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Bee-eater in flight with outstretched wings against green leaves

Farsund · Lista

Colourful birdwatching on Lista

Scroll — the binoculars open

European bee-eater Merops apiaster

The peninsula juts out into the sea where the migration routes meet. Every year hundreds of thousands of birds stop here, on their way between north and south.

Mandarin duck with orange wing feathers on the water
Mandarin duck Aix galericulata

350

Recorded bird species

They chirp and fly on a grand scale, the birds of Lista. Its location means that feathered visitors which really belong somewhere else entirely turn up at regular intervals, with chances of rarities from both America and Siberia.

Some of the species on Lista

Kingfisher on a branch with blue and orange plumage

01 / 04

Common kingfisher

Alcedo atthis

Male king eider with a yellow knob above the bill

02 / 04

King eider

Somateria spectabilis

Two oystercatchers with orange bills at the water’s edge

03 / 04

Eurasian oystercatcher

Haematopus ostralegus

Snowy owl with yellow eyes against snow

04 / 04

Snowy owl

Bubo scandiacus

Why Lista?

An outpost

Lista juts out into the sea and lies in the middle of several migration routes.

Food and rest

Migrating birds need places to stop on their long journey.

A crane with raised wings in front of a flock of cranes against a pink evening sky
Common crane Grus grus

Birdwatching season

The year has two great movements

March

The year on Lista

Male yellow wagtail with a grey head and yellow belly on a lichen-covered rock
Western yellow wagtail

Spring migration

15 March – 10 June

Around 100 species are recorded per day when the migration is at its height.

A flock of brent geese grazing on grassland
Brent goose

Autumn migration

15 July – 15 November

The ringing makes its regular rounds, and the seabirds pass by offshore.

Mute swan reflected in still water
Mute swan

The rest of the year

December – March

Bird life goes on all year round. It is one of the reasons people come back.

Golden eagle in flight seen from the side
Golden eagle Aquila chrysaetos

The bird observatory

At Lista Bird Observatory they have recorded the highest number of species in a single year in Norway.

Lista Bird Festival includes the unofficial Norwegian birdwatching championship – and much more!

Puffin with a colourful bill on a grassy ledge
Atlantic puffin Fratercula arctica

The reserves

Slevdalsvannet

462 decares of wetland · protected 2005

Common crane and marsh harrier breed here, and sedge warbler and grasshopper warbler keep to the reeds. Two observation towers let you follow along without disturbing.

Nordhasselvika

Bird sanctuary since 1987

Protected precisely because of the area’s importance for migrating and wintering birds.

A flock of brent geese grazing on grassland
Brent goose Branta bernicla

The hides

Purpose-built bird hides and observation towers are strategically placed in the rich wetland system. The seabird hut by the old lighthouse station is considered one of Norway’s best observation posts for seabirds.

Two birdwatchers on the platform at the bird hide in Våien, one with binoculars and a spotting scope on a tripod in front of him, with the sea behind and a sign about breeding birds
The bird hide in Våien. Photo: Mette Starheim Pedersen
Through the spotting scope at the bird hide. Video: Mette Starheim Pedersen

3

bird hides

8

accessible sites

1

seabird hut by Lista Lighthouse — Lista Wetlands Visitor Centre

The flock

Fifteen of three hundred and fifty

Take a trip to Lista and discover the joy of birdwatching!

Farsund municipality

Get to know Lista better

The beaches, the lighthouse, the villages and the town. See what it means to live and work in Farsund.

Explore Farsund

Video: Region Lister

Sources

Images