Join a guided tour of our beautiful bird exhibition and be fascinated by insightful stories about the unique lives of seabirds.
In the old days, you could see an enormous amount of birdlife on Runde. Up to one million fluttering creatures came there to nest every year. Now there are only about 150,000 left—and yet, Runde still has some of the largest seabird colonies south of the Arctic Circle. This makes the island a sought-after destination for researchers, ornithologists, and bird-loving tourists alike. For the latter group, it is unthinkable not to visit the bird exhibition at the Runde Environmental Centre, where Opplev Runde's professional nature guides share stories about the wondrous lives of seabirds and the role they play in coastal ecosystems.
Runde's most popular resident is the puffin, which arrives on the island every spring to nest. People flock to Lundeura in the evenings from April to August to watch the charming "sea parrot" swarm in and out of small burrows in the grassy slopes of the steep mountainside.
For many, the tour of the bird exhibition at the environmental centre has made the trip to Lundeura an extra special experience, thanks to all the new knowledge they gained. Did you know, for instance, that if the puffin could choose, it would most likely never fly to land, but live out in the open ocean amidst 3-6 meter high waves its entire life? The problem is that eggs must be laid on land, and the puffin parents take care to feed the chicks until they are ready to leave the nests. They are likely relieved when that happens.
But there are many other fascinating seabirds on Runde, and they inhabit different parts of the mountain. That is why the bird exhibition at the Runde Environmental Centre is designed like the bird cliff itself. You start with the eider ducks down by the shore and move upwards, all the way to the white-tailed eagle high in the air. Along the way, you will hear fascinating stories about everything from common shelducks and various types of gulls to the endangered auk species: the common guillemot and the razorbill.
Did you know that common guillemots try to minimize their time on land? As soon as they arrive at Runde, they find a partner and lay a single egg. Just two weeks after the egg hatches, the chick is pushed into the water from a height of 250 meters. And there it floats on the waves. The father stays behind to look after the chick, while the mother heads out to hunt.
One bird species you can see in abundance on Runde is the northern gannet. It has taken over the cliffs where the black-legged kittiwakes—which have since moved elsewhere—used to nest. The gannet looks like an arrow diving into the water at 100 kilometers per hour. In fact, the gannet is so aerodynamic that the Japanese designed their high-speed trains based on its beak. They discovered that this shape minimizes the air pressure the train creates when entering a tunnel.
The "mountain police" on Runde is the great skua. But it is also a bandit. Police, because it will attack you if you dare to leave the marked trail and walk out into the marsh where it lives during nesting season. Bandit, because it steals food from other birds. On Runde, this happens when it chases the northern gannet until it vomits in self-defence. Afterwards, the great skua collects the vomit, takes it to its nest, and feeds it to its chick.
Want to learn more about the unique birdlife on Runde? Sign up for a guided tour of the bird exhibition at Runde Environmental Centre!
In the old days, you could see an enormous amount of birdlife on Runde. Up to one million fluttering creatures came there to nest every year. Now there are only about 150,000 left—and yet, Runde still has some of the largest seabird colonies south of the Arctic Circle. This makes the island a sought-after destination for researchers, ornithologists, and bird-loving tourists alike. For the latter group, it is unthinkable not to visit the bird exhibition at Runde Environmental Centre, where Opplev Runde's professional nature guides tell stories about the wondrous lives of seabirds and the role they play in coastal ecosystems.
Join a guided tour of our beautiful bird exhibition and be fascinated by insightful stories about the unique lives of seabirds.
In the old days, you could see an enormous amount of birdlife on Runde. Up to half a million fluttering creatures came there to nest every year. Now there are only about 100,000 left—and yet, Runde still has some of the largest seabird colonies south of the Arctic Circle. This makes the island a sought-after destination for researchers, ornithologists, and bird-loving tourists alike. For the latter group, it is unthinkable not to visit the bird exhibition at Runde Environmental Centre. There, Opplev Runde's professional nature guides tell stories about the wondrous lives of seabirds and the role they play in coastal ecosystems.
Runde's most popular resident is the puffin, which comes to the island every spring to nest. People flock to Lundeura in the evenings from April to August to watch the charming "sea parrot" swarm in and out of small burrows in the grassy slopes of the steep mountainside.
But there are many other fascinating seabirds on Runde, and they inhabit different parts of the mountain. That is why the bird exhibition at Runde Environmental Centre is designed like the bird mountain itself. You start with the eider ducks down by the shore and move upwards, all the way to the white-tailed eagle high in the air. Along the way, you will hear fascinating stories about everything from common shelducks and various types of gulls to the endangered guillemot and razorbill.
Did you know that common guillemots try to minimise their time on land? As soon as they arrive at Runde, they find a partner and lay a single egg. Just two weeks after the egg hatches, the chick is pushed into the water from a height of 250 metres. And there it lies, floating on the waves. The father stays behind to look after the chick, while the mother heads out to hunt.
One bird species you can see in abundance on Runde is the northern gannet. It has taken over the cliffs where the black-legged kittiwakes—which have now moved elsewhere—used to nest. The gannet looks like an arrow diving into the water at 100 kilometres per hour. In fact, the gannet is as aerodynamic as the kingfisher—a type of bird that inspired the Japanese when they designed their bullet trains. They discovered that this shape could minimise the air pressure the train creates when entering a tunnel.
Want to learn more about the unique birdlife on Runde? Sign up for a guided tour of the bird exhibition at Runde Environmental Centre today!
Book your experienceP.S. An exciting guided tour featuring storytelling in our authentic Runde Treasure exhibition is included in your ticket!
Runde's most popular resident is the puffin, which arrives on the island every spring to nest. From April to August, people flock to Lundeura in the evening to watch the charming "sea parrots" swarm in and out of small burrows in the grassy slopes of the steep mountainside.
On a puffin safari with Opplev Runde
Messengers from the sea
There are many other fascinating seabirds on Runde, and they inhabit different parts of the mountain. That is why the bird exhibition at the Runde Environmental Centre is designed to mirror the bird cliff itself. You start with the eider ducks down by the shore and move upwards, all the way to the white-tailed eagle high in the sky. Along the way, you will hear fascinating stories about everything from shelducks and various types of gulls to the endangered auks, such as the common guillemot and the razorbill.
Did you know that common guillemots try to spend as little time on land as possible? As soon as they arrive at Runde, they find a partner and lay a single egg. Just two weeks after the egg hatches, the chick is pushed into the water from a height of 250 meters. There, it floats on the waves. The father stays behind to look after the chick, while the mother heads out to hunt.
One bird species you will see plenty of on Runde is the northern gannet. It has taken over the cliffs where the kittiwakes—which have since moved elsewhere—used to nest. The gannet looks like an arrow diving into the water at 100 kilometers per hour. In fact, the gannet is so aerodynamic that the Japanese designed their high-speed trains based on its beak. They discovered that this shape minimizes the air pressure created when the train enters a tunnel.
Want to learn more about the unique birdlife on Runde? Sign up for a guided tour of the bird exhibition at the Runde Environmental Centre today!
Book your experienceP.S. An exciting guided tour featuring storytelling in our authentic Runde Treasure exhibition is included in your ticket!
