Spring birdwatching in Arctic Norway

Name: Spring birdwatching in Arctic Norway
Start: 2026-06-07
End: 2026-06-14

Dress up well as we are starting an unforgettable birding adventure in Northern Norway! This remote area attracts with its romantic wilderness and different birds, unusual for other places. Vast areas covered with forest, lakes, and bogs spread all the way to the horizon in any direction. Here is the paradise of Arctic birds.

The region where we will be birding is the famous Varanger peninsula in the northernmost part of Norway. In addition to birds, we can also expect to see Reindeer, which graze freely and are used as domestic animals, elk, Arctic Fox, Arctic Hare, humpback whales, and if lucky, we may even spot a Brown Bear.

The trip coincides with the 24-hour daylight and midnight Sun, which will give us plenty of time for birding. As most birds are active during the “night”, we would need to reverse our daily life and be more active in the early hours of the day. Thus, getting up at 3-4 am will be a daily routine with a comeback for breakfast for a rest in the hotel before we head out again in the afternoon.

Pasvik Forest

We start our journey from Kirkeness airport, which is only about an hour away from our first major birding area: Pasvik Forest. This will be our introduction to spring birdwatching in Arctic Norway. We will focus on woodland birds and our first target will be Arctic Warbler, Siberian Jay, Siberian Tit, Pine Grosbeak, Little Bunting and others. We will try to find Pygmy Owl, Common Cranes, Hazel Grouse and if lucky, we may even stumble upon a Capercaillie.

There are several bird feeders and nest boxes in the area which we will check for nesting Siberian Tits and Goldeneyes. A vast lake right on the border with Russia is a suitable place for many waders, including Broad-billed Sandpiper and Bar-tailed Godwit.

Kongsfjord

After the forest, we head towards the fjords across a picturesque mountainous road. The landscape changes from coastal fjords to mountainous plateaus and offer superb opportunities for landscape photography as well as bird photography. Views are truly stunning and we will do several stops to look for Hawk Owl, Waxwing and Bluethroat. Once in the mountains we can expect to see Dotterel, Lapland Bunting, Long-tailed Skua. When in the area, we will visit several small harbours and bays and look for King’s Eider and Steller’s Eider. Often, non-breeding individuals have stayed behind and we will try to see them. Another star bird that we will be looking for is the mighty Gyr Falcon.

Varanger Peninsula

Varanger Peninsula is one of the hotspots in the whole of Norway and definitely a must visit during our spring birdwatching in Arctic Norway. The area offers a superb diversity of habitats, including flooded tidal areas, plateaus, cliffs and islands. Here is the famous Hornoya island, which we will try to visit to enjoy the enormous bird colony with over 50,000 breeding seabirds.

Itinerary

Day 1: Start of the spring birdwatching in Arctic Norway

Arrival day. We will meet at Kirkeness airport to start the trip. After we collect a minivan, we will drive for 40 minutes to arrive at our first area for the trip: Pasvik National park, where we will spend 2 nights.

Day 2: Pasvik Forest

The first part of the trip is in the area of Pasvik National Park. The area is situated on the border with Russia and Finland and is covered with forest and lakes. Here we will aim to see Siberian Jay, Siberian Tit, Pine Grosbeak, Little Bunting, and Arctic Warbler. The latter often sings around the grounds of our lodge and some of the other target birds come to its feeders. The lakes in the area are occupied by breeding Red-throated Divers, Common Scoter, Smew, and many more. Some of the waders we expect to see are Spotted Redshank, Ruff, Bar-tailed Godwit, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Terek Sandpiper, and many more. If lucky, we can even stumble upon a Hazel Grouse, a Capercaillie or a Brown Bear.

Day 3: From forests to Fjords

Today, we head to the fjords. It will take us about 4 hours to drive to Kongsfjord, where we will spend the next 2 nights.

On the way, we will make several stops to look for Lapland Bunting, Dotterel, Long-tail Skua and Hawk Owl. Back along the shore we will do several stops given the time available. We will look for Bar-tailed Godwit in full summer plumage, Red Knot, Eider Ducks, Greater Black backed Gull, Red-necked Phalaropes, Red-throated Pipit, Bluethroat and many more.

Some of the lakes along this spring birdwatching in Arctic Norway route often have breeding Red-throated Divers or over-summering White-billed Diver. The bays on the sea are suitable for King Eider and Steller’s Eiders, so we will be looking for those.

We will arrive in the Kongsfjord Arctic Lodge hotel which will use for our base to explore the area on the following day.

Day 4: Fjords and mountain plateaus

Today, we will explore the area of Kongsfjord, the neighboring Batsfjord, and the mountain plateaus in between. We will be looking for Gyr Falcon, Dotterel, Lapland Bunting, Ruffs in their full summer plumag,e and Rock Ptarmigan. Long-tailed skua patrol the plateaus, and in the bays we should be able to find King Eider and Steller’s Eiders.

Day 5: coastal birding

Today we head to Vardo, which is a superb site and base. We will spend here 3 nights as there is a lot to see. On the way, we shall stop at several places along the coast and the mountains to look for Red-necked Phalarope, Red-throated Pipit, Hawk Owl, Waxwings and we might be surprised by a Glaucous or Iceland Gull.

Day 6: Bird Island

Today will be rather exciting as we will visit the bird island of Hornoya. There is a major debate on public access to the island, so we may not be allowed, but will still be able to see the target species. The main birds here are Common, Black and Brunnich’s Guillemot, Razorbill, Puffin, Red-throated Pipit, Twite, Eider Duck, Shag, Barnacle Geese and many more. Often Gyr Falcon hunts here and we might be lucky to see it.

In the last few years, there has been an adult Ross’s Gull that spends the summer here, so we might be lucky to see it.

The grassland in the area is suitable for Shore Larks and Arctic Foxe,s and Arctic Hares often patrol the area.

The area is fantastic for watching sea mammals as well as birds so whale safaris are an option but not included in the price offer. We can fit in a Whale Safari when at Vardo, depending upon the desire of the group and the weather conditions. Some of the whales that can be seen are Humpback whales, Fin Whales, Minke Whales and Harbour Porpoise which are often seen from the shore.

Day 7: mountains and fjords

The day will be devoted to the mountains and fjords at the Varanger Peninsula. We will drive inland to look for Lapland Bunting, Arctic Redpoll, Dotterel, Snow Bunting, Shore Lark, Short-eared Owl, and Ptarmigan.

Day 8: back to Kirkeness

Today we may need to start early to head to Kirkeness for our flights home. If very early, we might need to drive on the previous day.

Contact:

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Weather conditions and clothing for the spring birdwatching in Arctic Norway

The weather in June can be very unpredictable. In some years, the temperature does not drop below 15 degrees Celsius and in other years, this may be 15 degrees max. Generally, you should prepare for cold and wet weather, including hats and gloves and waterproofs. Mosquitoes can be an issue, so take a net to put over a hat.

Food

Only breakfast and dinner are included in the offered price. Lunch can be purchased locally.

Transport

We will be using a minivan for max 7 persons plus a guide.

Min number of participants: 4

Max number of participants: 7

What’s included:

– Accommodation for 7 nights;
– Boat trip to Hornoya island;
– Breakfast& dinner;
– local transport;
– guide;

What is not included:

– Flight;
– Lunch;
– Whale safari (about 120 eur).
– Personal costs;