signs of spring around the Balsfjord, N.Norway

SOME SIGNS OF SPRING AROUND THE BALSFJORD, N. NORWAY

Today, Easter Sunday, Tromsø enjoyed a this year until now rare sunny day, and I decided to drive down the Balsfjord, the large and deep fjord that cuts far inland southwards from the island of Tromsøya, in fact, the island and the not very deep sounds around it form the sill of this fjord. I make this trip a few times every year, and in fact have reported to the bird lists so many times about this by now, that I fear little new can be said about it anymore.

My car had been snowed in for a few months, and when we now got it loose, the battery was empty. But we got it recharged, so once more I can move a bit further away from the home base. Day before yesterday i already visited the Tisnes wetlands on Kvaløya: no flowering Saxifraga—my official start of spring— here as yet, but a very nice flock of some 50 Snow Buntings, also busily recharging before embarking on the arduous flight across the Atlantic to E. Greenland. The wetlands on the other side of Kvaløya, at Rakfjord, are still mostly snow covered and the only birds there Hooded Crows; but some ten reindeer already found something to graze on on the bare patches. In a shallow bight of the sound some 10 Red-breasted Mergansers displayed furiously, a lot of fun to watch for a while.

But today I started out as usual, making up a bird list as I drive along the main road from Tromsø across the bridge to the mainland, and along the Balsfjord to its much colder sidefjord, the Ramfjord, of which the innermost 10-15 km are still frozen. But the ice looks unhealthy and I saw no ice fishermen today anymore. At the bottom of the Ramfjord, I leave the main road, and choose a narrower sideroad along the other, southern shore of the Ramfjord, narrow enough to need most of my attention to the driving—our roads usually suffer quite a bit from snow, ice and frost during the winter. Still the fact that 15 km on, in Andersdalen, at the mouth of the Ramfjord again, but now on the other side, my list still only counts six bird species: Common and Herring Gulls, Magpie, Hooded Crow, Red-breasted Merganser and Mallard, is not only the result of inattention from my side—there ARE few birds here, especially before the migrants are back. The first stop at Andersdalen, where a smaller river flows out into the Balsfjord, adds a few ‘usual suspect’: Oystercatcher, Curlew, Great Black-backed Gull and one more unexpected bird, a lone Goosander (Common Merganser for the Americans) drake in a small flock with Red-breasted Mergansers, the latter OUR common merganser species. My usual walk along the road through a hill forest dominated by alder and birch at first yields no birds whatsoever: the only sound is that of the meltwater, coming down the steep slopes, often in tunnels under the snow, gurgling everywhere. A lone Great Tit crosses the road, the only one I see all day; amazingly, also this day passes without a single Greenfinch, nowadays probably our most numerous small bird this time a year. On the way back I finally hear birdsong; two far-away strophes sound to my ears like Redwings (their song varies a lot from place to place and also from year to year), while a closer bird is unmistakably and exuberantly a Chaffinch.

I next park my car, where I have parked it now in some 20 years (In fact, a local asks me:; Are the birds on schedule this year?), at a large farm surrounded by meadows—in one of them some ten Fieldfares forage, my first for the year. The farm often has House Sparrows and Starlings, but not this time, nor do I see the resident pair of Shelducks (they were back on Tisnes on Friday). But there is always something to enjoy anyway; this time a Woodpigeon starts up his ‘Doe de deur dicht, zoete lief’, the dutch version of its song, from a tight stand of planted spruce. This is a newcomer to the area (and a returning migrant); earlier one had to go to the inland to see them. Otherwise there is little spring here as yet, although many fields are partially or even wholly snow-free: this area is south-exposed, which is why we often get the first returning migrants here. The only flowers are still the yellow stars of Coltsfoot, but there are now many more than a week ago.

The Balsfjord enjoys local populations of both herring and capelin, both demersal spring spawners, and their eggs are much sought after by various diving ducks, maybe especially the scoters. This time they were all Velvet Scoters, viewed in beautiful light with the sun behind me ‘at the bottom of the fjord’. Fewer ducks than usual, though, and no grebes at all. But a pair of Red-throated Loons were again the first of the year; this is the species that has become a town bird in Tromsø, with many pairs nesting on the small lake Prestvannet on the island (still completely ice-bound).

In shallower areas ‘in the inner corner’, near the village of Storsteinnes, I found some dabbling ducks: Mallards, Wigeons, and Teal, and also a small flock of Tufted Duck, more common on freshwater here. And near the end of the road, the beautifully situated church of Tennes, I glimpsed a well-remembered way of flying; and yes, a pert White Wagtail sat on the roof of an outhouse, also just back no doubt. From there I drove straight back home (c 100km), as our narrow window of nice weather was already closing again. At the end of the trip I had a list of exactly 20 bird species, which will probably not impress any of you. We don’t have all that many birds, and the weather is often also so-so, but the scenery is truly wonderful. Sadly, I can’t show that to you!

Wim Vader, Tromsø Museum

9037 Tromsø, Norway

wim.vader@uit.no

===============================

To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) to: birding-aus-request@vicnet.net.au

http://birding-aus.org ===============================