The first time I saw the Musk Oxen was a moment of magic! Fifteen-year later it still feels magical to see these pre-historic animals in their right element – the Norwegian Mountain.
I spent much of my time at the mountains of Dovre – looking for and photographing Musk Oxen (Ovibos muschantus) and the Arctic Fox (Vulpes langopus). But there are also many other species that make this part of Norway one of my favorite areas of the Nordic nature. When there is a good year for the rodents – it also means a high number of different species of owls, hawks, falcons and eagles – all birds of prey. And at the wetland called “Fokstumyra” it is the Moose (Alces alces) that takes over after the birds are finished with their nesting.
Protected Lands
The Dovre Mountains are located in north-central Norway at about 62 North Latitude which is just south of the Arctic Circle. The Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjell National Park (1,693 km square, 654 miles square) and Dovre National Park (289 km square, 112 miles square) protect fauna and flora of this magnificent, glaciated mountain range which is well known for trekking and camping.
Keep the distance
It’s a dilemma to photograph the Artic Fox: As a photographer, you want to come as close as possible – and the foxes wants us as far away as possible. Therefore, it becomes an important reflection for us photographers, how close and how long we spend nearby the fox dens.
At several of the most famous den sites, there has been a large amount of nature photographers who have stayed in tent only meters from the dens – and spend several days in the same area. Therefore, it is important to inform each other about where the boundaries between observing and invading lie. I think it’s better to come up with meaningful advice – than a staggering index finger and extension at the social media.
Low perspective – high pulse
Some of the Arctic Fox habitats I have visited are a few hours’ walk from the nearest car park. And since I like to have a low perspective, I let my tri pod stay in the car. For four reasons. 1. The photo bag is heavy enough as it is. 2. The low perspective is mentioned. 3. If I had to stand on the mountain plateau with a tripod, I’m visible to other mountain hikers – and the chance of a visit of by hikers is increasing. 4. But the main reason is that Arctic fox will not see me. That’s why my camouflage is my best friend – in addition to a 600mm and 800mm! I use a camouflage called “Jervenduken”. It’s a Norwegian brand and its water proof, wind stopping and with a good isolation.
September 19th
This date I will always remember. Inside my head there are many pictures. Some of them I have taken – and yet others have not yet “come out”. After ten years of waiting, I got my reward. The pictures I was dreaming about was the Arctic fox under the full moon, or “in it” of you like. I haven’t been at mountains of Dovre every time it has been a full moon – but there have been many hit & miss trips in the ten years I’ve tried. Some of the times the weather forecast reported nice conditions and a clear sky. After 400 kilometers in the car, I often reached the mountains in low clouds and a foggy weather. But most of the time the conditions were great – but then the Arctic foxes was missing…
Since 2005, NINA, The Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, has run a breeding station for the Arctic fox at the mountain plateau called Sæterfjellet, south of Oppdal in Norway. Animals from several of the small isolated litters of Arctic foxes in Norway and Sweden were caught and for breeding.
The Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) is Norway’s leading institution for applied ecological research, with broad-based expertise on the genetic, population, species, ecosystem and landscape level, in terrestrial, freshwater and coastal marine environments.
The breeding project has given results both on Dovre and other mountain areas in Norway and Sweden. In 2011 there were 39 litters and at least 270 puppies born in Norway.
Nearly half of these were born of Arctic foxes that have been put into nature through the breeding program. The first 15 puppies were released in Dovrefjell in 2007. In the following two years, a further 36 puppies were added to the mountain area.
In 2017 there were 40 registered breedings of Arctic foxes in Norway, and a total of 71 in Scandinavia. The minimum stock in Norway based on DNA is estimated at 128-135, winter 2016/2017. By 2017, 31 youngsters were documented in Sweden, but it is still far away from 2015 when there were 87 puppies.
Source: www.nina.no
Musk Oxen
Tens of thousands of years ago, musk oxen lived side by side with the woolly mammoth in the mountains and valleys of what is now Norway.
Today you can still experience this primeval animal alive and well in the Dovrefjell mountain range. Muskox remains have been found in the Norwegian landscape – but they predate the end of the last ice age, and thus human history in this part of the world. Still, it is reasonable to believe that the species was known to Norwegian hunters and explorers, whose Arctic travels go back a thousand years and more.
In 1932, Musk Oxen were imported from Greenland and released to live in the Dovre Mountains. This area is home to Norway’s only musk ox population approximately 220 individuals. I have thousands of pictures from my encounters with these majestic animals, but I am just as fascinated every time I meet them, in all seasons. But I like them best in the winter – preferably in a snowstorm and / or at sunset! The musk ox can run at a maximum of 60 kilometers per hour.
A photographer can run considerably slower! Therefore, it is important to take some precautions. Musk oxen are peaceful animals, provided they are not surprised or provoked by too close-minded spectators. They can be life-threatening – the primate is after all equipped with impressive horns and a match weight of 300-450 kilos.
Reindeer
The Dovre Mountains support a large population of Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) Norway manages the only remaining populations of wild European mountain reindeer in 23 more or less separate mountain areas in Southern Norway. Originally, the mountain reindeer in the Snøhetta area were part of a larger tribe that migrated freely between coastal summer pastures in the west, and rich winter pastures deep in the Scandinavian peninsula.
With the construction of a railway, power plant and later a road over Dovre, the wild reindeer were referred to what is today the Snøhetta area (the mountain area between Lesja and Sunndalen). The wild reindeer’s habitats in Norway are under increasing pressure as a result of society’s land use and human traffic in and around our mountain areas. The population are approximately 2800 individuals.
Winter is my favorite time to return to the Mountains of Dovre to catch the fabulous low lighting conditions along with the cold, crisp air.
