VISITING OSLO? BIRDING ADVICE & GUIDING


If you are planning to visit Oslo or elsewhere in Norway and would like help in planning your own birding excursions or would like my help as a guide then please contact me, Simon Rix, by email at oslobirder@gmail.com (click on this link)

PLEASE NOTE THAT IN 2023 I WILL HAVE LIMITED ABILITY TO COMMIT TO BOOKINGS MORE THAN A WEEK IN ADVANCE

If you are in Oslo and would like to go birding then I can guide you around for a day or just a few hours depending on what you would like. I can also be hired as a guide for longer tours in Norway for example to the mountains area of Southern and Mid Norway. I will pick you up and drop you off at your hotel and promise to do my utmost to find the species you have most desire to see.

 

  Contact me if you will be in Oslo and would like a great days birding.

Hawk Owl is a bird that can often be seen in the winter close to Oslo

Oslo and the surrounding areas offer a rich birding experience at all times of the year.

In the depths of winter the sea is the focus of attention and there is a chance of Glaucous or Iceland Gull and Little Auks. In Oslo City Peregrine and Waxwings find food and if we are lucky some of the invasive species might be present in the forests, species such as Pine Grosbeak, the three Crossbill species and Hawk Owl. These are of course in addition to the resident species that one would expect in southern Scandinavia such as Pygmy Owl, Hazel Grouse and Three-toed and Black Woodpeckers.

From the end of February the owls begin to sing and in a normal year Tengmalm’s and Pygmy Owl are to be heard in the forests surrounding Oslo.

From the end of March spring migration begins and large numbers of wildfowl, waders, cranes, raptors and passerines pass through. Over 10,000 Pink-footed Geese can be seen heading north over Oslo in a single day in April. At Nordre Øyeren, just a 20 minute drive from Oslo hundreds, if not thousands of ducks and waders can be seen in April and May.

Breeding birds in the Oslo area include Red-backed Shrike, Wryneck, Tengmalm’s Owl, Pygmy Owl, Common Rosefinch, Marsh Warbler, Icterine Warbler, Black Woodpecker, Three-toed Woodpecker, Capercaille, Hazel Grouse, Osprey, Black-throated Diver, Corncrake and Nutcracker amongst others. Scarce species such as Blyth’s Reed Warbler and River Warbler can also be found singing annually.

The autumn migration begins with waders in July and Nordre Øyeren amongst other places can hold 20 plus species with a good chance for Broad-billed Sandpiper and other rarer species. As autumn progresses good numbers of geese migrate through the area, mostly Pink-footed but often with other species mixed in.

Southerly storms can bring good numbers of seabirds into the Oslofjord and from late September until November it is possible to see hundreds of auks plus the odd skua and if lucky rarities such as Sabines Gull.

While I would be foolish to guarantee any species I can promise a good birding experience around Oslo. 

I can also guide outside of the Oslo area. The mountains of southern Norway are no more than 3 hours drive away. A couple of days based in Beitostølen in June/July gives the chance of species such as Great Snipe, Dotterel, Temminck’s Stint, Shore Lark, Ptarmigan, Golden Eagle, Siberian Jay, Bluethroat, Purple Sandpiper, Red-necked Phalarope and Lapland Bunting. We can also try for species such as Pine Grosbeak, Great Grey, Ural and Hawk Owls, Ortolan Bunting and Broad-billed Sandpiper which occur very locally in Southern Norway and require some luck. See this report for an idea of what can be seen.



9 comments:

  1. Thanks for this... I'm going there in May 2016, all by myself as well. :) So i can't wait this trip.

    ReplyDelete
  2. "5.th of May 2017:
    Today I had the most interesting bird-guiding i Maridalen, outside Oslo. Maridalen is the meadow and forest area that I weekly visit. I have often wished to recognise more birds than I can manage myself. With the guiding of Simon I had more than 30 species in 4 hours! Some were rare and spectacular. Very fun!
    I learned a lot and very much recommend his guiding!
    Anne Kari, Oslo "

    ReplyDelete
  3. would like to do some birding in June/July sounds great

    ReplyDelete
  4. Simon is an excellent guide. Extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and educates at the level of the people he is guiding. And most importantly, he knows where to find the birds! We had a fantastic morning of birding with perfect timing to catch many migrants coming through. Highly recommend Simon as a bird guide to anyone, and look forward to another day with him when I return to Oslo.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I had a fantastic day with Simon on Friday 9th June. We had fantastic views of a Great Grey Owl family, and a full supporting cast. Simon worked hard and was good company and i will be back for more. Thanks Simon

    ReplyDelete
  6. Mike and Nancy from Ohio2 July 2017 at 14:35

    Hi Simon - Thanks again for the tour June 21. Birding around the Oslo lake on a beautiful morning with such a congenial local expert was a highlight of our fun Prairie Home Companion cruise. We just noticed the report/video you posted on the hobbies from John and Dan's afternoon session - wish we could have stayed for that! By the way, we found you via birdingpal.com. Are there other sites where we could post a review to let travelers know how to reach you? We were thinking of doing tripadvisor.com and cruisecritic.com...

    ReplyDelete
  7. I am there for a week in end October this year. How's the birding scene then?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Simon, I dropped you an email on 11 June to see if you might be available in late August in the Oslo area: did you receive it? If not, my wife and I will be in Oslo 17th-24th and would love to go out birding for a day. Would you be available? I can be contacted at steve.harcombe@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. Simon, Just a quick note from Steve and Ann to thank you for the great day we had with you last week. Great raptor action as you noted on your blog and the black-throated divers were breath taking. For anyone else reading the blog, I would thoroughly recommend Simon as a guide: as well as being extremely knowledgeable about where and what the birds are, he is really good company and a good person to spend time with. We will be in touch again! Regards, Steve Harcombe

    ReplyDelete