Bird watching IN NORWAY
Tekstboks: The Porsanger region provides the visiting birder with several good localities to visit, with the emphasis on waders and numbers. Børselvosen and Viekker are two such sites. Børselvosen is situated where the mouth of the river Børs meets the fjord, and can best be described as a well developed delta consisting of three main types of habitat. The inner areas of the delta are made up of sandbanks and channels while further out, smaller islands with spread vegetation have been formed by gravel and heavier sediments carried by the river. During periods of low tide, large areas of mud banks become visible, the best areas being found in the north where they stretch for a kilometre. Here you will also find mature Alder woods, areas of cultivated habitats and a well formed shoreline. Check out Krokvatnet on the south side of the bay. This small lake is surrounded by rich vegetation and could produce some of the commoner passerines of the area. Viekker is a small lake situated a few kilometres to the south and is well worth a visit in its own right. During high tides, sea water is pressed up the stream that runs out into the fjord. When this happens the lake and areas of surrounding marsh becomes brackish, and provides rich feeding for a host of species. Looking at the two localities together, several interesting species have been recorded through the years. Whooper Swan can be seen from time to time while both Eurasian Wigeon and Common Teal can be seen in varying numbers during the warmer months. Mallards are usually to be seen while Northern Pintail breeds in the area. Northern Shoveler has also been recorded, but this species must be regarded as rare. Tufted Duck can also be found with the shallow waters of Lake Viekker providing good feeding habitat. Common Eider can be seen on the fjord while Long-tailed Duck can be found on both sea and fresh water. The river system at Børselvosen also proves popular with varying numbers of Goosander. The mud banks at Børselvosen are the best place to study waders. Eurasian Oystercatcher and Ringed Plover are amongst the first to arrive, but it isn't until Red Knot arrive that the mud banks look "crowded" with over 800+ birds. Dunlin and Bar-tailed Godwit can also be seen in relatively good sized flocks. Check the flocks of Dunlin for other species such as Little Stint and Temminck's Stint, the later breeds at other localities in the region as does the Ruff. Common Snipe, Whimbrel, Eurasian Curlew, Common Redshank and Wood Sandpiper should also be found. Arctic Skua can be seen off-shore while Arctic Terns may be seen near fresh water. Passerines can be well represented in the areas of Alder or in the rich vegetation around Lake Vieker. Such species as Redwing, Willow Warbler, Brambling and Redpoll should be seen, but don't forget to check for Arctic Redpoll amongst the Redpoll flocks. Also check for Bluethroat in areas of thicker vegetation. How To Get There: From Lakselv, follow the sign for Børselv. Lake Viekker is situated on the left hand side of the road a few kilometre before Børselv. Børselvosen is also situated on the left hand side of the road but this is a much larger site, with several advantage points. Follow the road into Børselv where you will find a road that leads to Veidnes. Follow this road until you can see over the delta area and the mud banks at Hestnes. Click here for map Stabbursneset - An Important Stopover For Red Knot: The coastal site of Stabbursneset with the Valdak marshes is renowned for its ornithological importance. This was rightly acknowledged when Valdak was given Ramsar status as well as being a nature reserve. As such, there are restrictions that one has to follow. All access is prohibited from the 1/5 until 30/9. The marshes can however be viewed from the higher ground at Stabbursneset, this area also gives good views over the tidal mudflats and the fjord. Thousands of birds pass through this area during the spring and autumn migrations so timing is important with the months of May and June being the best. Both Red and Black-throated Divers can be seen on the fjord as can Great Cormorant. Bean Geese use the area as a stop over as does Lesser White-fronted with max counts of up to sixty birds. Eurasian Wigeon, Common Teal, Mallard and Northern Pintail are amongst the commoner dabbling ducks while other species such as Gadwall, Garganey and Northern Shoveler, though recorded, must be regarded as rare. Raptors can be encountered so be on the look out for White-tailed Eagle, Rough-legged Buzzard and Peregrine. Waders are better represented, both in the amount of species and in numbers. The large areas of tidal mudflats attract such species as Eurasian Oystercatcher and Ringed Plover while Northern Lapwing prefers the more grassy areas of the marsh. Red Knot must be regarded as one of the "characteristic" species in the area with flocks of up to 60,000 birds being present at times. Other waders that can be seen include Temminck's Stint, Dunlin, Ruff, Black and Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel and Wood Sandpiper. Out on the fjord, both Arctic Skua  can be seen harassing the Arctic Terns while Long-tailed Skua is more numerous in good rodent years. Short-eared Owls are also on the lookout for a tasty rodent and can often be seen hunting over areas of the saltmarsh. Check areas of willow scrub for Redpoll as there may be Arctic Redpoll amongst. Other passerines that you may come across include Redwing, Brambling and Lapland Longspur. Common Eider are present through the year with a big increase during the summer when 10,000 congregate to moult. Always check for King Eider amongst the flocks that also include 3,000 Velvet Scoter and varying numbers of Long-tailed Duck and Goosander. How To Get There: Follow route E6 north from Lakselv. Valdak is about 20 kilometre. I would advice any visiting birder to start at the Stabbursnes nature museum for information on the best advantage points Click here for map Stabbursdalen - The Next Stop: After some great birding on the coast then a trip along the Stabburs valley is the nest stop. Here you will find the worlds most northernmost pine forest with some of the trees being more than 500 years old. The valley road will take you along the Lombola waterway system, through areas of pine forest and birch woodlands to the mountain habitat of the Stabbursdalen National Park. Some of the species that can be found make exploring the area well worth while with several species being of interest. Black-throated Divers can be found on many of the lakes while such species as Northern Pintail, Velvet Scoter, Common Goldeney and Red-breasted Merganser being some of the waterfowl to be encountered. Golden Eagle can be seen soaring high, while Merlin and Gyr Falcon are usually more fast flying. Osprey can sometimes be seen fishing by the many lakes in the area. It is however the areas of woodland that hold the most interesting species. Capercaillie can be found in the pine forests while Willow Ptarmigan prefer the tree limit high up on the mountain side. Some of the more classical Scandinavian species such as Three-toed Woodpecker, Siberian Tit, Siberian Jay and Pine Grossbeak can also be seen and one finally realizes that you are birding in the arctic north when you see Bohemian Waxwing hawking insects for its young.  How To Get There: Once again leave Lakselv and head north on route E6. Once again I would advise you to visit the nature museum at Stabbursneset for information on the many paths that can be found in the area. If you don't want to visit the museum then there is a bridge across the River Stabbur that can be followed for 5 km or so until you reach a car park. From here there is a marked trail along the valley. Click here for map

Porsanger

White-tailed Eagle can be encountered

The area is an important stop-over for Red Knot

Ruff  in full breeding plumage are always good to see.

Velvet Scoter can be found

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Accommodation

Lakselv Hotel