Mary Beth Stowe's Website

CABC Scandinavia Choir Tour

Day 17: Birding Crest to Coast

Bright and early the next morning we headed back to the plateau in search of ptarmigan (to hopefully get there before anyone else scared them off, you know). Nada in that department, but another Rough-legged Hawk got a Golden Plover whistling, and we shortly got great views (and shots) through the scope, complete with black belly! A very cooperative young Bluethroat popped up next to the car, as well as a baby Meadow Pipit that gave stunning views! Also had another longspur and heard a distant curlew, but it was pretty quiet otherwise. Went back for breakfast, and then we headed back to Voss to meet Frøde's colleague Eddie Chapman, picking up some gorgeous Oystercatchers on the way!

Foggy morning at our mountain lodge

                           Goats hog the road on the way to the park                                             European Golden Plovers, still

                                                                                                                                                               in breeding plumage

Young Bluethroats

Juvenile Meadow Pipits

                                    We head back down the mountain                                               European Oystercatchers along the fjords

                                                                    Scenes along the fjords (on a rare sunny day!)

We take a ferry to catch the highway on the other side of  the fjord...

                                        Look hard for said highway!                       We meet Frøde’s colleague Eddie (a transplanted Scot)

                                                                                                                                  at a little preserve called Granvin Delta.

Eddie is a transplanted Scot who married a Norwegian woman 20-plus years ago, and that’s how he learned the language! He was very nice, and he took us around his local "patch", the first stop which was a terrific bike path along Granvin Delta. We got Golden Eagles along the high cliffs right away, and a few cooperative dickies such as Great Tit, Chaffinch, and Robin. A Red-breasted Merganser in the wetlands was new, and also had Tufted Duck for real! On the way back to the car we kicked up Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Siskin, and Spotted Flycatcher.

Granvin Lake and terrific bike path!

                               Spotted Flycatcher                                                           That's some back yard!

We then headed to Myrkdals Delta, where we waded through the grass and got eaten by mosquitoes! But it was worth it: saw a Brambling and great looks at Fieldfares, and a Yellowhammer that gave close but brief looks, plus more Whinchats. We walked back along a river that looked great for Dipper, but nada. The guys cut back through the grass to get back to where we parked, but Eddie must have read my mind and assured me that if I continued on the nice wide dirt road we were already on, that it would eventually meet up with the main road, and Frøde could pick me up there. That was a great detour: had many more opportunities to look for Dipper (I can honestly say we gave it a good shot) plus had a terrific waterfall near the road!

                                                We follow Eddie to the next spot...                                                           Whinchats

                                    Brambling                                                         Preening Great Tits

Scenes along the river

We then went to Lone Delta (pronounced more like lewna) where because of the people there were no waterbirds, but we did pick up a Marsh Tit behind us. We looked for Dippers again at Ronasfossen, but nuthin’. So after that we kissed Eddie goodbye and went to another couple of wetlands where we had Common Teal and Tufted Duck, but it was pretty quiet. At a city park in Bergen we had lots of gulls to study, including a first-year argentatus that I would have called Thayer’s in San Diego, but it just went to show how difficult they are to ID here!

                                                Lone Delta                                         One last-ditch effort for Dippers at the Ronasfossen River

        Adult (left) and juvenile Barn Swallows     Easy-to-see birds in a city park in Bergen included Tufted Ducks...

                White Wagtail (token songbird)                                                         Black-headed Gull