Thick-billed Murre at Varanger

Out at the far northeastern edge of Norway, the Varanger Peninsula's wind-scoured cliffs and open fjords offer a dramatic Arctic stage for photographing Thick-billed Murres against the tundra backdrop of Finnmark. Reaching into the Barents Sea well above the Arctic Circle, this stark, treeless landscape is best visited in April, when conditions are typically at their most favourable. Photographers joining the Winter Wildlife of Arctic Varanger holiday can make the most of this remote coastal setting to capture the species in its bleak, striking surroundings. Patience and warm layers are well rewarded here, given the exposed nature of the cliffs and fjords that define this corner of the Arctic.