Black-headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus), photographed along Akerselva in downtown Oslo, in the exact same spot as where he was ringed 7 years ago (in 2018).

He was already an adult when he received his ring, meaning at the time of this picture he's at least in his 10th calendar year, possibly older.

Since he got ringed, he's been frequently observed at the same spots along the Akerselva river. In total he's been spotted 10 times at Kuba bridge, additionally also at Nybroa, Grünerroa, Bispevika, and Anne-Cath Vestlys plass.

Fieldfare foraging for food in the mud next to Akerselva, Oslo.

Fieldfares are omnivores, eating primarily worms, insects, and spiders during summer, and berries and fruit during winter. In this spot several black birds, fieldfares, and wood pigeons were foraging in the dirt, persumably looking for worms.

Gloria, an adult european herring gull (larus argentatus) who frequents our balcony.

We originally believed him to be a girl. He's often observed on the same roof as two big male adult herring gulls, so we thought he was the girlfriend of one of them.

But recently he showed up on our balcony freshly ringed, and his data told us he's actually a big fat boy gull.

This also means we'll be able to follow his adventures, even after we've moved away from here, very exciting to see what he will be up to in the future, and if he will be observed breeding this year.

More Gloria

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Every morning, the local crows follow us along on our dog walk. Some of them have even learned to recognize the sound of our dogs barking, and come gliding towards us as soon as they hear them.

And as soon as the flock spots us in the park, we get surrounded by all of them, which in autumn and winter easily ends up being a group of 50+ crows.

This little crow boss and his body guards were photographed in November, while they were trying to intimidate me into sharing the dog treats with them (and I of course obliged).

Hooded crow (corvus cornix), hanging out in Sofienbergparken in Grünerløkka, scavenging for food between the grass.

Once the crows here understand that you're safe to be around, they let you come quite close. Sometimes they even hop behind dogs and bite their tails as a sort of game, which is really fun to observe.

Mr. Foot, one of the hooded crows living in our area. He often greets us during our walks, sometimes even following us around the neighborhood.

Crows seem to be a lot less predictable than gulls. Whereas the street gulls return to their same chimney every day, Mr. Footieboy and friends don't stick to a schedule. This makes sense, as crows are known to adapt their daily foraging strategy based on what's been discussed at the crow gatherings at night.

Josefine and Gulliver already looked very different from eachother, Gulliver is much larger and has a bigger beak for example, but their winter plumage makes them even more distinct.

Gulliver has few thin brown stripes on his face, but Josefine's head is filled with them. Their head pattern during winter seems to be the same (or similar) each year as well, from what I can tell based on old pictures.

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Close-up of Josefine's eye.

Gulliver and his partner Josefine are still visiting the balcony daily, but both are meanwhile molted into complete winter plumage.

In a way it's easy to tell Gulliver apart from the other neighborhood gulls, thanks to his attitude and the fact that he rarely leaves the side of Josefine. But when in doubt, we check the iris. The black specks on the yellow eyes form a unique pattern, almost like a biological "barcode". And during winter season the pattern formed by the stripes on their head is another way to tell apart individuals.

The beautiful lichen-covered mountains by Venabygdfjellet, an area close to Rondane National Park in the Innland county in Norway.

Gloria is a fierce adult herring gull, who spends a lot of time on the neighbor's roof.

We suspect she's a girl, since she's quite small, and has a short beak and round head.

Gloria is a fierce adult herring gull, who spends a lot of time on the neighbor's roof. She successfully raised at least one chick during the 2024 breeding season, which causes her to get into a lot of disputes about food and territory with the other gulls.

She occasionally visits the balcony with new (minor and superficial) injuries. One time she showed up with blood of another animal all over her face, another time the gull living on our roof pulled feathers out of her face above the beak, and this time she showed up with blood around her eye.

We followed her closely, and luckily the wound healed quickly and without any complications.

Gloria is a fierce adult herring gull, who spends a lot of time on the neighbor's roof.

At night time she often takes a rest stop on our balcony, before joining the rest of the gull flock outside of the city center.

This picture was taken one evening early in August, when she arrived for her evening nap before it got dark outside, so I had the possibility to finally shoot some portraits of her.

Gloria is a fierce adult herring gull, who spends a lot of time on the neighbor's roof.

Gloria is a fierce adult herring gull, who spends a lot of time on the neighbor's roof.

At night time she often takes a rest stop on our balcony, before joining the rest of the gull flock outside of the city center.

This picture was taken one evening early in August, when she arrived for her evening nap before it got dark outside, so I had the possibility to finally shoot some portraits of her.

Gulliver always keeping an eye on us.

Josefine looking at us from the side of the roof.

The fieldfare is a small bird, but with its 80-130gr amongst the largest of the thush family in Norway, that lays around 5-6 eggs per clutch. The eggs are incubated for around two weeks. Around two weeks after hatching the young start to fledge, and both parents continue their feeding duties until the chicks are around a month old.

I photographed this fieldfare in July 2024, by the Akerselva river in Grünerløkka, Oslo.

Fieldfare chicks fledge roughly two weeks after hatching, and the parents continue feeding them until they're around a month old. This one was already exploring the world outside the nest, but was also still being fed, so I assume they were between 2 weeks and a month old when I took this picture.

Gulliver stopping by on the balcony for his daily visit. They've been incredibly talkative this summer, him and Josefine are shouting at each other all the time.

Josefine the herring gull. Typically Gulliver protects her while she's eating, but she can stand her ground too when needed and has chased plenty of gulls out of her territory.

White-tailed Eagle in Finnmark, Norway's most northern region. There's still brown on the tail feathers, so this individual isn't fully adult yet.

White-tailed Eagle (Havørn or sea eagle in Norwegian), on the lookout for a prey, by a bird cliff in Finnmark. This was done during a bird watching trip with BirdSafari AS in Gjesvær, Nordkapp.

Herring gull in flight. This picture was taken at a remote beach in Varanger, in the middle of the night during midnight sun season, even though the sun was blocked by clouds.

Part of a colony of thoudands of gulls, that spent their night on this beach in Hamningberg in Finnmark.

They blend in so well with their environment here as well. The rocks are different shades of gray, with some brown mosses and lichen growing on them and big white spots of bird droppings. Which is the perfect camouflage for seabirds that are white/gray as adults and beige/brown/white/gray as juveniles.

At first we thought the gulls were only on the grass, but when using the binoculars to look at the rocks on the beach in the background, we realized they were completely covered in gulls as well.

This was an impressive sight!

A large flock of gulls follows whales along the coastline in Hamningberg. Whales are often followed by seabirds who are looking to snatch some fish.

Thousands of gulls spent the night along these rocky beaches in Hamningberg (Båtsfjord municipality in Finnmark).

Most of them were young (< 4 years) herring gulls and great black-backed gulls, and at sea we also observed kittiwakes and adult herring gulls following the whales.

A large flock of gulls spent the night along these rocky beaches in Hamningberg (Båtsfjord municipality in Finnmark).

Most of them were young (< 4 years) herring gulls and great black-backed gulls, and at sea we also observed kittiwakes and adult herring gulls following the whales.

Thousands of gulls spent the night along these rocky beaches in Hamningberg (Båtsfjord municipality in Finnmark).

Most of them were young (< 4 years) herring gulls and great black-backed gulls, and at sea we also observed kittiwakes and adult herring gulls following the whales.

A large flock of gulls spent the night along these rocky beaches in Hamningberg (Båtsfjord municipality in Finnmark).

Most of them were young (< 4 years) herring gulls and great black-backed gulls, and at sea we also observed kittiwakes and adult herring gulls following the whales.

Thousands of gulls spent the night along these rocky beaches in Hamningberg (Båtsfjord municipality in Finnmark).

Most of them were young (< 4 years) herring gulls and great black-backed gulls, and at sea we also observed kittiwakes and adult herring gulls following the whales.

Thousands of gulls spent the night along these rocky beaches in Hamningberg (Båtsfjord municipality in Finnmark).

Most of them were young (< 4 years) herring gulls and great black-backed gulls, and at sea we also observed kittiwakes and adult herring gulls following the whales.

Atlantic puffin (lundefugl, fratercula arctica) at Hornøya, photographed in June 2024.

A young kittiwake on a warm summer day in Vardø, northern-most Norway.

Here kittiwakes (rissa tridactyla) have started breeding in the center of town, where they are protected from the eagles in the area. In order to avoid the kittiwakes making nests on people's houses, kittiwake hotels where they can nest in peace were built in several locations.

This family was nesting on an abandoned building near one of the kittiwake hotels, and all members were sitting beak open, cooling down from the temperatures.

Picture taken from a safe distance, with telezoom lens, and further cropped in post production, so no chicks were disturbed.

Arctic tern flying around in its nesting area somewhere in Vardø, on the Varanger peninsula in Finnmark, northern Norway. These terns are fierce nest defenders, that do not shy away from a fight. I was observing them from a safe distance, on a parking lot, when two of them started diving for my head, which was a good sign that it was time to leave the terns be and head back to the car.

Group of common murres at Hornøya.

Murres are very social auks, that breed as tight as 20 pairs (40 individuals) per square meter. Being so close together offers better protection to the eggs and chicks, since neighbors can assist in fighting off predators.

Being this tight to your neighbor is guaranteed to to cause some commotion, and we observed many murres both cozing up to their neighbors, and getting into friendly arguments with them.

Atlantic puffin at Hornøya.

Bridled common murre portrait, taken at Hornøya (in Finnmark, Norway). In Norwegian this variation of murre is often called a "ringvi", merging the words "ring" and "lomvi" (murre).

The birds at Hornøya are not shy, and often running over the path and between people at Hornøya, actively checking out what the humans are up to. This one was standing a few meters away from me, overlooking the ocean.

This picture is available as a print, notebook, or mug.

More bridled common murre pictures

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Common murre overlooking the sea.

Black-legged kittiwake sitting on top of one of the Kittiwake hotels in Vardø.

Here the kittiwakes have more and more moved from the bird cliffs into town, so locals built kittiwake hotels (breeding platforms) so they would nest away from the houses.

It was really nice to see so many healthy kittiwakes breeding in those boxes this year, especially after a catastrophic year with avian flu in 2023.

Common murre at Hornøya.

Common murre at Hornøya (northern Norway). Here around 100,000 seabirds breed each summer season, and the murres are the most numerous species on the island, with over 15,000 breeding pairs.

This individual was hanging out with the shags, and taking a peek from behind a rock right next to the shoreline.

Atlantic puffin at Hornøya.

European shag (Gulosus aristotelis, formerly kown as Phalacrocorax aristotelis) proudly walking back to the nest with some very special stick: the skeleton of another shag.

We observed many shags returning back to their partner with new nest material for home renovations, which typically consited of kelp or similar, but this one really brought back the most special decoration. They were not the only one finding the remains of their neighbor (or love rival?) acceptable nest building material, we saw at least one other shag on a nest with bones woven into it.

Common murres creating a new generation while their friends and family watch. Murres nest very close to eachother, which offers protection from predators, and it's often family that they nest next to. No privacy at all.

European shag (Gulosus aristotelis, formerly kown as Phalacrocorax aristotelis) proudly walking back to the nest with some very special stick: the skeleton of another shag.

We observed many shags returning back to their partner with new nest material for home renovations, which typically consited of kelp or similar, but this one really brought back the most special decoration. They were not the only one finding the remains of their neighbor (or love rival?) acceptable nest building material, we saw at least one other shag on a nest with bones woven into it.

Portrait of a black-legged kittiwake, taken in the habor in Vardø (Finnmark, Norway), after our visit to Hornøya.

Second year kittiwake, photographed at Hornøya, an island which around a hundered thousand seabirds call home.

Black-legged kittiwake, photographed in Varanger, northern Norway.

Kittiwakes are so cute 🤍 Unfortunately, they have it really tough these days. Overfishing, climate change and human activity threaten their food and habitat, and last year they had a disastrous bird flu outbreak. Additionally, in Norway the white-tailed eagle conservation has been so successful that the eagles are now so plentiful that the kittiwakes are being chased away from their cliffs, and into the coastal towns, like this one.

Female red-necked phalarope (svømmesnipe), photographed in Varanger (Finnmark, Norway) at night under the midnight sun in June.

This is a female, which we can tell because of the color of the plumage, which is more saturated and higher in contrast than the male's feathers. The females are more grey and have a more defined red/orange neck, whereas the males are more brown and dull in color.

Male ruff (Calidris pugnax; brushane), photographed in Vadsø during the summer of 2024.

Ruffs are a type of wader, recognized by the classy and dramatic plummage of the males, who have big and colorful neck feathers.

They breed in wetlands in the mountains and along the coast, with their summer habitat stretching from Norway to the eastern-most part of Russia/Siberia. During winter, they migrate to Africa, south of the Sahara.

Male ruff (Calidris pugnax; brushane), photographed in Vadsø during the summer of 2024.

Ruffs are a type of wader, recognized by the classy and dramatic plummage of the males, who have big and colorful neck feathers.

They breed in wetlands in the mountains and along the coast, with their summer habitat stretching from Norway to the eastern-most part of Russia/Siberia. During winter, they migrate to Africa, south of the Sahara.

Male ruff (Calidris pugnax; brushane), photographed in Vadsø during the summer of 2024.

Ruffs are a type of wader, recognized by the classy and dramatic plummage of the males, who have big and colorful neck feathers.

They breed in wetlands in the mountains and along the coast, with their summer habitat stretching from Norway to the eastern-most part of Russia/Siberia. During winter, they migrate to Africa, south of the Sahara.

Common gull in flight, photographed somewhere between Lakselv and Smørfjord in Porsanger.

Here we saw plenty of breeding platforms made for the gulls along the coastline, most of which were in use, and this individual was on their way back to one of these platforms.

In a time where gulls are in decline, it's nice to come across places where people have put effort into helping their local gulls, rather than chasing them away.

Common murre photographed at Hornøya, an island in the northernmost and easternmost part of Norway.

Murres spend the majority of their life at sea, and only come on land to breed, which happens on steep seaside cliffs like these. This picture was taken at the start of April, when the seabirds had just returned to their nesting grounds.

This is the bridled version, in Norwegian also called "ringvi" (ring-lomvi), which has a white circle around the eyes that makes them look as if they're wearing glasses.

I thought this one individual looked particularly cute, checking me out from behind a rock. They're curious and very lively and social birds, it's so fun to observe.

When birds of prey fly past, all the auks instantly abandon their cliff, leading to a lot of chaotic sights like this one.

While I was on the island, the birds on the cliff flew off like this several times. And while it looked and sounded very chaotic (I mean, it's literally thousands of seabirds shouting and flying away in the sme direction, of course it's chaotic), they did seem quite synchronized and disciplined, and collisions are rare.

Common murre photographed at Hornøya, April 2024.

I was taking a picture of this family of common murres/common guillemots (Uria aalge) posing while more auks flew by at Hornøya, when a European Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis) crashlanded in the snow right in front of me, creating this dramatic portrait.

Picture taken at Hornøya, by Vardø in the north of Norway.

Purple sandpiper foraging for food along the coast by Nesseby in northern Norway.

When I realized how beautifully blue-purple the light became around sunset, I knew I had to head to a beach and find some purple sandpipers to photograph and photograph them in "their" light.

In order to avoid the kittiwakes nesting on people's homes and offer the kittiwakes a safe breeding ground, people in the "kittiwake towns" built hotels for their kittiwakes. This gives them an easy but controlled space to nest.

Two common murres preening eachother at Hornøya, a bird cliff in northern Norway. These are the bridled variation (also called "ringvi" in Norwegian), which have a white stripe around the eyes resembling glasses.

Bridled common murres are the same species (Uria aalge). The glasses are just a genetic variation, and are more common in northern regions.

Kittiwake about to land on a platform at the kittiwake hotel in Kiberg, Vardø kommune (Varanger/Finnmark, northern Norway). Here kittiwakes are starting to make their nests in the cities, rather than the nearby birdcliffs, where they find protection from predators like white-tailed eagles.

In order to avoid the kittiwakes nesting on people's homes and offer the kittiwakes a safe breeding ground, people in the "kittiwake towns" built hotels for their kittiwakes. This gives them an easy but controlled space to nest.

Kittiwake flying past a red wooden building, somewhere in Vardø municipality in Varanger (Finnmark, northernmost Norway).

I took this picture in the spring of '24 at one of the "kittiwake hotels" in Vardø.

Here kittiwakes have taken over the town, seeking shelter from the white-tailed eagles that roam the coastline, and kittiwake hotels (boxes stacked on top of eachother) have been built to discourage the kittiwakes from building their nests on the houses.

Two common murres returning to the cliff from an afternoon of fishing at sea.

Two razorbills cuddling together in the snow at Hornøya (Vardø, Finnmark), in April 2024, at the start of breeding season.

Razorbills are socially monogamous, like most seabirds, and return to the same nesting spot with the same partner each year. They mate for life, but divorces do happen, for example if one of them proves to be a bad parent, and they re-pair after their partner dies.

These two were enjoying some alone time, something that must be rare at crowded cliffs like this, preening eachother while enjoying the afternoon sun in the snow.

I spotted these two razorbills rubbing their beaks and heads together, cuddling surrounded by snow. I found a pile of snow in the foreground to position myself behind, which let me create the white haze in the foreground and also gave our lovebirds some space.

Razorbills, just like most seabirds, are monogamous and mate for life, returning to the same nest and partner each year.

When the white-tailed eagle gets observed at the cliff, the auks flee the scene and thousands of seabirds fill the sky.

These two razorbills, positioned on a rock below the bird cliff felt safe from the threat and remained in place, vigilantly keeping an eye on the activity above them in the sky.

During my time at Hornøya during spring 2024, I saw the murres, razorbills, puffins, and kittiwakes fly off in a panic many times, startled by the predators.

Two razorbills cuddling together in the snow at Hornøya (Vardø, Finnmark), in April 2024, at the start of breeding season.

Razorbills are socially monogamous, like most seabirds, and return to the same nesting spot with the same partner each year. They mate for life, but divorces do happen, for example if one of them proves to be a bad parent, and they re-pair after their partner dies.

These two were enjoying some alone time, something that must be rare at crowded cliffs like this, preening eachother while enjoying the afternoon sun in the snow.

Cuddling razorbills (Alca torda), photographed at Hornøya in the spring of 2024.

Razorbills are socially monogamous. They'll pick a partner and stick with them for life, but, just like amongst humans, divorces may happen.

Razorbills (Alca torda) at Hornøya.

The razorbill on the left is actually just making a landing. But the postures and facial expressions of all of them made it seem as if he clumsely fell off the cliff while his friends were laughing at him.

It's quite incredible that they don't have constant collisions, because as soon as predators are observed thousands of seabirds synchronously abandon the cliff.

When birds of prey are observed around the bird cliff at Hornøya, most of the auks promptly abandon their nesting grounds, flying out to the open sea and counting on the safety of being in a larger flock.

But not this one bridled common murre. While all of the neighbors fled the white-tailed eagle, this individual decided to proudly fly back to the cliff with a meal in the beak. Maybe supplying their partner on the nest with an emergency snack?

European shag preening them self at Hornøya. The shags easily became one of my favorite seabirds after this summer, they have so much personality.

Young European Shag at Hornøya, photographed in April 2024. On my way off the island, right next to the boat pickup, I met a group of sunbathing young shags.

They're so cute, and have such fun facial expressions. Meeting them up close at Hornøya definitely made me appreciate shags more.

Their clumsy movements, interesting interactions, and dinosaur-like sounds make them a very exciting bird to observe. Murres, razorbills, and puffins may be the Hornøya birds people are most drawn to due to their stunning visuals, when it comes to behavior and personality, the shags are the clear winners.

Purple sandpiper foraging for food along the coast by Nesseby in northern Norway.

The tides are very noticeable at this beach, and many waders can be found following the water. During winter and spring, that's mainly purple sandpipers, which are tough enough to overwinter in the north of Norway as well.

Purple sandpiper foraging for food along the coast by Nesseby in northern Norway.

The tides are very noticeable at this beach, and many waders can be found following the water. During winter and spring, that's mainly purple sandpipers, which are tough enough to overwinter in the north of Norway as well.

Purple sandpiper foraging for food along the coast by Nesseby in northern Norway.

The tides are very noticeable at this beach, and many waders can be found following the water. During winter and spring, that's mainly purple sandpipers, which are tough enough to overwinter in the north of Norway as well.

Purple sandpiper foraging for food along the coast by Nesseby in northern Norway.

The tides are very noticeable at this beach, and many waders can be found following the water. During winter and spring, that's mainly purple sandpipers, which are tough enough to overwinter in the north of Norway as well.

Josefine is a herring gull that's been spending time in our part of town for at least 9 years, and often visits our balcony together with her partner.

Josefine is a herring gull that's been spending time in our part of town for at least 9 years, and often visits our balcony together with her partner.

Smew (lappfiskand) at Østensjøvannet in March 2024.

Smew (lappfiskand) at Østensjøvannet in March 2024.

Smew (lappfiskand) at Østensjøvannet in March 2024.

Smew (lappfiskand) at Østensjøvannet in March 2024.

Smew (lappfiskand) at Østensjøvannet in March 2024.

Silhouette of one of the neighborhood herring gulls standing guard on the neighbor's chimney. From up here, the gulls have a great overview over the park, and as soon as any food touches the ground there the entire flock flies down to try and grab a bite.

This particular chimney also has a great view on something else in the neighborhood, our otherwise rather private rooftop balcony and roof windows. As soon as there's movement in our flat, the neighborhood is notified by our two roof gulls, who move back and forth between our roof and the chimney across the street.

In this picture, the black blur in the foreground is created by the balcony wall in front of the lens, and I felt that black and white set the mood quite well.

Young herring gull ("gråmåke" in Norwegian) hanging out in the snow in Grünerløkka.

Gulliver in the evening light. He's a herring gull that often visits our balcony in the center of Oslo.

Gulliver, our loyal balcony friend, photographed in the first snow of the 2023-2024 winter season.

While he and his partner have been living on the chimneys in our street for years, our balcony only become their favorite hangout spot this winter. In fact, the day I took this picture was the first time he hung out at our balcony.

Similar photos

Gulliver, our loyal balcony friend, photographed in the first snow of the 2023-2024 winter season.

While he and his partner have been living on the chimneys in our street for years, our balcony only become their favorite hangout spot this winter. In fact, the day I took this picture was the first time he hung out at our balcony.

European Herring Gulls flying over our balcont in the snow.

Adult herring gull having opinions about the snow.

Gulliver, our loyal balcony friend, photographed in the first snow of the 2023-2024 winter season.

While he and his partner have been living on the chimneys in our street for years, our balcony only become their favorite hangout spot this winter. In fact, the day I took this picture was the first time he hung out at our balcony.

Hooded crow coming for a visit on our balcony in the center of Oslo. Since the start of the pandemic in 2020, I started feeding a family of neighborhood crows, which I called the CORVID-19 gang.

They occasionally stop by for a treat, and follow us on dog walks in the street.

Before I got to know the local corvids, I didn't realize how much bird life there was in the city, and thought I had to leave the center in order to see any nature or wildlife. Spending time with them has been a lifesaver, and they'll forever have a warm place in my heart 🖤.

Great cormorant (storskarv) perching on a tree by Østensjøvannet / Lake Østensjø, on the outskirts of Oslo.

This was taken during september 2023, during my second visit of many to the lake. It's really nice to see some areas in the city that are made more accessible to wildlife, and where waterbirds are easy to observe.

Portrait of a mute swan (knoppsvane) at Østensjøvannet in Oslo. Picture taken from by the observation platform under the bridge, where a few swans and a lot of ducks were foraging for food.

Moorhen photographed by Østensjøvannet in Oslo, during September 2023, from one of the bird observation platforms.

Old wooden shed sonewhere in Porsanger municipality (northern Norway), during the last hike of our trip in the summer of 2023. We felt so sad to have to return back south, but got to say goodbye to the region with one last gorgeous hike during blue hour.

It's a simple pictures, but it's one of my favorites from that trip.

Common ringed plover (Charadrius hiaticula) foraging for food by the shoreline by Nesseby church in Varanger (Finnmark, Norway), photographed in August 2023.

The ringed plovers that breed here in Varanger overwinter in Africa, south of the Sahara (different from the ones that breed in the south of Norway, which overwinter in Europe).

Common ringed plover (Charadrius hiaticula) foraging for food by the shoreline by Nesseby church in Varanger (Finnmark, Norway), photographed in August 2023.

The ringed plovers that breed here in Varanger overwinter in Africa, south of the Sahara (different from the ones that breed in the south of Norway, which overwinter in Europe).

White-tailed Eagle (Havørn or sea eagle in Norwegian), on the lookout for a prey, by a bird cliff in Finnmark. The eagle blends in very well with the rocky landscape in the North, and this individual is a great example of the camouflage.

White-tailed Eagle (Havørn or sea eagle in Norwegian), on the lookout for a prey, by a bird cliff in Finnmark.

Adult common gull spotted somewhere on the border of Nordland and Troms in northern Norway, during summer 2023.

This adult was resting in the grass on a parking lot next to a small harbor, keeping an eye on its two chicks that were paddling in the water.

Common gull chick photographed by a lake in Nordland, during early August in 2023, while we were driving up to Finnmark.

We slept in our van on a parking lot next to this lake, and had breakfast on nearby picnic benches, when we suddenly noticed this young gull between the grass close to us. The parents were following along from the top of a nearby street light.

Aren't gull chicks incredibly cute?

The purple sandpiper is a small wading shorebird, which breeds in the arctic.

This picture was taken during my trip to Svalbard in July 2023, just outside of Longyearbyen, close to the arctic tern breeding grounds by the airport.

It was a rainy day, and the plan was to bird watch from a small bird watching house by an arctic tern breeding ground. As soon as we exited the car the terns started chasing us away.

While retreating to give the terns their space (they attack because they're stressed about their young) and protect our heads, I noticed this little purple sandpiper looking at us from the side of the road.

They're so cute 🥹

Atlantic puffin spotted at Svalbard, July 2023. We were on a boat trip with Better Moments, going from Longyearbyen to Ny-Ålesund.

This particular picture was taken somewhere close to Alkhornet, a cliff in Isfjorden where many murres and puffins nest.

Atlantic puffin spotted at Svalbard, July 2023. We were on a boat trip with Better Moments, going from Longyearbyen to Ny-Ålesund.

Mountains somewhere between Longyearbyen and Ny-Ålesund, in Svalbard. This was taken from a small RIB boat, during a day trip with Better Moments.

I love the landscapes in Svalbard, and I love the variety of scenery we had during this trip. These mountains were very pointy and rough and rather barren, but during the same trip we also saw very green bird cliffs (the bird droppings fertilizes them), rounded fjords, big plateaus, glaciers, and long flat beaches with walruses on them.

Mountains somewhere between Longyearbyen and Ny-Ålesund, in Svalbard. This was taken from a small RIB boat, during a day trip with Better Moments.

I love the landscapes in Svalbard, and I love the variety of scenery we had during this trip. These mountains were very pointy and rough and rather barren, but during the same trip we also saw very green bird cliffs (the bird droppings fertilizes them), rounded fjords, big plateaus, glaciers, and long flat beaches with walruses on them.

Little auk in flight, photographed in Bjørndalen by Longyearbyen in Svalbard.

When visiting Svalbard in 2017, I fell completely in love with the cute little auks and the tough thick-billed murres, which can be found all over. So when returning to Svalbard in 2023, I did several hikes to see them on the mountains surrounding Longyearbyen.

They're beautiful and noisy little birds, and I hope to see them again sometime.

Little auk in flight, photographed in Bjørndalen by Longyearbyen in Svalbard.

When visiting Svalbard in 2017, I fell completely in love with the cute little auks and the tough thick-billed murres, which can be found all over. So when returning to Svalbard in 2023, I did several hikes to see them on the mountains surrounding Longyearbyen.

They're beautiful and noisy little birds, and I hope to see them again sometime.

Arctic terns flying back to the nest with freshly caught fish, right outside of Longyearbyen in Svalbard.

Arctic tern flying back to the nest with freshly caught fish, right outside of Longyearbyen in Svalbard.

Our honeymoon in Iceland in June 2023 marked our first encounter with the red-necked phalarope, a small bird part of the snipe family (Scolopacidae), characterized by its bright orange stripes on the neck.

During our walk around Lake Mývatn, in the North of Iceland, we found them running around along a big part of the track, often in pairs.

This male red-necked phalarope was preening himself by the side of the lake, after cleaning himself in the water earlier. Male phalaropes are a bit less colorful than the females, and the orange stripes on their necks are less defined.

Our honeymoon in Iceland in June 2023 marked our first encounter with the red-necked phalarope, a small bird part of the snipe family (Scolopacidae), characterized by its bright orange stripes on the neck.

During our walk around Lake Mývatn, in the North of Iceland, we found them running around along a big part of the track, often in pairs.

The one pictured here is a female red-necked phalarope, which is much brighter and more colorful than the male.

This is different from many other bird species, where typically the male is more colorul to be attractive towards potential mates, whereas the females need camouflage while sitting on the nest or caring for the young.

However, the phalarope's gender roles are reversed. The females need to make themselves seem like attractive and healthy mates, then as soon as they've laid their eggs, they disappear and the male takes over as the sole caregiver. This makes duller males more advantageous, since they'll be less noticeable by predators during the nesting period.

Atlantic puffin in Iceland.

Greylag goose by the Akerselva river in downtown Oslo.