BIRDING ABROAD LIMITED NORTHERN NORWAY – EARLY SPRING IN THE ARCTIC CIRCLE 12 - 18 MARCH 2020 TOUR OVERVIEW: The Varanger Peninsula in northern Norway 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 tundra, 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 Finnmark, 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.