Runde bird cliffs: puffins at Lundeura
Atlantic puffin (c. 30,000 pairs), kittiwake, gannet, common guillemot, razorbill, shag, white-tailed eagle, great skua; storm petrels at night. Runde island, Sunnmøre (Møre og Romsdal), Norway.
Best time: 15 May – 20 Jul (May to July). Where: Lundeura (puffin slope), Runde, Runde Miljøsenter (Runde Environmental Centre), Rundebranden / Kaldekloven cliffs (Norway). Time of day: The puffin gathering on the slope runs 19:00–23:00 (light until midnight in June).
- You can go on your own
- Low cost
- Binoculars helpful
- Sound 4/5
Open it in the interactive calendarSunrise and sunset listening times for the day you pick, and the map.
When is the best time?
Peak: 15 May – 20 Jul. Mid May to 20 July; puffins gather at the burrows in the evening from 19:00
Active from 1 Apr to 10 Aug (April to August) in a typical year.
Time of day
The puffin gathering on the slope runs 19:00–23:00 (light until midnight in June); kittiwake walls from the boat by day; storm petrels purr from the stone walls after midnight in July, when the sun sets again.
- Evening puffins: 19:00 → 23:00
- Storm petrels (July): 00:00 → 02:00
What will you hear?
Kittiwake colonies screaming from the cliffs, puffin growls at the burrows, gannet colony grating from Rundebranden, eagles yelping, surf below; storm petrels purring from stone walls after midnight.
Binoculars?
Binoculars helpful. Puffins gather within metres of the Lundeura trail; binoculars for the gannet and kittiwake walls from the boat.
Where to go
- Lundeura (puffin slope), Runde — Trail from Goksøyr car park (c. 1 h); the evening puffin gathering on the grassy slope; keep to the path — burrows collapse. Map
- Runde Miljøsenter (Runde Environmental Centre) — Research and visitor centre; boat trips under the cliffs (Rundebranden gannets). Map
- Rundebranden / Kaldekloven cliffs — Gannet colony and the biggest kittiwake walls, best seen from the boat. Map
How to go on your own, and what it costs
Drive or bus to Runde (bridge from Remøy), park at Goksøyr and follow the marked stone-and-boardwalk trail to Lundeura (about 1 h) — free, path only, dogs on leads. Boat trips under the cliffs sail from Runde harbour when weather allows (Runde Miljøsenter). Stay overnight on the island for the late evenings.
Cost: Trail free; Goksøyr parking (check); boat trips (check current prices).
Who runs access
- Runde Miljøsenter – boat trips under the bird cliffs (research project) — Sea safaris to the gannet and kittiwake walls, weather permitting.
Field-recording notes
Runde is a nature reserve: marked paths only, no drones, dogs on leads; the puffin slope is heavily eroded by feet, so record from the trail edge. The island has a road, a village and a fish farm but is otherwise quiet — the wind is the issue (exposed Atlantic cliff). Boat trips are diesel; the kittiwake walls need to be recorded from the boat at engine-idle with the skipper's help. Storm petrels are best from the stone walls at Goksøyr after midnight in July with a small pair placed on the wall (no playback — they respond and it's illegal in the reserve).
Sources
Similar spectacles
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More: all spectacles in Norway · puffins · seabird colonies · Norway in May · Norway in June · Norway in July