Engerdal 23-27 October 2025

A short visit to the second best place in Norway:) The weather was in some ways not the best with low cloud and a fair bit of rain but it was mild and conditions were just fine at lower altitudes. In short I didn't check a number of my usual places higher up but put some effort in lower down instead.

The most noticeable difference from the usual autumn conditions were that there were no berries to be seen anywhere. Normally there are plenty here even well into the autumn to attract a bunch of exciting species which regularly turn up in the area. Maybe this means there will be more Waxwing sidensvans and Pine Grosbeaks konglebit on the move in the coming months.....

On 23rd there was only time for a walk up at Lisætra to Hyllsjøen after work. Generally rather quiet as anticipated but a few Siberian Jays lavskrike showed and a couple of Whoopers sangsvane on Hyllsjøen meant it was worth the effort.

Back down in the valley in was mostly business as usual with Dipper fossekall, a flock of Long-tailed Tits stjertmeis but at 17:35 a Swift made a couple of passes over the garden. The light was fading and it was foggy so no details were seen but it is tempting to believe that this could have been a very exciting species indeed - Pallid Swifts gråseiler were seen the next day on the west coast.....Win some, lose some:)

On Friday 24th I did a light version of what I consider my usual round in Engerdal. It was raining and time was short.  Without doubt the best sighting was a female Smew lappfiskand at Isteren - a long awaited species for me in the area and the second new for me in the area this year:) Otherwise a nice flock of Goosander laksand at Drevsjø and flocks of Fieldfare gråtrost "everywhere".

A more thorough check of the usual localities on the morning of 25th produced at least 15 Scaup bergand at Galtsjøen (thankfully I had my scope with me) as well as Common Scoters svartand, Velvet Scoter sjøorre, several Wigeon brunnakke and the usual.

At Isteren the Smew lappfiskand remained along with various other wildfowl including several Tufted Duck toppand.

Dipper fossekall at Isteren

Smew lappfiskand at Isteren

At Vurrusjøen a late Black-throated Diver storlom remained along with the Goosander laksand flock and several Wigeon brunnakke.

An afternoon walk at Heggeriset turned out really well, this area looks just SO promising but often fails to produce to my expectations. Not so this time! Barely out of the car a Pygmy Owl spurveugle caught my attention so I was happy before we even got going. The walk itself produced a nice Great Grey Shrike varsler, a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker dvergspett, a flock of cuteness in the form of Long-tailed Tits stjertmeis and more. 

Great Grey Shrike varsler

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker dvergspett

Pygmy Owl spurveugle

The 26th was basically a repeat of the previous day. More Whoopers sangsvane at Galtsjøen - with lots of young ones - perhaps indicating good breeding success this year. A couple of Velvet Scoter sjøorre were still present too.

At Isteren I did not find the Smew, just Tufted Ducks toppand and the usual Dippers fossekall etc.

Sorken was next up but things were relatively quiet here, just a few Wigeon brunnakke, a nice flock of Redwing rødvingetrost and the usual.

At Vurrusjøen the Goosander laksand flock had increased to 29 and the Black-throated Diver storlom was still around.

All too soon it was time to leave again. A walk at Heggeriset on 27th gave Goldinches stillits, Dipper fossekall and the usual. In/from the garden bonus birds included Blackcap munk and a vocal Grey-headed Woodpecker gråspett.

Dipper fossekall at Heggeriset.

Just the perfect choice for Norway's National Bird:)

Engerdal 08-14 October 2023 - Inland Autumn

After the excitement of the coast it was time to head up to Engerdal for a week, I managed to get out and about a few times but as always time was too short to cover all the localities I wanted to.

Arriving in the late afternoon of 08 October I headed straight out for a quick check at Heggeriset. Best bird was a Great Grey Shrike varsler with prey. Among the birds mobbing it was a female Blackcap munk. Also in the area a couple of Waxwing sidensvans flocks, a Chiff-chaff gransanger, a female Goosander laksand and plenty more. A great start in other words.

Heavily cropped record shots of the Great Grey Shrike varsler

Waxwing sidensvans eating berries in next door's garden

The following day I did my usual round covering some of the freshwater sites in the area. LOTS of thrushes in the lowlands - no doubt forced down by recent snow above the treeline. A Black Woodpecker svartspett at Volbrenna was a nice bonus.

Galtsjøen was almost devoid of birds with just a single Whooper sangsvane present, Isteren held 35 Goldeneye kvinand, 4 Dipper fossekall and several Wigeon brunnakke. The lake at Drevsjø held nothing at all. Vurrusjøen, however, made up for all this with over 20 Wigeon brunnakke, a Common Scoter svartand and six Scaup bergand among the birds seen. Highlight was a female Shoveler skjeand - the first I have seen in the area and only the second recorded in Engerdal in the national database.

Scaup bergand now moving down from their breeding sites

Shoveler skjeand with Wigeon brunnakke

Unfortunately this flock of duck were scared up by a fisherman rowing his boat right past them. They flew around a few times and disappeared

Some flight shots as the duck flock passed having been spooked

A walk at Hyllsjøen / Liseter on 09 October was predictably quieter although a few Siberian Jays lavskrike put in an appearance and I saw a rather distant male Black Grouse orrfugl. The most surprising find though was a Cormorant storskarv - I didn't expect that so high up - at least not at this time of year.

Cormorant storskarv resting at Hyllsjøen

The next day I wasn't really out but did pick up a singing male Parrot Crossbill furukorsnebb at Heggeriset.

A bit of driving on 12 October was largely disappointing - a very cold northerly wind blasting in off the lakes made things difficult. Drevsjø and Vurrusjøen saved the day with a roadside Hawfinch kjernebiter and a small selection of duck. Still flocks of Waxwing sidensvans about along with good numbers of thrushes and finches.

Work took priority on 13 October and all I managed was a short walk in the rain at Heggeriset where the best birds were a Snipe enkeltbekkasin and a flock of 60 Waxwing sidensvans.

We had to leave on 14 October but two Goldfinch stillits in the garden were a decent parting shot:)

Hernar 04 October 2019 - The first all-dayer of the autumn!

The first all-dayer of the autumn!

Cracking weather and plenty of birds about. The best sighting was a Great Grey Shrike varsler seen briefly in the scope but which could not be located subsequently - although one was reported on the closest point of the mainland half an hour or so after the Hernar bird disappeared.

The supporting cast included a Yellow-browed Warbler gulbrynsanger, a few flocks of Snow Bunting snøspurv, at least two Water Rail vannrikse, 30 Twite bergirisk, Great Northern Diver islom and Peregrine vandrefalk.

Male Blackcap munk feeding on windfall apples - a popular food source for a number of species today

One of several busy Goldcrests fuglekonge

Song Thrush måltrost - another species taking advantage of the apples

Wren gjerdesmett - typically very numerous at this time of year with numbers swelled by birds on the move

A little over 40 species noted which is pretty much a normal day on Hernar.

Engerdal 16-21 September 2016 - Migration update from the hills of eastern Norway

Fantastic weather almost constantly! Rather warm for the time of year too.

Whilst many birders head west to the coast and offshore islands I headed in the opposite direction and spent a week in Engerdal in eastern Norway.

Part of a flock of migrating Crane trane over Heggeriset 21.09

Hawk Owl haukugle

Long-tailed Tit stjertmeis

Red Squirrel ekorn

Reed Bunting sivspurv were very common and widespread

Three-toed Woodpecker tretåspett - I finally connected with this species in Engerdal!

Waxwings sidensvans

Wheatear steinskvett - one of a number of migrants still on the high ground

White wagtail linerle

Highlights included Three-toed Woodpecker tretåspett, Hawk Owl haukugle, Great Grey Shrike varsler and a flock of almost 80 migrating Common Crane trane.

There were still a lot of birds about - sometimes in large numbers. Flocks of Fieldfare gråtrost, Redwing rødvingetrost and Mistle Thrush duetrost were "all over" and feeding on the plentiful berries in the area. Waxwings sidensvans were also very obvious but were still feeding largely on the many flying insects. I saw my first flock of Long-tailed Tits stjertmeis in the area - this is at the exact time I used to see this species migrating in Gullfjell.

Finches were also very plentiful with Brambling bjørkefink perhaps the commonest followed by Siskin grønnsisik and Common Redpoll gråsisik.

Some tropical migrants were also still hanging around including Wheateat steinskvett, Swallow låvesvale and Willow Warbler løvsanger.

Other stuff worth mentioning were lots of Reed Bunting sivspurv (though mostly lower down now), Grey Wagtails vintererle and a decent variety of wildfowl including both Velvet Scoter sjøorre and Common Scoter svartand (the latter still on their breeding lake high in the mountains), good numbers of Black-throated Diver storlom still on the breeding grounds too.

Predictably almost all the waders had left with just one small flock of Golden Plover heilo seen on the tops.

Other sightings worth mentioning were Capercaille storfugl (common in Engerdal) and Grey-headed Woodpecker gråspett (rather hard to find in the area).

Also worth noting and very commendable was that I heard grouse hunting has been stopped this season over much of the district and where hunting is still allowed it has been very much reduced - the quota in the limited area where hunting is allowed at all is one bird per hunter per day,

Øygarden 11 October 2014 - Another productive day

Southerly winds with showers.

Nautnes produced most of the usual plus a few Lesser Black-backed Gulls sildemåke, a Skylark sanglerke (species #97 for the house) and a couple of Blackcap munk.

Golden Plovers heilo at Hjelme Vest

Later on a walk out at Hjelme Vest proved worthwhile with a couple of Grey Plover tundralo as the best birds. Also seen here were a Curlew storspove, a nice flock of Golden Plover heilo and several Purple Sandpiper fjæreplytt. Some passage noted with Common Scoter svartand and Common Gull fiskemåke making up the bulk of the migrants. Several Red-throated Diver smålom and a few Wigeon brunnakke also passed. Nothing much of note in the woods though a Willow Tit granmeis joined the usual tits.

Yellow-browed Warbler gulbrynsanger

A quick walk at Sæle gave fleeting views of Yellow-browed Warbler gulbrynsanger and Grey-headed Woodpecker gråspett. Other than just several Blackcap munk, a Nuthatch spettmeis and the usual.

Great Grey Shrike varsler clearly visible in the top of the pine tree . THIS is what we call a record shot!

Massively cropped from above picture - clearly identifiable!

A telephone call as the light was going meant that we had to head out to Tjeldstø in a hurry in order to catch up with a Great Grey Shrike varsler.

Hernar 09 October 2008 - A Great day out!

A picture worth crawling in the mud for - Jack Snipe kvartbekkasin

Garden Warbler hagesanger
Great Grey Shrike varsler
Goldcrest fuglekonge

A most enjoyable day out with plenty to see without any major rarities. Highlights were superb views of a Jack Snipe kvartbekkasin, a Great Grey Shrike varsler and an up close and personal experience with one of two Water Rails vannrikse present on the island. The latter find provoked an unlikely sounding conversation:

"Where is the Water Rail?"

"Behind the fridge"

Where else would a Water Rail have been...? Perhaps one had to be there.

The supporting cast included at least one Lapland Bunting lappspurv, a flock of six Snow Bunting snøspurv, a Garden Warbler hagesanger, at least a couple of Chiff-chaff gransanger and two Blackcap munk. A Nuthatch spettmies may well have been the most unusual bird of the day on Hernar.

Chiff-chaff gransanger


Nuthatch spettmeis

Twite bergirisk numbers were somewhat reduced from the previous visit with "only" around 60 present, a couple of White-tailed Eagle havørn and plenty more besides meant that there was barely a dull moment. Plenty of thrushes and large numbers of Blue tit blåmeis on the move.

Typically shortly before the boat home arrived a series of unidentified birds including at least three different warblers decided to show themselves......

And with such and enjoyable day it didn't seem to matter that we dipped on the Rosy Starling rosenstær seen at Herdlevær today.....