​Join Jonathan Stenvall to Varanger, a true paradise for the bird photographer. Photograph King Eider, Steller’s Eider, Gyrfalcon and a great variety of sea-birds on the cliffs. You will visit the bird island of Hornøya, one of Europe’s finest and most accessible sea-bird cliff colonies. When the huge numbers of birds arrive at these bird cliffs, the area is still covered in snow, giving some extremely rare and outstanding photography possibilities. 

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VARANGER
A unique Spring/Winter week, where we have selected some of the very best bird and landscape photo opportunities on the Varanger Peninsula in Norway. Up here, the taiga forest meets the windswept, snow-covered tundra and the dramatically rugged coastlines of the Arctic Ocean. Ancient agricultural lands dating from long before the Viking Age stretch in a thin border along the coast. Inside of that, after a narrow fringe of low birch forest, the open tundra stretches mile after mile within the Varanger Peninsula National Park. At this time of year, these are a snowy winter landscapes in sub-zero temperatures, in wonderful Arctic winter light that can offer strong pastel colors, long shadows, dramatic clouds, snowfall and brilliant photo opportunities of many different kinds. The snow-covered tundra landscape shows us the still reasonably undisturbed quality of the Arctic wilderness up here.

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HORNØYA
With its handsome lighthouse and its charismatic location, right at the final outer skerries before the Arctic Ocean, this little island is one of Europe’s finest and most accessible seabird colonies and also Norway’s easternmost point, in line with Istanbul! Everyone with a passion for the natural world, should at some point in life treat themselves to visit a teeming and pulsating bird cliff, where there is action in all directions, all around the clock.

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We step ashore in the intense and fabulously well-populated bird colony here, with its 80,000 pairs of Brünnichs guillemot, Shag, Cormorant, Common guillemot, Black guillemots Razorbill and Kittiwake. This is the time of the year when the Puffins returns to Hornøya and we have great chances to see and photograph them in snowy conditions. Hornøya is often considered having Norway’s finest bird cliffs. The seabirds here also usually make themselves very easily available for fantastic photo opportunities. The birds nest almost on the path and have very different things to think about, than about us, almost like in the Galápagos Islands. For those who film, do not forget to bring the microphone, because the soundscape here is absolutely stunning and the din intense. Often a Gyrfalcon or White-tailed eagle comes by in search of prey in the slopes of the bird mountain and not infrequently they show up at fairly good photo distances, as long as you are quick and observant enough and have a little luck …

 

NIGHT HIDE
The tour includes a session in a night hide with artificial lighting, focusing on photographing mountain hare. With a bit of luck, we may also spot Arctic fox. At this time of year, both animals are stunning in their fluffy white winter coats. The hide offers excellent opportunities to photograph mountain hares, which often interact with each other. In snowfall, the images can become truly magical. Many award-winning photos have been taken from this hide.

 

THE TUNDRA
We also meet the landscapes of the snow- and wind-shaped Arctic Tundra in several places up here, both in the mountains and down at the edge of the mountain birch forest. A snowmobile sled ride takes us to a bird feeding site near a mountain stream, where good chances are usually possible to photograph species such as Hoary redpoll, Common redpoll, Siberian tit and Willow tit. There is also often a Hawk owl or two around here and sometimes Rock or Willow ptarmigan are seen here.

 

THE TAIGA FOREST
In Pasvik National Park we meet the wild Taiga forest with its Scots pines, plus some of its winter bird species. Here we go for a snowmobile sled ride out into the woods and take photos at a proven feeding site for squirrels and birds such as Siberian tit, Pine grosbeak, Willow tit, Siberian jay and sometimes a Hawk owl paying a visit. At times Willow grouse hang around here, in their snow-white winter dress.

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Itinerary

• Day 1 (Dinner)

  Arrival in Kirkenes. Departure by minibus through magnificent Arctic mountain scenery to the small fishing town of Vardø on the eastern coast of the Varanger Peninsula. Dinner and overnight stay at a hotel.

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• Day 2  (Breakfast  – Lunch – Dinner)

  Breakfast at the hotel followed by a short boat trip with the harbour master’s vessel across to Hornøya, a small barren island with an elegant lighthouse station and a steep bird cliff hosting a phenomenal seabird colony of about 80,000 pairs of kittiwakes, European shags, Brünnich’s guillemots, common guillemots, razorbills and great cormorants, with daily visits from gyrfalcons and white-tailed eagles. Packed lunch from the hotel. Dinner at the hotel in Vardø. Overnight stay at a hotel in Vardø.

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• Day 3  (Breakfast  – Lunch – Dinner)

  A leisurely morning and breakfast at the hotel. Afterwards, we take another boat trip to Hornøya for a second photography session with the wealth of birdlife found there. Packed lunch from the hotel. Dinner and overnight stay at a hotel in Vardø.

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• Day 4  (Breakfast  – Lunch – Dinner)

  Early breakfast at the hotel, then we focus on photography along the coast. Here we search for purple sandpipers and coastal landscapes, and we also visit a smaller seabird cliff with kittiwakes. This day also serves as a backup day for a trip to Hornøya if weather conditions prevented us from going there on any of the previous days. Session in night hide for Mountain hares. Overnight stay at a hotel in Vardø.

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• Day 5  (Breakfast  – Lunch – Dinner)

  Late breakfast. Check-out and a slow drive westward along the coast and then south. We make stops for landscape photography along the way. After lunch, we continue through the impressive mountain tundra scenery toward the taiga forest in Pasvik National Park. Dinner and overnight stay at a guesthouse in Pasvik.

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• Day 6  (Breakfast  – Lunch – Dinner)

  Early breakfast at the guesthouse. Full day in the taiga forest, including a snowmobile sled trip to a private bird feeding site that often attracts species such as Pine Grosbeak, Siberian Tit, Siberian Jay, Red Squirrel, and occasionally a Hawk Owl. There is also the option for a wood-fired sauna by the Pasvik River for those who wish. Overnight stay and dinner at the guesthouse in Pasvik.

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• Day 7  (Breakfast)

  Breakfast at the guesthouse, then transfer in our minibus back to Kirkenes airport.

 

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