Birding Norway

Skogsøy	Webshop	Home	Travel	Gullfjell	Contact
Tjeldstø	Galleries	Offshore	Equipment	U.K.	Links

Birding Norway

Much of this website is dedicated to birding in Øygarden, near Bergen in Norway. For a variety of reasons I rarely travel to bird but rather go birding wherever I happen to be. Judging by the number of questions from birders around the world there is a requirement for more information about birding in Norway. These pages cover some sites I have come to know or visited in Norway away from Øygarden.

Birding Oslo

Birding Engerdal

Birding Hardangervidda

Arctic Ducks and Finnmark

Pine Grosbeak, Oslo, December 2019

Birding Engerdal
Link to Birding Engerdal page
Engerdal is a municipality in the east of Norway and in many ways can be considered as an inland version of Øygarden. It is a vast and relatively unspoilt wilderness largely unexplored by birders. There are plenty of places worth investigating and I have barely begun to scratch the surface. Engerdal is home to many of the species sought after by birders visiting Norway.

Siberian Jay are one of the specialities waiting in Engerdal
(Click on image to go to article)

Broad-billed Sandpiper is one of the target species in Engerdal

Birding Oslo
Link to Birding Oslo
Norway's capital has some decent birding close to the city, many localities are easily reached by public transport. It is probably not the best place to find national rarities but many of Norway's "must have" species can be found here.

Red-backed Shrike are commoner in the east of Norway

Great Grey Owl, near Oslo, Norway, January 2020

Great Grey Owl, near Oslo, January 2020

Birding Finnmark / Arctic Ducks
Link to Birding FInnmark / Barent's Sea page
Finnmark in the far north of Norway is a popular birding destination with many species that are hard to get elsewhere. It is one of the few places I have travelled to specifically for particular species - Steller's Eider and King Eider. I have also worked up in Finnmark and the Barent's Sea on a number of occasions.
Arctic duck page coming soon!

Arctic Birding
(Click on image)

Birding the Hardangervidda
Link to Birding Hardangervidda
The Hardangervidda in the "centre" of Norway is a popular destination for birders from all over the world. It is one of my favourite birding destinations in the summer months.

Bluethroat is one of the typical species on the Hardangervidde
(Click on image for link)

Hamar
This is a place I pop in at reasonably regularly on my way to Engerdal. It is a good place to go birding and there are some decent localities close to the city centre. Akersvika nature reserve is one of these, there are various places one can view from - some of them within easy walking distance of the town. The number of birds depends on the water levels which vary seasonally. Basically waterbirds and waders are the main attraction. Temmincks stint are a regular feature in the spring at this and other localities in the immediate vicinity.

A short drive away are some other places that can offer species such as breeding Slavonian Grebes.

Red Kite, near Hamar, Norway, May 2014

And elswhere.....
Norway is a big (or at least long) country with a variety of habitat and too many locations to list on just one page. I occasionally take birding (and guiding) trips to other places. Stunning scenery, plenty of cool birds and (for the most part) having the feeling that one has the place to oneself make Norway a cracking place to go birding.

Valdresflye, July 2017

Traces of rodents after the snow melt, Gullfjell, Norway, April 2018

The numbers and success of many species of upland breeding birds in Norway is closely tied to the number of rodents.
These traces of rodent activity under the snow become visible as the melt progresses - always fascinating - both in terms of seeing where the rodents have been and knowing that there may be good numbers of them.

All content on this site, including Natural Born Birder logo, is copyright © 2007-2020
High resolution versions of most images used on this website are available. For image use or other enquiries please contact me