Scandinavia Trip Report
(22/5/2003 – 2/6/2003)
Peter Jones
Introduction:
After a very enjoyable holiday in Scandinavia in 2002, I decided to return in 2003 to hopefully see some of the many species of bird that eluded me in 2002 (See Scandinavia 2002). High on my target list were the Owls, Gyr Falcon, Red Flanked Bluetail, Pine Grosbeak, White Billed Diver and Steller's Eider.
we started the trip with an overnight stay at Strandstiviken near Nykoping. This was a nice area with a few good species. We then embarked on a 4 day Owling tour led by Ibis Tours, and spent the second week travelling up to Varangerfjord, and returning for a final day at Limingalahti on the edge of Oulu.
The photography from this trip was not as successful for me as the previous year, but many quality species were seen, and some good video footage was obtained.
Click here for Photo gallery from Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a superb destination for seeing some quality European Species. It is a vast area, and any holiday will probably involve very long journeys. I have been lucky enough to have two 14 day holidays in the area, and despite seeing many superb species likeGreat Grey Owl, Gyrfalcon, Steller's and King Eider, I am still tempted to return to try and find the species that still elude me. These include Pine Grosbeak, Red Flanked Bluetail, Two-Barred Crossbill, White Billed Diver, Arctic Warbler, and Snowy Owl!
General information:
Flight: We flew Ryanair from Stansted to Skavsda, then took a Baltic Airlines Flight from Stockholm to Oulu the following day. All flights were reliable, but our luggage was lost on the return Baltic Airlines flight.
Car Hire: We hired a car from Europcar in Oulu for the second week of the trip. It was fine.
Accommodation: We stayed in various hotels and campsite cabins, all were reasonable and fairly basic. none of the accommodation was pre-booked. This gave us the necessary flexibility, and was not a problem. All campsites and Hotels were fairly empty at this time of year.
Getting by in Scandinavia: See Scandinavia 2002 for an in depth look at travelling in Scandinavia. The IBIS tour that we embarked on for the first 3 days was led by a Finnature guide who had excellent local knowledge.
Travelling from Oulu to Varanger was much easier with two drivers, than just myself driving the previous year.
The Sites
Strandstiviken: This was a super campsite located on the edge of a large lake. Great views of Barnacle Geese, Osprey, Caspian Tern. We also heard Savi's Warbler. A reserve across the bay had Singing Thrush Nightingale, Roe Deer and Noctule Bat
IBIS Owl tour: This was a superb trip. As well as excellent views of Ural, Great Grey, Tengmalm's, Pygmy and Hawk Owls, we saw many other quality species such as Siberian Tit, Siberian Jay, Terek Sandpiper, Broad Billed Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper. Also Little Bunting, Black and Three Toed Woodpeckers
There were also a couple of rarities in the area: Crested Lark and Ruddy Shelduck
Varangerfjord: Highlight of this portion of the trip was a Gyfalcon near Tana Bru. We watched this huge Falcon gliding above us, and later perched. Other highlights were Brunnich's Guillemot, Steller's Eider and King Eider. Arctic Redpoll and Willow Grouse.
Limingalahti: This reserve has a special place in my heart primarily due to its excellent accommodation in the reserve, and the ability to go out at midnight and birdwatch from the tower hide!
No new species for me here this year (Last Year I saw my first Corncrake and Common Rosefinch!), but we did see Ortolan as well as Rosefinch, and a few Waders and wildfowl
Systematic List
List of all Birds Seen on trip