Itinerary
This report describes our sightings during a two-week visit to the famous fjords of “southern” Norway. We took our own small car and tent and drove up to Hirtshals, Denmark to catch an overnight ferry to Bergen, Norway. In Norway we visited several fjords and other beautiful places, including Ulvik, Hardangervidda, Gudvangen, Jostedaalsbreen, Runde Isl., Geiranger, Jotunheimen, Rondane and Dovrefjell. We were blessed with fantastic weather (1½ week a heat wave and blue skies, only the last days some occasional showers appeared. Honestly, they were very welcome). We basically changed campings every day, during daytime we hiked or travelled. The currency is Norger Kronar (NOK), €1 = approx NOK 7 in autumn 2009.
Travel to Norway (incl. ferry)
Saturday June 20th we drove from Heerenveen, the Netherlands to Hirtshals, Denmark and this took us 10 hours, with traffic jams at Groningen, Bremen-Hamburg and at the harbor tunnel in Hamburg. The road trip delivered us Red Kite and Hooded Crow. Searching for accommodation after the turnoff to Hobro yielded several singing Whitethroats and Corn Buntings. We catched a motel near Stovring in the late evening.
We arrived early in Hirtshals next day and checked ourselves plus the car in at the ferry terminal of Fjordline. At the dry-dock in front of the terminal some nice Kittiwakes were breeding! We had some time left so we took a walk on the beach under splendid weather conditions, which yielded some distant groups of Common Scoter. Back to the car to our surprise a Crested Lark landed at the picknick tables and we had nice views of the bird for some minutes.
So, we catched the pre-booked Fjordline ferry to Bergen here at noon. The moment we left the harbour I saw two Iceland Gulls and many Lesser Black-Backed Gulls (l .f. intermedius), with at least one certain Baltic Lesser Black-Backed Gull (l.f. fuscus). The boat journey was characterized by several large (>25 exx.) flocks of Fulmars, I really like these birds! We had a split second view of a porpoise as well and there were some Gannets flying around. But in general, we did not see many animals. After good night sleep we woke up at 6am. Exactly the moment we stood on deck, we entered the Korsfjorden leading up to Bergen. It was cold, but the scenery was excellent as we arrived at Bergen at 7:45am, we left the vessel at 8:30am (customs…). Our target was a small camping in Ulvik. On our way we stopped some times to enjoy the magnificent scenery, good weather and some common birds like Cuckoo and Great Spotted Woodpecker at Kvandall. White Wagtails (m. alba) were abundant. After the shoppings in Norrheimsund some big fjords appeared, beautiful, but scoping did not yield any birds.
At 3pm we arrived at the camping at the beginning of Ulvik, which was NOK 140 for 2 persons, a car and a small tent (w/o car NOK 100). Clean sanitary and no mosquitoes! It was already really hot (30oC). While pitching the tent we were entertained by the breeding Fieldfares making lots of noise. Dunnock and Cuckoo were also present, as well as lots of Common Gulls on the lake. In the twilight some geese appeared, it were however Cackling Geese…
Hardangervidda
On June, 23rd we woke up at 7am and left for Brimnes by ferry (NOK 107). There should be a bridge here, but we only saw some information panels. White-backed Woodpecker apparently occurs in the area, but we did not search for it, for more information see Bradnum, 2007. The road to Hardangervidda winds its way up the mountains. We saw 4 Red-breasted Merganser at Osafjorden. The famous waterfall of Vøringfoss was impressive. Here, Siskin and Willow Tit were present. Around 10:30am we arrived at Tråastølen. A breeding Fieldfare on this wooden nameplate yielded some funny pictures. We hoped we could pass the barrier here by car, but it was locked (thoroughly…) so we unfortunately had to park our car here. Otherwise we could have gone way deeper into the park. But soon enough we enjoyed the stunning highland scenery here. Still quite some snow patches were present. We searched for Dotterel here, but in vain, we hardly heard/saw any plovers at all. We had however some nice photogenic Lapland Buntings, Bluethroats, a Horned Lark, Wheatear, Rough-legged Buzzard (distant), Redwing, Common Sandpiper, Redshank and Meadow Pipit. On our way back to the car we finally heard a “ploverish” sound, it turned out to be a female Golden Plover.
Gudvangen & Selseng
Next day we left Ulvik and took the 572. This road led us via some very interesting forest patches, but a probable Goshawk (only heard), Raven and Goldcrest were the only interesting birds here. The area seems to be excellent for species like Nutcracker or maybe a Golden Eagle though. Passed the beautiful Gramvin Vednet lake and near Voss we heard a Yellowhammer. Red-breasted Merganser was present on several lakes. Gudvangen is one of the most beautiful fjords in Norway, so we planned to spend some time there. We drove the gorgeous road up to the petrol station and the (tiny) harbor. Again, blue skies and high temperatures. When we were checking the ferry times in the harbor, my attention was suddenly drawn by a small black bird on the water: a beautiful summer male Black Guillemot was fishing here. Within minutes, the bird was too far away and we decided to drive back to enjoy lunch at the river. Parked the car, took a footbridge (visible from the road, parking places present in the bushes at the other side of the road) and settled down. Soon we were entertained by a family of 3 Dippers, one of which was clearly a juvenile being teached to fish by its parents.
We were highly doubting about doing the 2-hrs ferry ride to Kaupanger via the Sognjefjord, as this should be very beautiful but also very painful for your wallet. Eventually, we decided to do it and paid NOK 795 (ouch…) for 2 persons and a car, but had a very nice trip. This ferry only sails three times a day I believe, departure times of which I am sure were the 12pm and the 2:45pm, which we took. Lots of tourists were present on the boat (even a touringcar from Portugal!!!) but the scenery was indeed nice, the best is in the beginning however. Red-breasted Merganser and a lot of Common, Herring and Black-headed Gulls represented the birdlife during the sail. Also, we saw at least 5 porpoises in the widest part of the Sognjefjord. We arrived at 5pm and drove in the direction of Jostedalsbreen.
But the scenery was so beautiful we decided to end up in Selseng at camping Kro, where we were the only guests. This camping was beautifully located. On the foothills we heard and saw Siskin, Greenfinch, Winchat, Spotted Flycatcher and Redpoll. In the evening we made a stroll to Anestølen (as advised by the Dutch camping owners, walk towards the highway but where the road turns left, take the small toll road). This turned out to be Wheatear-paradise, we saw multiple families along the path. Other birds here were Fieldfare, Common Gull, Tree Pipit and even a Dipper at the waterfalls between the lake and the camping. Also here, the landscape was scattered with snow patches.
Jostedaalsbreen
Thursday, June 25th we woke up at 8am, heard Green Woodpecker while packing the tent and left at 9:45. A nice journey followed, via an amazing amount of tunnels. At Mundal we had to pay NOK 180 to enter the toll road. Common Sandpiper was indeed common near the lakes and we spotted a few Curlews as well. The scenery is splendid here. Via Innvik (5, E39, 60) we went up to Loen where we got some groceries. In Loen, we took the turnoff to Kjendaalsbreen glacier, which is a side arm of the Jostedaalsbreen glacier. You pass Hotel Alexandria on your way. Plus, you pass some campings along the road. It took us nearly one hour to get to the end of the road, but that’s no punishment in these surroundings of lake Lovatnet. We walked up to the glacier and back, and then returned to the main road (60), looking for a camping. Along the road we found nothing that we liked and so decided to continue. At Folkestadt (Sand Martins at the “harbor”) we took the ferry to Volda (NOK 86). Still no nice campings around, so we took the E39 all the way to Rjaneset to discover that the ferry there was out of service and replaced by the Eiksund tunnel/bridge near Ørste. As we came this far, we persisted to carry on to Runde Island. Eventually, we arrived at the camping at 7:30pm.
Runde
Perching the tent at camping Goksöyr (the only one on the island), we already saw the first Great Skuas and a White-tailed Eagle flying over. We heard Greenfinch. A short evening stroll then to the end of the asphalt road delivered a colony of Fulmars, weird sounds these birds make! Scoping the sea gave Puffins, Greater Black-backed Gull and Gannets.
After a good sleep we woke up at 6am in order to be at the colonies before the big crowd would arrive. We paid our fee (NOK 100 + 2x20) and got a good free map with information about which bird colonies are located where. The grasslands between the colonies and the camping are the domain of Great Skuas, we also saw some Snipes here. Our first stop was at the Puffin colony on the cliff closest to the lighthouse. The other cliffs more south housed other colonies: Gannet, Razorbill, Guillemot, Shag and Kittiwake. Photography time! There was only one other person around, a Norwegian birder, he could tell us there was nothing to be seen at the lighthouse so we skipped that. Around noon the sun became burning hot so we sheltered below the only overhanging rock along the main path, a good place to scope the seas and to have lunch. Other mentionable birds hanging around here were a Twite, Chiffchaff, Hooded Crow, Raven, Rock Pipit, Grass Pipit and Wheatear.
We then went more south and walked to some lakes. No colonies, but we had nice views of three White-tailed Eagles. There is a trail here, marked by poles, which lead you around the lakes. We walked this, lost the track sometimes, but this was not very spectacular, unless you like blazing heat and thorn bushes. At 3pm we returned at the camping and took a good rest. In the evening, we visited the cliffs again at 8pm as the light conditions are then at their best for photography. Be prepared for the crowds though. Amazing how close you can get to these wonderful Puffins! Around 11pm we returned and had a good sleep.
Geiranger
At 8am we woke up due to the sun burning on our tent. The seaweed smell was also very “interesting” due to the low tide. Left at 9am and took a ferry at Hareid (NOK 148, 30 mins) and another one to Geiranger (NOK 86). Just before the Korsmyratunnelen, we took the bypass and had a nice lunch there. Beautiful scenery. A Common Sandpiper was very present here. After some hairpins we saw the famous Geirangerfjord including cruise ships. The area was very busy, so we passed Geiranger and had another hairpin series out of the fjord. Tired from the blazing heat we stopped early at family-camping Dalengaard, which was huge, but peacefully and not crowded at all. It is possible to make a nice small walk to the waterfalls on the camping grounds. This delivered Siskin and Willow Warbler. Again I observed the rims nearly continuously, but no raptors were visible.
Jotunheimen
On June 26th, we left Dalengaard at 10am and drove all the way up to Dalsnibba viewpoint (1476 m). You have to pay toll there, but it is worth it. You have beautiful views of the snow capped Geiranger fjord and the lakes filled with ice. That felt strange as the outside temperature was already >15oC. Animals present were Wheatear, Grass Pipit and a Mountain Hare. The highway 15 winded down to Løm, we stopped at various lakes and scoped them. E.g. at Breidalsvatn we stopped and scoped, hoping for divers and raptors. What we got were a lot of Willow Warblers, a Tree Pipit, Cuckoo and a Bluethroat. We passed Løm (famous but crowded stavechurch here, as well as a Sparrowhawk just outside town) and continued to Jotunheimen East, i.e. Gjendesheim via the 15 and the 51. This area was tipped by the Rough Guide as being more quiet and remote than the western entrance. Well, we saw the most ugly campings of the trip. It’s a pity for such a beautiful area around here. We ended up in the forest at camping Sjødalen. For the adventurers, camping Steinholet is a bit further down the 51 and is very primitive and low priced. Lots of mosquitoes were present. In the evening I took a walk to the waterfalls nearby. This delivered Greenshank, Redstart, Crossbill, Woodcock and a Yellow Wagtail (Dark-headed, m.f. thunbergi). The area seems to be good for grouses, but none were observed.
On Monday, June 26th we decided to visit the western part of the park. So we went up back to Løm and then took the 55, after that the first turnoff to Spiterstulen. Now this was how we imagined Jotunheimen, we entered the highlands here. Plus, caravans are not allowed, so it must be good anyways. We heard Yellowhammer here. At the end of the road we parked our car at the hotel and at the reception we paid our parking fee (NOK 50) and got a map. The hotel is home to a colony of House Martins. As advised by the hotel staff, we started the “Hellhaugen”-roundtrip towards the Hellstuguhaugen (1331 m). On our way we encountered a Bluethroat (Red-spotted, l.s. svecica), Ring Ouzel (male), Wheatear and Grass Pipit. The view at the “top” of Hellstugu was phenomenal! We continued our walk, but lost the track and saw the colourful glacier from a distant, beautiful. If you manage to hold on to the track, you can get a lot closer. Weather conditions suddenly worsened and soon the first raindrops fell, so we decided to descend to the river down in the valley. Here we found the path again and walked back to the hotel. Interesting species here were a Raven and a Dipper.
At the other side of the river there is a camping place which belongs to the hotel. We liked these surroundings very much so we decided to perch our tents here. You can get information at the hotel reception. Please be aware that the water at the camping is non-potable. Also, you cannot access the camping by car. After a night of rain and thunderstorms, the first rain of our holiday, the weather was OK again in the morning. We ascended the slope behind the camping, part of which is the trail to Gladhøpiggen mountain. We got 2 male, 1 female and 1 juvenile Ring Ouzel here, as well as a Reed Bunting, Kestrel, and Willow Warblers. At noon we returned to the camping and had lunch, together with a family of Yellowhammers. We left Spiterstulen and during our way down we saw a Bullfinch.
Rondane
After shoppings at Løm, we took the 15 to Otta and then the E6 to Dombås and Hjerkinn. At Hjerkinn we got the 29 to Folldal and searched for accommodation. This was the first daytime rain we encountered this holiday, the weather was nasty so we hired a hytter for a night in Dalholen (NOK 330). If the weather was better, I think we would have opted for wild camping here, as the area seems perfectly suited for this.
Next day (July, 1st) we were at 9:15am at the beginning of Doralsetter Road, for directions see Burch, 2004. We paid the NOK 50 toll and walked for about an hour near the yellow-green barrier. We went here because of the trip report written by Burch, 2004. Bird activity and diversity was low, except for some Robins and Siskins. We travelled further up the road and stopped a few times. A male Brambling was nice, as was the view on the mountains. The forest was then replaced by lakes as we drove further up the road. On and in the surroundings of the lakes we saw Teal, Reed Bunting, Redshank, Common Sandpiper, Tufted Duck and Black-headed Gull. Nothing spectacular so far, but in the shore vegetation of the last lake on our right we saw a breeding Black-throated Diver! It was quite distant, but we could nevertheless see its wide-open spread bill, due to the heat.
At the resort at the end of the road we turned the car and took a short stroll to the river below, which delivered a Dipper and a “normal” Yellow Wagtail (Blue-headed, m.f. flava). We returned to the yellow-green barrier again, the short stops in between delivered nothing new. We went for another walk near the barrier again and now got a Redpoll and a Lesser Whitethroat. We left the area at 3:15pm and returned to Folldal. At hotel Kongsvoll we asked there what the hiking/camping possibilities were in Dovrefjell.
No camping allowed, so we returned to Hjerkinn and stayed at the Snøhetta Camping (NOK 200 incl. unlimited hot water). We already passed this camping on our way to Dalholen and then found it too ugly and crowded, but now we decided to give it a try. We got a place with a beautiful view over the lake and the surrounding hills. In the evening I scoped the lake from our camping place, suddenly my attention was caught by 7 foraging Red-necked Phalaropes! Magnificent. We also saw & heard a Woodcock flying over the camping in the evening. Starlings were present at the farm opposite the camping.
Dovrefjell
We parked our car at the hotel of Kongsvoll next morning (July 2nd), crossed the highway and soon the path began to climb. The area consisted of lots of low scrub, which provided good shelter for big amounts of Copperwings, Fieldfares and mosquitoes. We passed the treeline and entered the highlands. It was nice walking here against a beautiful backdrop, especially with knowing this would be our last full day of hiking. Again, temperatures were around 25oC with sunshine all the time. We saw a few calling Golden Plovers along the way.
At the signpost we continued walking for half an hour in the direction of Reimsdal. Soon enough we saw a Muskox down at the river. The species is surprisingly small for an ox; it disappeared within minutes in the bushes. On the snowy slopes of the mountains before us another 4 Muskoxen were present. Half an hour later, we returned and soon encountered the first wild-Muskoxen-safari-experience-excursions around 11am, which is quite big tourist business around here. At the signpost we now went to Kongsvoll Station, and what we presumed to be rocks the first time we passed the mountains, now were another 4 Muskoxen. I was glad I took my scope up the hills, as this gave us good views on the animals. With only binoculars the observation wouldn’t have been satisfactory. Here again, lots of calling Golden Plovers were present, as well as a Reed Bunting in the bushes. Again, despite the suited surroundings, no Dotterels were present.
Fokstumyra
We were back at the car around 2pm and then travelled to Fokstumyra, along the E6. For directions, see trip reports of Burch, Keating and Hampton. I parked the car at the left side of the road and enthousiastically ran up the hill, from where I had a nice view on the reserve… on the other side of the road. Anyway, we saw 2 Moose hopping over the fields. Back to the car, crossed the road (there is a white, low fence which you have to manually open yourself) and drove to a small parking place. From there, we walked the wooden path and were amazed by the huge amount of Red-spotted Bluethroats. We met two friendly Danish birders who have visited this area for years and they told us they had an excellent morning that day on the Snøheim/ Snøhetta mountain, where they saw a Gyr Falcon and 6 Dotterels. This area is located close to Dalholen and Fokstumyra… We’ll remember it when we visit the area again. It surprised them, and us, that no Lapland Buntings were present in the reserve. A Kestrel and Fieldfares were also present in the area. We returned to the car and on the way back to the E6 we saw 4 beautiful Common Cranes foraging in the field quite close. Nice! On the E6, we headed south and ended up in the town of Sjoa were we followed the sign to a good camping located next to the river.
The next day we drove in 10 hrs from Sjoa, via Hamar to Oslo (traffic jams). I heard that in the Ormtjernkampen Park, NW of Lillehammer, Siberian Jay has been observed in recent years. We did not visit the area by ourselves though. To avoid the traffic jams, we took a detour and had lunch at the shore of the lake of Ås. Then on to Göteborg (Sweden) and we ended up in Åsa, were we camped close to the highway. Here it gets dark in the night! Next day we drove back to the Netherlands in 13 hours, via the Danish bridges (€38 and €30 toll, be aware that you can pay with various currencies, but the change will not be in euros! Or pay by credit card), and got back home at 9pm after a nice trip. Norway is beautiful; we had excellent weather and some nice birds!
References
Thanks to Leendert van Bergeijk for location information and road maps. We used the following trip reports:
Hampton, Steve – Trip report: Norway, June 10 – August 23, 1996
Bradnum, David – Norway: 9th – 27th, 2007
Burch, Steven – Birding trip report Central Norway, Dovrefjell & Rondane area. 8-11 July 2004
Keating, David – Trip report Norway June 1996
Rough Guide – Norway (2006)