Learn about the birds
at Runde
Join a guided tour of our beautiful bird exhibition and be fascinated by insightful stories about the special lives of seabirds.
Book the activity
Join a guided tour of our beautiful bird exhibition and be fascinated by insightful stories about the special lives of seabirds.
Book the activityIn the old days, you could see an enormous bird life at Runde. Up to one million flapping creatures came there to breed every year. Now there are only around 150,000 left - and yet Runde still has some of the largest seabird colonies south of the Arctic Circle. That's why the island is a popular destination for researchers, ornithologists and tourists interested in birds. For the latter group, it is unthinkable not to visit the bird exhibition at Runde Environment Center, where Opplev Runde 's professional nature guides talk about the wonderful life of seabirds and their role in the ecosystems along the coast.
Runde its most popular inhabitant is the puffin, which comes to the island every spring to breed. People flock to Lundeura in the evenings from April to August to see the charming puffin swarm in and out of small caves in the grasslands on the steep mountainside.
The guided tour of the bird exhibition at the environmental center has made the trip to Lundeura an extra special experience for many, thanks to all the new knowledge they gained. Did you know, for example, that if the puffin could choose, it would most likely never have flown to land, but would have lived in the middle of the ocean in 3-6 meter high waves all its life? The problem is that the eggs have to be laid on land, and the puffin parents take care to feed the chicks until they are ready to leave the nest. They are probably relieved when that happens.
But there are also many other fascinating seabirds at Runde, and they live in different parts of the mountain. That's why the bird exhibition at Runde Environment Center is designed like the bird mountain itself. You start with the eider ducks down in the barn, and move upwards, all the way to the sea eagle high up in the air. Along the way, you'll hear fascinating stories about everything from wrens and different types of gulls to the endangered guillemots and razorbills.
Did you know that guillemots try to minimize their time on land? As soon as they arrive at Runde, they find a mate and lay a single egg. Just two weeks after the egg hatches, the chick is pushed out into the water from a height of 250 meters. And there he lies, floating on the waves. The father stays behind to take care of the chick, while the mother goes out to hunt.
On the other hand, one bird species you can see lots of at Runde is the gannet. It has occupied the cliffs where the kittiwakes - which have now moved elsewhere - used to live. The gannet looks like an arrow plunging into the water at 100 kilometers per hour. In fact, it's so aerodynamic that the Japanese designed their fast trains after its beak. They found that this way they could minimize the air pressure the train creates when it enters a tunnel.
"Fjellpolitiet" at Runde is the big boy. But he's also a bandit. Police because he will attack you if you dare to leave the organized hiking trail and go out into the marsh where he lives during the breeding season. Bandit because he steals other birds' food. At Runde , he does this by chasing the gannet until she throws up in self-defense. Afterwards, the great blue heron collects the vomit, takes it with him to his nest and feeds it to his chick.
Do you want to learn more about the unique bird life at Runde? Sign up for a guided tour of the bird exhibition at Runde Environment Center!
In the old days, you could see an enormous bird life at Runde. Up to one million flapping creatures came there to breed every year. Now there are only around 150,000 left - and yet Runde still has some of the largest seabird colonies south of the Arctic Circle. That's why the island is a popular destination for researchers, ornithologists and tourists interested in birds. For the latter group, it is unthinkable not to visit the bird exhibition at Runde Environment Center, where Opplev Runde 's professional nature guides talk about the wonderful life of seabirds and their role in the ecosystems along the coast.
Join a guided tour of our beautiful bird exhibition and be fascinated by insightful stories about the special lives of seabirds.
In the old days, you could see an enormous bird life at Runde. Up to half a million flapping creatures came there to breed every year. Now there are only around 100,000 left - and yet Runde still has some of the largest seabird colonies south of the Arctic Circle. That's why the island is a popular destination for researchers, ornithologists and tourists interested in birds. For the latter group, it is unthinkable not to visit the bird exhibition at Runde Environment Center. There, Opplev Runde 's professional nature guides tell visitors about the marvelous life of seabirds and the role they play in coastal ecosystems.
Runde its most popular inhabitant is the puffin, which comes to the island every spring to breed. People flock to Lundeura in the evenings from April to August to see the charming puffin swarm in and out of small caves in the grasslands on the steep mountainside.
But there are also many other fascinating seabirds at Runde, and they live in different parts of the mountain. That's why the bird exhibition at Runde Environment Center is designed like the bird mountain itself. You start with the eider ducks down in the barn, and move upwards, all the way to the sea eagle high up in the air. Along the way, you'll hear fascinating stories about everything from wrens and different types of gulls to the endangered guillemots and razorbills.
Did you know that guillemots try to minimize their time on land? As soon as they arrive at Runde, they find a mate and lay a single egg. Just two weeks after the egg hatches, the chick is pushed out into the water from a height of 250 meters. And there he lies, floating on the waves. The father stays behind to take care of the chick, while the mother goes out to hunt.
One bird species you can see lots of at Runde is the gannet. It has occupied the cliffs where the kittiwakes - which have now moved elsewhere - used to live. The gannet looks like an arrow plunging into the water at 100 kilometers per hour. In fact, it's as aerodynamic as a kingfisher - a type of bird of prey that the Japanese were inspired by when they designed their speed trains. They found that this way they could minimize the air pressure the train creates when it enters a tunnel.
Do you want to learn more about the unique bird life at Runde? Sign up for a guided tour of the bird exhibition at Runde Environment Center now!
Book the activityPS. An exciting guided tour with storytelling in our very real Round Treasure exhibition is included in the ticket!
Runde its most popular inhabitant is the puffin, which comes to the island every spring to breed. People flock to Lundeura in the evenings from April to August to see the charming puffin swarm in and out of small caves in the grasslands on the steep mountainside.
On a dog safari with Opplev Runde
Broadcast booth from the sea
But there are also many other fascinating seabirds at Runde, and they live in different parts of the mountain. That's why the bird exhibition at Runde Environment Center is designed like the bird mountain itself. You start with the eider ducks down in the barn, and move upwards, all the way to the sea eagle high up in the air. Along the way, you'll hear fascinating stories about everything from wrens and different types of gulls to the endangered guillemots and razorbills.
Did you know that guillemots try to minimize their time on land? As soon as they arrive at Runde, they find a mate and lay a single egg. Just two weeks after the egg hatches, the chick is pushed out into the water from a height of 250 meters. And there he lies, floating on the waves. The father stays behind to take care of the chick, while the mother goes out to hunt.
On the other hand, one bird species you can see lots of at Runde is the gannet. It has occupied the cliffs where the kittiwakes - which have now moved elsewhere - used to live. The gannet looks like an arrow plunging into the water at 100 kilometers per hour. In fact, it's so aerodynamic that the Japanese designed their fast trains after its beak. They found that this way they could minimize the air pressure the train creates when it enters a tunnel.
Do you want to learn more about the unique bird life at Runde? Sign up for a guided tour of the bird exhibition at Runde Environment Center now!
Book the activityPS. An exciting guided tour with storytelling in our very real Round Treasure exhibition is included in the ticket!