VARANGER PENINSULA
A fully charged Arctic summer week where we have selected some of the best bird and landscape photo opportunities that the Norwegian Varanger Peninsula can offer this year. 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 and inside, after a narrow fringe of mountain birch forest, the bare tundra stretches mile after mile in the Varanger Peninsula National Park.
The short but intense Polar Summer is in full swing, it’s Midnight Sun and all the birds are doing their mating and nesting management. This year in an early summer landscape with an exciting, Arctic summer light that can offer strong warm colors, long shadows, dramatic clouds and brilliant photo opportunities of many different kinds. The Arctic tundra shows us the still fairly undisturbed quality of the wilderness up here.
RUFFS AND OTHER TUNDRA BIRDS
We meet the Arctic landscape of the snow- and wind-tormented tundra in several places up here, both in the mountains and down in the mountain birch forest edge. We will attempt to photograph the beautiful and interesting Ruff display from tent hides, and will also be close to a number of other tundra birds such as Long-tailed Skuas, Red Knot, Horned Lark, Snow Bunting, Lapland Bunting, Twite, Purple Sandpiper, Bar-tailed Godwit, Red-throated pipit, Golden Plover, Red Grouse and Red-necked Phalarope. We will also visit a taiga forest in Pasvik, where Common Mergansers nest and where there is a well-used feeding site for Siberian Tits, Pine Grosbeaks and Siberian Jays. There is also often a hawk owl or two around here and sometimes ermine or grouse are seen here.
HORNØYA
with its handsome lighthouse and its charismatic location right at the far end of the sea band, Hornøya is one of Europe’s finest and most accessible seabird colonies—and also Norway’s easternmost point, on the same longitude as Istanbul! Everyone should treat themselves at least once in life to experiencing a truly bustling, vibrant bird cliff, where there is action in every direction, around the clock. Here we land in the middle of the intense and breathtakingly lively bird colony, home to 80,000 pairs of Brünnich’s guillemots, European shags, great cormorants, razorbills, common guillemots, puffins, black guillemots, and kittiwakes. Perhaps one of the island’s gyrfalcons or a sea eagle will pass by, attempting to make a meal of one of the 160,000 seabirds present?
The Varanger trip is simply an unusually complete Arctic summer journey to one of Europe’s finest and wildest polar nature areas on the mainland—offering close encounters with some of the continent’s most spectacular and photogenic bird species, in a relatively undisturbed and historically rich wilderness and cultural landscape. Magnus Martinsson has visited many times. On certain days he will show images, hold workshop lectures, and go through aspects such as camera techniques and valuable luxury tips for the nature photographer—everything from composition and how best to approach wild animals, to how to adjust central camera functions such as autofocus and flash, or interpret the histogram for optimal exposure. We will also review participants’ best photos from the trip. The group is small, ensuring everyone has maximum time to discuss photography with the tour leader and that we all fit comfortably in the minibus.
Every day we aim to maximize photographic opportunities in the finest light, which means we will primarily try to be out photographing during what is normally considered “nighttime,” and instead catch up on sleep in the middle of the day. Of course, everything depends on weather, wind, and local conditions.
Itinerary
Day 1 (1/6) (Dinner)
Arrival in Kirkenes, followed by transfer by minibus to the small fishing town of Vadsø on the Varanger Peninsula. After dinner, depending on the weather, we will either visit a kittiwake colony on the coast—where there are also many tundra birds and even a small chance of photographing gyrfalcon, though more common are long-tailed skua, red-throated pipit, Lapland bunting, purple sandpiper, and snow bunting. Alternatively, weather permitting, we may head out to Hornøya already this evening after dinner to experience the beautiful late evening light there. Dinner and overnight stay at a guesthouse in Ekkerøya.
Day 2-5 (2-5/6) (Breakfast-Lunch-Dinner)
Our itinerary on this tour is largely determined by the weather, as we constantly try to plan in a way that gives us the best possible conditions for photography. During the journey we will visit the bird island Hornøya, with the timing of the visit depending entirely on the weather. Hornøya is famous for its large colonies of puffins, Brünnich’s guillemots, razorbills, common guillemots, black guillemots, kittiwakes, and much more. There is also a chance of photographing gyrfalcon here.
We will also visit a nearby area where there are opportunities to photograph common tundra birds such as long-tailed skua, red-necked phalarope, rock pipit, red-throated pipit, purple sandpiper, Lapland bunting, and snow bunting.
One of the photographic highlights of the trip is photographing ruff lekking. We will visit a site where they have displayed for at least several decades. Depending on our success, we may do this once or twice during the trip. The tundra is full of birds, and we will work on creating good photo opportunities of as many species as possible throughout the week. We will search for bluethroat, skuas, phalaropes, and other waders. We will also visit a private bird feeding station, which attracts a wide range of tundra and birch forest birds that we can observe at very close range. Among the possible species are common redpoll, arctic redpoll, brambling, bluethroat, hawk owl, and sometimes also ptarmigan and stoat.
Since it is daylight around the clock in Northern Norway at this time of year, we aim to make the best use of the day depending on the available light. This can mean late evenings, early mornings, and long days in the field. We often bring breakfast and/or packed lunches so we don’t have to return to the accommodation for meals, allowing us to focus fully on photography. We stay at a guesthouse in Ekkerøya.
Day 6 (6/6) (Breakfast-Lunch-Dinner)
In the morning and until a bit after lunch, we continue photographing mainly on the tundra. In the afternoon or early evening, we travel to Kirkenes. Dinner and overnight stay at a hotel in Kirkenes.
Day 7 (7/6) (Breakfast)
Breakfast at the hotel, followed by transfer back to Kirkenes Airport for our morning flight home.
Photographic leader
Jonathan Stenvall, born in 1997, grew up and is based in Stockholm. Fascinated by the diversity of nature, he photographs everything from spectacular mountain landscapes to the tiny macro world. Since a young age, he has given lectures, led workshops, and organized photo tours. His images and writings have been published in numerous books, magazines, and newspapers.
In 2015, he was named the Young Nordic Nature Photographer of the Year (NNPC), and since then he has received several awards in international photography competitions.
Jonathan’s interest in travel and exploration led him in 2017 to Nepal and the Himalayas, a place he has revisited many times and where he is now a trained trekking guide in central Nepal.
Jonathan is a member of Naturfotograferna/N, a trained guide, and an ambassador for the camera brand OM System.
