By Bjшrn Frantzen, Morten Gьnther, Eugene Potorochin and Yuliya Soltsevao
Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, 2016
Pbk, 239pp; maps, many photographs
ISBN 978-8217-01607-6 Ј24.99
Starting with the beautiful drake King Eider Somateria spectabilis on the cover, this guide is liberally illustrated with a wide variety of mainly high-quality photographs of the iconic birds of the region. Also included are images of the habitats and birders in action at the sites described, an interesting addition to the usual ‘where to watch’ guides. The book covers the rather well-known and increasing popular Varanger region of Norway (24 sites) and the poorly known region of Murmansk (25 sites) on the other side of the Russian border, where the locations are described as hard to access, the habitats as wilderness with few facilities and mainly lacking in tourist infrastructure. While the Varanger area will no doubt continue to increase in popularity, how much use the Murmansk site descriptions will be is questionable at this time but for the would-be explorer there are no doubt discoveries to be made in a region studied only by scientists.
Each location/area has a detailed map with symbols showing parking areas and viewpoints as well as useful things like petrol stations, food shops and accommodation as well as the best times of year to visit, time required to explore the site and mobile phone coverage. Timing, species likely to be encountered, access details, other flora and fauna, nearby locations and facilities form the bulk of each site text. Looking at the sites I know quite well from repeated visits to the Varanger area, the details on access and birds seem to be accurate and in many cases there are additional bits of information and species added to sites that I thought I had explored well. The species mentioned often include levels of abundance and the best times to see them so that visitors can plan their trip to stand the best chance of encountering desired species. The information is all bang up to date and includes references to the rarities found at each location. An introductory chapter has lots of useful information on public access, car rental, driving and accommodation with links to local weather sites, tides and maps.
Times have changed dramatically since my first visit to Varanger – as recently as 2005 – and this guide is a very useful addition to the ever-increasing amount of information that is available to assist birders to make the most of their still somewhat expensive visits to this outpost of mainland Europe.
Graham Catley