Norway 2024
I have dreamed of visiting Scandinavia since I was a little boy and this year I was finally able to make that dream come true. The plan was a road trip from Germany up to central Norway to photograph wildlife and nature. The mighty musk-ox was the main goal, an animal of the last ice age that can be found in central Norway. More on that later. I didn't plan the whole trip out, instead, I just packed my things, took out the back seats, plopped a sleeping mat into the back of the car (old Renault Scenic), and started driving north.
Sweden
I took the ferry from Rostock to Trelleborg and after a border control including a drug-sniffing dog and a confused border police officer, after I told him why I was carrying so much camera gear, I was finally in Sweden. Although I was already falling in love with the Swedish landscapes, countless forests, and beautiful lakes, I wanted to get to Norway as fast as possible because I only had a month of time and I wanted as much time as possible in Norway. After a calm night next to a beautiful lake, I started my next morning with a cold plunge while the sun was rising and then headed straight for the Norwegian border. This time they let me pass without questioning and so I arrived in Norway on the second day of my journey.
Dovrefjell Nationalpark
Day 1
The first place on the list was the “Dovrefjell–Sunndalsfjella” National Park, home to the muskoxen and many other stunning animals. On my first day in Dovrefjell, I had the plan to hike to a viewpoint that makes it easy to spot muskoxen, so I packed my camera bag and started hiking. After the first minutes, I started to realize, that this would be more difficult than expected because the snow was starting to melt, which meant it wasn't supporting my body weight anymore. So every step was a gamble which 9 out of 10 times ended in me being knee-deep in the snow with running water at the bottom. Long story short, I arrived at the top an hour later absolutely soaked but luckily the sun was out and it was relatively warm. I was absolutely amazed by the stunning landscape, endless mountain peaks, snowy plains, and the sun illuminating this stunning scenery. I followed the ridge of the mountain for about 15 Minutes and then, for the first time, I saw a musk-ox right in front of me, sleeping and not really paying attention to me. I went around the Animal in a big circle to get a better Angle and I discovered that it had 4 Muskoxen in total, all of them relaxing and not paying attention to me. I was able to photograph and film them for a while and I was absolutely stoked that the hike up got rewarded so quickly.
Day 2
On the second day I made my way up the same path I took the day before but this time there were 3 muskoxen down in the forests below the mountains, I later learned that at this time of year, the females come down to the birch forests to give birth and afterward they migrate back up to the mountains. I was really excited because the forest allowed for some new backgrounds and I was also able to go closer than out in the open field. Unfortunately, I was a little bit early to witness them giving birth or to see any young ones. Of course, the muskoxen were not the only animals in the forest. I spent the whole day with the Muskoxen and woodpeckers until my SD cards were full, an absolute photography dream. After leaving the forest I immediately started looking through the pictures and editing them and it's safe to say I was very happy with the results.
Day 3
Although the Day in the forest was absolutely stunning, I still wanted to get some more pictures with the mountains as a Background, so I went back up there on my third and last day in Dovrefjell. After hours of searching, I could not find any Muskoxen or even birds, the whole mountain seemed empty and I was starting to head home when I noticed a movement on the ground. At first, I thought I was mistaken, because I could not find anything, but after a second movement, I realized I was looking at a rock ptarmigan which was perfectly camouflaged. I slowly took out my camera and started to capture this stunning bird. After a few minutes, another one appeared and now it was a male and female slowly making their way across the rocky/snowy ground. Rock Ptarmigans change their feather color according to the seasons, in winter they are fully white and in summer they are, as the name suggests, rock colored. When I found them they were a mixture of both white and rock colored. I spent 30 Minutes with this pair and then they started to move away and I didn't want to disturb them, so I went the other way, further down the mountain. I was almost at the edge of the birch forest when I spotted a huge bull on my left, that was resting, and got up as soon as he saw me. I walked back slowly to show him that I was not a threat and then he calmed down and I was able to take some pictures. It was already getting very dark so I had to work with a slower shutter speed and sadly high ISO but I still managed to capture this magnificent animal. With that last encounter, it was time to say goodbye to Dovrefjell, but I will definitely return in the future, to this amazing Place.
Bird Island - Runde
Day 1
After three stunning days in the mountains of Dovrefjell, I made my way to the west coast of Norway, specifically to an island called Runde. This place is home to a rich birdlife and marine life as well, as I was about to find out. The island is used as a nesting ground by many seabirds such as Atlantic puffins, northern gannets, razorbills, and skuas. There are also rising numbers of eagles that glide along the steep cliffs and hunt for food. Upon arriving on Runde Island, I noticed a large dorsal fin coming out of the water. My first thought was dolphins, but a moment later another larger fin appeared and that is when I saw the iconic white eyepatch of the Orca. I could not believe my eyes, but there were 4 Orcas chasing a large fish otter and because it was very difficult to take great pictures from the shore, I mostly enjoyed the moment. That was definitely an unforgettable experience for me and I feel very lucky to have witnessed this incredible animal. After this perfect welcoming to the island, I made my way up the birding cliffs to photograph the Seabirds and Eagles. I spent the whole evening with the birds, alongside some other wildlife photographers.
Day 2
On the second day, I hiked to the bird cliffs again and spent the whole day photographing until both of my SD-Cards were full, needless to say, it was a perfect day. Not only the photography but also meeting many new photographers.
Heading home.
My time on Runde was over and it was time to slowly start heading back home. On my first night, as I was about to go to sleep I heard an Owl calling and after a while, I managed to specify which owl it was and where it was. It was a boreal Owl, that used an old farmhouse as a home and the surrounding area as hunting grounds. I tried to photograph it, but by the time I was able to find it, it was pitch black outside which made it very hard to spot the owl and take good pictures, because it was changing positions every 5-10 minutes. I decided to stay another day, to take some good pictures, and on the next day I was able to take a portrait and a shot with the moon in the background. A few days later I stumbled upon a bird-watching platform, which I used to take pictures of smaller birds with backlight. The sun shining through the wings, made them shine in bright colors. The next day was spent photographing arctic terns in flight, which look very elegant when captured from the right angle. The next few days I headed back through Sweden and then home to Germany. I didn't have any special wildlife encounters in Sweden, except for hearing a moose one morning. But it was still an amazing journey with lots of beautiful nature.
I am now back at home, looking through all of these pictures and writing this text and there is no doubt in my mind, that I will return to Scandinavia and especially Norway in the future. It was everything I every dreamed of and so much more!