 miles north of the Arctic Circle and is also a long way east, astonishingly as far east as Istanbul in fact! Our evening arrival dictates that it is sensible and convenient to stay overnight in a good quality hotel, just 11 miles from the airport.

Day 2: Kirkenes sits on a peninsula along the Bokfjorden, an arm of Varangerfiord itself. Keen to be on our way, we head westwards out of town following an early breakfast. The route traverses an ancient and unspoiled landscape whose habitats change as we travel along, from fells and bare rounded hills to impenetrable mires, from bogs and fens to low birch scrub and later to rivers and lakes before we finally hit the coast of Varangerfiord. The peninsula itself is surprisingly flat with no high mountain peaks, but there are long rounded ridges separated by broad river valleys. Short stops in each habitat zone will showcase the birds we can expect throughout the trip. Mires and bogs hold Willow Grouse, whilst overhead the mighty White-tailed Eagle is lord of the skies. We had tremendous views of Northern Hawk-owl at the roadside on our last visit, so it will be eyes-peeled from the car to check suitable perches. Sheltered inlets will offer a first glimpse of wintering sea duck habitat where small parties of Velvet Scoter are often found.

A male Velvet Scoter flies past

At Varangerbotn, we turn eastward along the northern shore of the vast fiord, towards . This small settlement sits on a small peninsula, itself a noted hotspot for sea birds and provides our first opportunity to search for Steller’s Eiders. Long-tailed Ducks occur in large numbers, a common species which we will encounter regularly throughout our stay. As we progress further towards Vadso, constant scanning is likely to produce both Glaucous and Iceland Gulls, though both these species, like many others, can be found throughout the area. It would not be unusual to discover a White-billed Diver for our efforts! Night Vadso.

Day 3: The small fishing port of Vadso (actually the largest town in Varanger) is well blessed with birds. Bays either side of the connecting causeway to Vadsoya Island, are famous for their wintering Steller’s and King Eider, their crooning calls carrying far in the air.

Long-tailed Duck, found commonly at many sites around Varanger

From Vadsoya’s shoreline sea mammals are sometimes seen including Minke Whales or perhaps an Orca, Harbour Porpoise or Grey Seal. Mountain Hares are quite common here and will still be in their white winter coat. For the keener photographers, we can arrange for some time to be spent in a specially commissioned floating hide giving close access and fabulous opportunities to photograph King and Steller’s Eiders.

There are many well-known birding spots along the northern shore of the fiord between Vadso and Vardo. We spend the afternoon exploring a couple of these which are nicely within reach of our base. Ekkeroy Island has a massive colony of Kittiwakes on the cliffs, whilst Skallnes is great sites for rafts of sea duck sheltering close to land. With such an abundance of prey, White-tailed Eagles, and even a rare Gyrfalcon could appear at any moment. We will return by late afternoon to the warmth and comfortable of our hotel. Night Vadso.

Day 4: After breakfast we will make the drive to Vardo where, weather permitting, we we will take the boat from the harbour to nearby Hornoya Island. The cliffs here have a full set of nesting sea birds including five members of the auk family: Black Guillemot, Puffin, thousands of Common Guillemot, Razorbill and more notably, Brunnich’s Guillemot. The auks return to Hornoya in the first half of March and often sit on the sea in large rafts around the island before seeking out nesting ledges.

Photo: View across Vardo to the Arctic Ocean with Hornoya island close offshore

Photo: Brunnich’s Guillemot: an Arctic breeder which ventures rarely south to British waters

The journey time is only 15 minutes and upon landing we can walk around the island allowing close views of the birds and splendid photographic opportunities. Hornoya is possibly the easiest place in the whole of Europe to see Brunnich’s. Meanwhile Vardo is one of the best places in Europe to seek out King and Steller’s Eiders. A few thousand birds always winter here offering a fantastic sight, and we should see many before they begin to move off through the early spring. Flocks of stunning Steller’s Eiders are to be expected

During the afternoon if the road is clear we can check willow scrub around Sandfjord for Coue’s Arctic Redpolls before retracing our steps back to Vadso, whilst continuing our search for rare divers amongst the sea duck which should include flocks of scoter including Velvet and Common, Common Eider and Goosander. Night Vadso.

Coues’s Arctic Redpoll - the redpoll group present quite an identification and taxonomic challenge

NB Please note that days 3 and 4 are inter-changeable depending on the prevailing weather conditions.

Day 5: Today we must begin our journey back to towards Kirkenes and the Pasvik valley. We will pace the journey to take all day, with pauses to revisit a few of the most rewarding places we encountered on the way out. We will be aiming to consolidate on our best views of the birds and enjoying the amazing Arctic scenery. One bird we will watch for is the stunning White-billed Diver, their large ivory- coloured bills catching the Arctic light. Whilst at Nesseby, gulls will be checked more carefully for amongst the throng, the occasional Iceland is often present as well as the more frequent Glaucous. We will arrive in Kirkenes the by early evening. Night Kirkenes.

Day 6: Today we drive for an hour south and explore the hidden gem that is the Pasvik valley. This is a southerly extension of Norway, wedged between Finland to the west and Russia to the east. It has extensive forests, plus bogs and mires much of it ensconced within the Ovre Pasvik National Park. The river forms the boundary with Russia. The taiga in this part of the world has four key tree species; Siberian Spruce, Scots Pine, Downy and Silver Birch. We will search amongst these forests for taiga birds such as Siberian Tit, Willow Tit (sub-species borealis), Pine Grosbeak and the inquisitive Siberian Jay, all three species being frequently noted at feeding stations provided by local villagers.

Siberian Jay

By mid-March grouse will be more active with Willow Grouse, Black Grouse and perhaps Western Capercaillie to be expected. There are even chances for the scarcer Hazel Grouse, Three-toed Woodpecker and Parrot Crossbill. The area holds breeding Northern Hawk-owl, so we will no doubt investigate some likely habitat. Even Great Grey Owl occurs in the area, but its status is rare, though it remains an exciting possibility nevertheless. Night Kirkenes.

Day 7: This morning we enjoy a leisurely breakfast and have a couple of hours for some last looks at harbourside birds before heading to the airport for our late morning flight to Oslo. From here we connect with our homeward flight to Manchester or London, arriving late afternoon in the UK.

White-tailed Eagle is a common sight around Varanger

We are grateful to Pekka Malmi from Finland who kindly allowed us to use his photographs of White- tailed Eagle, Northern Hawk-owl, Velvet Scoter, Coue’s Arctic Redpoll and Siberian Jay. Thanks also to our friends Phil Palmer for his photographs of King Eider, Steller’s Eider and Long-tailed Duck and to Ian Smith for the Brunnich’s Guillemot and Pine Grosbeak. Mark Andrews provided the scenery shots.

Copyright @Birding Abroad Limited