Breeding bird survey in Norway: the end

Leaving Tromso early in the morning revealed spectacular landscapes visible from the sky. It was magical. I would assume looking from space is even more beautiful. Have a look.

image: Marina Hadzieva

image: Marina Hadzieva

image: Marina Hadzieva

image: Marina Hadzieva

Breeding bird survey in Norway: day 14

Route 1907 is the last one I had to survey. On the previous day we managed to find out that there is a trail leading to the first survey plot. If we hadn’t found that it would have been really difficult. The first point was about 2 km from the road up on a mountain hill. Having in mind that I had to start at 4 a.m. this meant it would have taken ages to get there. Luckily there was a trail and I managed to find it thanks to a gentleman who told me where to go. It was really kind of him and rather useful. In this occasion I had to wake up at 2,30 a.m. and in other cases may be it had to be even earlier.

The trail took me an hour to get to the first point so I managed to start just on time. This time I was by myself which was probably an advantage in this case because I walked really quickly to be able to start on time. Once I saw the route I realized it wasn’t going to be as difficult as initially imagined. The route was around the top of a plateau with minor change of altitude. Mind you the first point was at 300 m and the highest one was at 650 m a.s.l. so there was some hiking. Nevertheless it was really pleasant. I don’t know if it was because of the rest I had last night or because of the motivation for the route being the last one but it was rather pleasant. There were quite a few birds too. I flushed several Willow Grouses along the way. On the top there was a Rock Ptarmigan and this turned out to be the plot with the highest number of breeding Golden Plovers counting over 10 pairs. They were very noisy birds that made sure I would leave their territory and curiously approached me now and then down to 20m. Unfortunately I didn’t have my camera but at least this let me do the work that I was here for.

The top of the plateau was very easy to walk: no vegetation, small rocks and unfortunately no birds. May be it was too windy for them to breed up there although at the moment the weather was just superb. And the view… Magnificent….

route 1907, copyright Iordan Hristov

route 1907, copyright Iordan Hristov

Well this was the last of the 11 routes I had to survey. On the next days we traveled to Tromso and spent some time in Oslo where not much birding was involved. I think I will finish with the birding stories. Will upload a collection of photos in any of the next posts.

Hope you enjoyed my Norwegian adventures. 

Breeding bird survey in Norway: day 13

We woke up full of enthusiasm to see the local bird life. Grabbed our staff and off we went to the north where our first survey point had to be. Walking was rather easy since there was very little vegetation and it wasn’t steep. Upon arrival a Willow grouse took off from a nest. This was a good start, wasn’t it.

We carried on with the survey which was rather pleasant. We were doing 4-5 points per hour which is what it should be. Had a few pairs of breeding Whimbrel, Redshank and Common Sandpiper. Further along we had a Black-throated Diver and Red-breasted Merganser. There was a small hill with some vegetation but nothing in comparison to the previous routes. We found a rather interesting a pleasant to touch bit of moss. It was rather soft and spongy. It probably takes quite some time to grow since it was very thick in comparison to other places where we saw the same thing.

The highlight of the route was a breeding Slavonian Greebe in breeding plumage. What a bird! This is the first one I see in this plumage.

Managed to finish with the plot at about 8,30. Really a relief after last days’ adventures. On the way back we had a pair of Greenshanks which were rather cautious around their nest and accompanied us long way away from their territory.

Enjoyed the morning and off we went towards Grytoy, an island to the north of Harstad where our last route was going to be. We had enough time and decided to stop for a while in the town to get an idea where we were. The town didn’t prove anything spectacular that is worth mentioning so we carried on to the ferry on our way to the island.

What a place! The ferry was an excitement by itself but the island looked superb. Gorgeous landscapes accompanied by a bit of worry about the route for the next day. On the map we had there was a sign for a place to stay and after the last days camping we decided to spend a night in a proper bed. Following the directions of the map we managed to find an absolutely gorgeous guest house.

Grytoy island, copyright Iordan Hristov

Grytoy island, copyright Iordan Hristov

It was a two stores house with a huge living room, five bedrooms, one kitchen and a superb relaxing lounge with a sea view. Well we deserved it. We really needed something like this. The place had everything of a contemporary modern house regardless of its remote location including internet. We had a lovely evening with a drink and a salad and managed to have a proper rest for the next day.

view from our living room

Breeding bird survey in Norway: day 12

Route 1911 turned out to be with rather steep slopes. So steep that even dangerous to survey. We really struggled now and then. There were two areas where we spent an hour or so to go over 300 m distance. The beginning looked all right but then the steep hills began. The thing is, there were even no birds to make it worth it. I know in studies like this it is rather important to prove that there are no birds. However this should not be for your health.

One of the steep places was around a rock which had to be crossed. It took us some time to go around. The second one was on the top of a hill and going up there meant climbing like 70-80 degrees steep hill. The third steep place was down a forested and grassy area again 70-80 degrees steep. Coming down from there was absurdly difficult. No photos I am afraid since we were concentrated on surviving.

view from the top copyright Iordan Hristov

We managed to finish this route at about 11 a.m. and according to the guidance methodology book each route should be finished by 9.30. Well, no way around this. It was absurdly dangerous.

at least the view was worth it

Once we finished with this we headed to the south to a much more pleasant place. At least this is what it looked like. We took a nice panoramic route. Stopped for a very pleasant lunch on the shore in the middle of a camping site. After a short nap in the afternoon we carried on.

The new place was close to a town called Harstad. It was a new route which no one has done before so it was important to get the directions right. This place had its challenges too. It turned out that there was a toll road and access to the area is restricted. The area is a nature reserve so only a few people were granted access. Once we arrived at the place there was a barrier in the middle of the road which didn’t let us carry on. We stayed there for some time wondering what to do. I had some instructions to contact local people and ask in such occasions. Luckily while waiting a man with a tractor came over and opened the barrier. He explained us all the procedures and at the end they let us through.

The area was superb. Full of life. After the quiet mountainous areas from the previous days this looked like a marsh. Actually it was a bog and several pairs of Whimbrel, Redshank and Common Sandpipers were around. This time it wasn’t difficult to select a place for a tent so quickly did it and after a drink we went to bed getting ready for tomorrow which was promising to be an exciting day.

Breeding bird survey in Norway: day 11

Route 1924 Lyngen

After the rest the new route with a number 1924 looked much easier. We were really worried looking at the steep hillside but after the rest it is a different story. The beginning of the route was fairly easy walking wise. It was flat going across some farms and house backyards. We still needed to go around some bogs and climb over some fences now and then but I assumed they were mainly for the animals and local people will have no problem with that although it is a private area. At 3 at night we didn’t meet anyone to say something anyway ;)

After the first 8 point counts we had to do the steep bit. Luckily the route was done by someone before me who had given good advice and coordinates of a point to be used as a direction. This was really helpful otherwise I was doomed in and perhaps I would not have managed going across the steep hill. Slowly and gradually we took less than an hour to walk about 2 km whereas if you remember it took us 1 hour to do a 300 m section during one of the routes. Soon we were at the top of a rocky plateau with another lovely view over the valley.

There was still quite some snow and a lot of water from its melting. Nevertheless it was a plateau so walking wasn’t difficult. There weren’t many birds if we don’t count the Rock Ptarmigan on the way up before the first plot on the top. Soon we finished with the bird survey and had to go down. This was the next challenging bit since everything seemed pretty rocky and no track was visible.

We gradually descended across a meadow and decided to follow the ridge hoping to see a trail. At certain point some sort of unnatural plastic tubes started to turn up here and there. This looked like a marking. We started following them and in half an hour we were already down from the hill. Quite a peculiar looking house was there. It looked like a house of Trolls J What was impressing was that in front of it there were some kind of Ikea chairs for relaxing J These people definitely know how to do it. We were very brave to look into the house but curiosity took over and we opened the door to the house. It looked pretty practical and comfy. Around a stove was set a wooden shelf where people can sit and put their meals.

the troll house 

the route from some distance. we had to go all along the bottom and the top

In a short while we arrived by the car. We changed quickly and off we went to the next plot.

We arrived in a nice area and quickly managed to find the plot which didn’t look far from the road. Soon we started searching for a place to put up a tent which proved very difficult after the last night adventure with the lady coming over at ‘night’. Nevertheless we decided to have a drink on the shore which was superb. Really pleasant after the hard day! Finally we managed to find a place which was fairly remote but at least with no proximity to private areas. It was pretty open though. The Sun was up all night. At the previous place the guys from the hostel are suggesting that we need to go to the top of the mountain to enjoy the midnight sun. Here it was fairly easy to ‘enjoy’ or rather witness the Sun in the middle of the night.

We woke up at 3 a.m. and the Sun was up. Moreover it was so hot that it didn’t let us sleep. Anyway it was time for a new route.

Breeding bird survey in Norway: day 10

As I mentioned today will be a day for relaxing. We slept until 9 a.m.  which is quite something for our every day 3 a.m. starts. I took the time to catch up with some blogging and data entry. We stayed in the hostel until lunch time and headed out for a walk in the area. Wanted to check again the survey route for the following day to make sure there will be no surprise. Luckily we managed to talk to a farmer and ask for his permission to leave the car in his yard while doing the route. After that we travelled to the North to enjoy the beautiful scenery. Dramatic views again combined with lovely houses with large terraces. People here apparently like the Sun (when they have it) 😊

The exhaust made us take a nap in the car parked on the shore line. Was rather pleasant and refreshing. Soon we headed to the area of the route to search for a place to sleep. It wasn’t quite easy since it was pretty built up with farms and houses everywhere. We decided to stop by a house which looked empty and quiet. The lawn was just mown though so that would make it pretty comfy for the tent ;) Had a drink or two and went to bed at 8p.m. or so thinking it should be all right to spend the night there.

At about 10 p.m. I head some screeching from the door of the house.:) Someone was back at home. Then a lady shouted out and I had to come out of my comfy sleeping bag. She wasn’t very impressed we were there. ‘This is a private area’ she said. Not that she isn’t right, but there was no one there so we had no one to ask. Moreover we were going to leave in a couple of hours so the lady let us stay for the few hours before 3 a.m. when we had to get up for the bird census.

See what a day would be tomorrow.

Breeding bird survey in Norway: day 9

Route number 1918 was going to be a fairly easy one. It was still on a mountain slope but it wasn’t as steep. This one I did by myself. I woke up excited by the coming walk and the shining sun. After the rainy first days it was important to catch up with the timing and make use of every single day with suitable weather no matter how tired I was.

The road where i needed to go was with a barrier so there was a bit of excitement if the barrier will be open at 3 a.m. We did search for people in the village nearby to make sure there will be no problem but couldn’t find anyone so we had to risk it. Luckily there was no problem. I went in and then left the area with the barrier open.

Approaching the route was full with excitement. I had a Willow Grouse along the track and then a large herd of Rein Deer with some youngsters. Going up the hill wasn’t difficult and I soon had my next exciting bird  - Purple Sandpiper. The call was fairly distant but I compared it with my records and proved right. It wasn’t long until I ticked a Rock Ptarmigan patrolling its territory. Then a Golden Plover was calling ‘irania, irania, irania’….lovely call to remember. Another individual let me rather close only a couple of metres away from it. Of course I didn’t have my camera with up in the mountains.

route 1918

Later on another Rock Ptarmigan turned up, than another and another making a total of five birds two of which were together in a pair.

Soon I finished with the route and at 9.30 i was back by the tent. We packed and had a brief breakfast before we headed our way to the east. When I looked at the map of the next route I realized I needed a break before doing it. It’s been three routes in a row so will need some extra energy to do the following route which looked pretty steep. Especially after the steep route couple of days ago. So we decided to stay in a hostel and get some good sleep and shower.

We were driving along superb dramatic landscapes. We were approaching the Lyngen fjord… they call them the Arctic Alps. What a scenery! After consulting the information desk in Lyngenseit we decided to stay in a hostel called MagicMountain Lodge. I would smile here when remembering the comfortable and cozy place. It is managed by young people devoted to alternative sports. The rooms was with a gorgeous view to the mountains. It was clean and we could use a washing machine for free. This was rather important because I have been out in the field for 10 days now and hadn’t done much washing. We booked dinner at the lodge which turned out to be stunning. Even at the local information desk the cook of the Lodge was recommended against the one in a local restaurant. We had Cod with vegetables with noodles and soya sauce. Well it was more of a Thai recipe rather than anything local. Actually when consulting the info desk for local stuff they were recommending Italian ice cream 😊

Magic Mountain Lodge

the lounge

view from our room

Well it was time for bed which looked pretty comfy.

Breeding bird survey in Norway: day 8

The day started as usual. The weather looked promising. The mountain was still there so no way around it. We have to do it. I was doing point counts every 300m from the route and had to do about 20 of those. The beginning was ok – the usual bunch of bushes, bogs, river and wet places. Slight ups and downs but then came the hard bit. It was only 300m but took us more than an hour to do it. Steep hills with snow, trees, cliffs and what not. It was really difficult. This was perhaps the hardest bit so far. We had to go around the steep cliffs, around the snow which was going straight down into the bottom of the hill so pretty dangerous to walk across. Once we were on the plateau everything looked a bit better. Still some snow and cliffs bit at least it wasn’t steep. Luckily we had this Rock Ptarmigan which made it all worthy. I don’t need much to be happy. Just a bird or two 😊 The view from up there was lovely though.

at work

The rest of the route was fairly ok. Only the last bit when we had to come down from the hill was again pretty unpleasant. Another bird highlight turned up there which made it worthy – a Black Grouse took not far from us.

We made it down to the bottom of the hill and congratulated ourselves with satisfaction. I was glad we managed to do this route. It had a denivelation of about 500 m.

Quickly packed our gear and off we go to the next place. We needed some rest so stopped in a local bakery shop for a cake with coffee. Pretty strange both of them but my girlfriend like them. The cake was with some light cream with very little sugar and the coffee was a black one which I personally don’t like.

En route to the next place we witnesses superb landscapes which are all around anyway. You just need the proper light conditions to enjoy them.

Breeding bird survey in Norway: day 7

I got up pretty energetic after only 2 hours sleep. The route wasn’t very difficult so I managed to finish before 8 am. The highlight of the route were a few Willow Grouses and a Golden Plover in breeding plumage. What an amazing bird this one is. I was also impressed by a nest of a Willow Warbler which was on the ground. Lovely little burrow with a few eggs and a lot of feathers.

willow warbler nest

After we got some more sleep we packed our stuff and off we went to our next survey route. En route we enjoyed a couple of Oystercatcher chicks which were calmly sitting and feeding just by the road. About 60 Eider ducks and 9 Red-breasted Mergansers were swimming on the sea.

The next route wasn’t very far as a distance but pretty remote as a location. It took about an hour along a narrow countryside road with no layout to get there. The weather was finally sunny. We drove along a narrow valley and there we saw this high and steep hill where the route was going to be. This would be quite a challenge!

The afternoon was fairly relaxed with a few drinks. We put up our tent and off we went to get the needed sleep.

Breeding bird survey in Norway: day 6

That’s what the days should be like. Early morning start for bright weather with clear sky and lots of birds. Yes it could be in Norway. I know it doesn’t happen often but here we are. Woke up just on time to witness the bright sky with no mist. Enthusiastically grabbed my gear and off I went. Birds were pretty active. I wouldn’t say more than in rainy days. These birds are apparently used to the rain as people are.

Started the survey with a few Redwings, Siskin, Redpoll and the usual Brambling and Willow Tit. Further along a heard a funny noise I haven’t heard before. Looked carefully and there it was a Brambling was mobbing a Hawk Owl… J I have seen them only once couple of years ago and it was great to see it again. Lovely birds. Of course I didn’t have my camera with me J Left the bird alone and continued my duties.

Soon I was on the top of a hillside overlooking the whole fjord. What a view! In clear sky you can enjoy it even more ;) There wasn’t much light yet but it was still very beautiful. The problem is, how to get down to my survey points. I must have taken the wrong route. Well there is no route. I only have points and there is no trail whatsoever. So I took the scenic route. Well I don’t mind. Did I say it was beautiful? J

With a lot of luck and some climbing skills I managed to come down safely. It was quite a challenge. Soon I was again the house ready to pack my staff and leave to the next point. Quickly entered the observations from today into a spreadsheet not to loose the data and did some final preparation before I leave.

On my way out I decided to give a try to the Hawk Owl and check if it was still there. I slowly approached the place and looked at the same perch but the bird wasn’t there. However a strange noise was coming from the forest where the bird was and I decided to pull out. Grabbed my camera and off I went to search for it. It didn’t take me long to find it. Once I approached the forest the bird started calling. Even more, it attacked me. It had its chicks sitting there on some branches. Apparently I was disturbing it so made a few pictures and off I went.

Here i am back on the road …on my way to the north…my lovely girlfriend was coming over and I wanted to be on time to pick her up.

On my way to the north I stopped at one more place which looked rather interesting – An Arctic Wildlife Centre. They seem to have quite a few arctic animals there wondering in big enclosures in their natural habitat. These would be superb conditions for photos. Since it was raining and I suppose that my girlfriend will want to see these animals too, I decided not to enter the wildlife centre but postpone it for later on during the trip.

My girlfriend arrived late in the evening and we drove for quite some time before we had reached the place for my survey route on the next day or should I say in a couple of hours. It was about 1 a.m. when we got to sleep and I had to be up at 3. Hard work that one would be. Off to bed…