Follow The Norwegian Birding Route

 

Eidfjord  -  The Mountains, and what a mountain, known as the roof of Norway the Hardangervidda towers over this tiny fjordside hamlet. The scenery is dramatic and contrasting, waterfalls cascade down steep mountainsides into fast flowing rivers that in turn run through green valleys and out into the deep blue fjord, and even if you get caught in a summer snow shower, it will all be part of a great experience.

Spring: Experiencing the Hardangervidda during spring is often the most rewarding. Though snow will still be covering most of the area, and there will still be ice on the lakes, the birds will still be arriving to their mountain breeding grounds. Open patches of water on the lakes can hold both Red and Black-throated Diver while bare patches of ground provide the first waders and passerines with both food and shelter. Spring is also the best time to hear and see displays of these mountain dwellers. Snow Buntings will be looking for the ideal nesting sites while Lapland Longspurs will have chosen a stone to sing from. Horned Larks will be foraging between the tussocks of heather or on the moss covered ground. All these species are stunning to look at and study, but none of them beat the male Bluethroat in looks or singing ability. The Sami people call this species “the bird of a thousand voices” and once you have heard it sing you will understand why.

Summer: By July most of the species will be well into their breeding season. Some like the female Red-necked Phalarope will have finished theirs, once she has laid her eggs she leaves the incubating to the male and can enjoy the rest of the summer. On the lakes you will find both breeding and none breeding waterfowl. Tufted Duck, Greater Scaup, Long-tailed Duck and both Common and Velvet Scoter have all been recorded breeding while non-breeding Common Goldeneye congregate in small flocks. Along the shores of the lakes you may find Ringed Plovers and Temminck’s Stints while the dryer ground provides habitat for  the European Golden Plover as well as the shyer Eurasian Dotterel. Otherwise summer is the best time to explore the vast expanses that form the Hardangervidda. This wilderness is perfect for some of the shyer and rarer species,         birds like Common Crane, Long-tailed Skua and maybe even a Snowy Owl.

Autumn: There is nothing quite like the Hardangervidda in the autumn. The range of colours has to be seen to be believed. Add to this the chance of seeing Rough-legged Buzzard or a Gyr Falcon, roaming low in the hope of scaring up a Willow Grouse or Rock Ptarmigan, then your holiday memories may well be made. Autumn is a time of change, and the mountain inhabitants are well aware that winter is on its way. Resident species like the Common Raven know that hard times are ahead. Birds are once again on the move, reluctant to leave the area that has been home for the past months. The mountains become a lonely place but further down the valley you will find life. The woodlands around Eidfjord will also hold a selection of the commoner resident species as well as one or two more interesting. Keep an eye on the mountain peaks for Golden Eagle, soaring majestically over the rugged peaks of the Sima valley. 

Never Ending Wilderness

Finding a Eurasian Dotterel is always a great experience.

Red-necked Phalaropes bobbing about like corks.

Is it a Rock Ptarmigan or a Willow Grouse  - both can be found on the Hardanger-vidda.

A mild and pleasant climate and clear, light summer nights are ideal. In the centre of the district is the Hardangerfjord. High up you enter the Hardangervidda National Park and one of Norway's largest glaciers, the Hardangerjøkulen From mountains and glaciers the majestic waterfalls foam down into the Queen of fjords.