Birdwatching in Røst

In the outermost part of Lofoten, the island group and municipality Røst is located. Regarding birdlife, what Røst has to offer is totally unique. Wetlands, bird cliffs, and bird islands are all found within a relatively small area. Røstlandet is the largest of the islands, and nearly 90 percent of Røst’s 500-600 inhabitants live here. The island is flat, and the surface area is only 3.6 square kilometres, making the area easy for you to navigate. The island group has a few supermarkets and places to eat. To get to Røst, you can either take a ferry or the plane. The ferry schedule is found on Torghatten Nord AS.

Map over Røstlandet

Bird Cliffs in Røst
Southwest of Røstlandet, five bird cliffs are lined up in a row—Vedøya, Storfjellet, Ellevsnyken, Trenyken, and Hernyken. These bird cliffs together make up Scandinavia’s largest seabird colony. The Atlantic puffin is the most numerous species here. This area is also Norway’s most important place for breeding European Storm Petrel and Leach’s Storm Petrel. These birds will not approach land until late summer or autumn and only at dusk or by night. There are many boating offers to get from Røst and out to the bird cliffs. We would recommend that you do some research when you get there and then choose the alternative that suits you best. Although other places might be easier to access, the small island Skomvær, south of the bird cliffs, is oftentimes a good place for seabird watching.

Helpful Information

Accommodation

Did you know …

Bird Species Seen in the Area

Pictures from Røst

Some of the Birds in Røst

Rare birds in Røst
Røstlandet is actually one of the best island rarity hotspots in Norway. Rare birds are reported continuously, and even Siberian and American species show up—particularly in the autumn. Several of the rare birds registered in Røst hold the record of first observation in Norway.

Here are a few examples of rare birds seen in Røst:
Northern Harrier, Red-breasted Goose, Ring-necked Duck, Great Egret, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Cory’s Shearwater, Swinhoe’s Storm-Petrel, Black Kite, Montagu’s Harrier, Eurasian Thick-knee, Caspian Plover, Pacific Golden-Plover, American Golden-Plover, Oriental Plover, Long-billed Dowitcher, Marsh Sandpiper, Terek Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Baird’s Sandpiper, Red Phalarope, Lesser Yellowlegs, Hudsonian Godwit, Black-winged Stilt, Ivory Gull, Ross’s Gull, Franklin’s Gull, Sabine’s Gull, Thick-billed Murre, European Turtle-Dove, Snowy Owl, Olive-backed Pipit, Pechora Pipit, Citrine Wagtail, Red-flanked Bluetail, Pied Wheatear, Isabelline Wheatear, Blyth’s Reed Warbler, Barred Warbler, Arctic Warbler, Radde’s Warbler, Pallas’s Grasshopper-Warbler, Booted Warbler, Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Rosy Starling, White-winged Crossbill, Black-headed Bunting and Little Bunting.

Norsk Ornitologisk Forening
(in norwegian)

Biotope

Torghatten Nord AS – (Ferries)