Mid-March it was time to leave southeastern Norway and head north. First stop on the way was Trondheim, to see the returning Stejneger’s Scoter (sibirsjøorre).

Further north, we did a stop at a nice woodland feeder outside Mo i Rana. Among the more common visitors like Great Tit (kjøttmeis) and Eurasian Jay (nøtteskrike), a couple of Sibirian Jays (lavskrike) was a nice surprise.

On the way to Lofoten we did a stop on Værøy, where the Kittiwakes (krykkje) were back in good numbers in the harbour.

More unexpected was a Common Crane (trane) feeding in the beds of sea kelp on the island.

In Lofoten the Willow Ptarmigans (lirype) were still in winter plumage, an stood out in the lowlands where the snow was long gone.

Next was a trip with students to Andøy in Vesterålen. Also here was spring well on the way, and an early Skylark (sanglerke) greeted us.

The first flocks of Snow Buntings (snøspurv) had arrived, on their way to their breeding grounds in Greenaland.

Less expected was a single White-fronted Goose (tundragås).

A Great Cormorant (storskarv) in its best breeding plumage in Andenes harbour.

The harbour always attracts lots of seagulls in the fishing season, and among them we often find Glaucous Gulls (polarmpåke).

We were surprised by a sudden snowstorm, and so was this moose (elg).

The main goal for the trip was a whale safari trip, and it was very successful, with some great encounters with Killer Whales (spekkhogger), often accompanied by Gannets (havsule).

For Easter we are back on our base at Røst. The time when winter turns to spring is always exciting, and among the first birds to meet us were a group of four White-fronted Geese (tundragås). Three of them were obviously of the Greenlandic subspecies, while one (the bird to the right) showed characters of the Siberian subspecies, with a smaller and pinkish bill.

The White-tailed Eagles (havørn) are preparing their breeding season and marking their territories.

Hundreds of seagulls gather in the harbour, attracted by the fish industry. Among them where at least five Iceland Gulls (grønlandsmåke); two young birds…

…and three adults.

One of the adults showed clear dark markings in the wing tips; a character pointing at a Kumliens gull, the subspecies of Iceland Gull breeding in Arctic Canada.

An adult Little Gull (dvergmåke) appeared north on the Island. This is probably the returning bird that has been seen in the colonies of Black-headed Gulls (hettemåke) the last two summers. We really hope it might find a mate this year, and establish the first breeding of the species on Røst.