Seabirds and White-Tailed Eagles on the Atlantic Road: Where to Watch

Most people drive the Atlantic Road (Atlanterhavsveien) for the bridges and the light. Look out over the water, though, and you are on one of Norway's best coastal birding stretches — the road runs along Hustadvika, the exposed sea reach that white-tailed eagles patrol and where seabirds, oystercatchers and gulls work the tideline, especially in spring and summer when the cliffs and rocks are busy with nesting birds.

This guide separates the birds you can watch without leaving the car or the bridge from the two actual birding destinations nearby — a white-tailed eagle safari from Straumen on Smøla, and the cliff island of Runde — and gives the seasons, the access rules and an honest picture of what is and is not still there. It is written for a visitor with binoculars and an afternoon, not for a scientist with a ringing licence.

🐦 What You Can See Straight From the Road

You do not need a boat or a booking to see birds on the Atlantic Road. The bridges and the parking laybys put you above the water, and the surrounding cliffs and skerries do the attracting. Operator and national-tourism copy for this coast is consistent about the cast: seabirds, oystercatchers, gulls and white-tailed eagles, with the best of it in spring and summer when nesting is in full swing. Treat the table below as the realistic "from the road" list.

What you'll see	Where from	When
Gulls	From every bridge and layby; the open water either side of the bridges	Year-round, busiest in the breeding season
Oystercatchers	The rocky shore and skerries at the water's edge beside the road	Spring and summer
Seabirds generally (cormorants, terns, diving birds)	Over the sea from the bridges and the roadside viewpoints	Spring and summer peaks; some species year-round
White-tailed eagle	Soaring or perched along the Hustadvika coast; best odds from an elevated viewpoint	Spring and summer; birds are resident along the coast

Two of the road's own features make good viewing platforms: the fishing bridges on Myrbærholmen, at the eastern end of the road, which stand out over the tidal current, and the walking path on Eldhusøya, the island stop just off the carriageway, which lifts you clear of the road for a sweep of the water. Our sights guide maps both, along with Håholmen and the rest of the coastline you are scanning.

📅 Season at a Glance

Birding here follows the breeding calendar. If the birds are the point of the trip, aim for late spring through summer; if you are here in winter, expect waterfowl and a quieter coast rather than the nesting spectacle.

Season / month	What it means for wildlife
May–August (breeding season)	The main event: cliffs and rocks busy with nesting seabirds, activity at the colony islands, and the peak tourist period for the bird islands (early May to end of August).
Early May onward	Puffins are present on the bird islands from early May through August.
Spring and summer	The season to see white-tailed eagles — on Runde it is usual to see 5–10 individuals at this time of year.
Autumn	The spectacle winds down as the breeding season ends; storms shape the coast and conditions change fast.
Winter	A different cast: hardy coastal species and wintering waterfowl rather than nesting birds.

Dates vary year to year with weather and sea conditions. Before any wildlife drive, check the road itself: the Atlantic Road can close in storms, and live traffic information is on vegvesen.no/trafikk or by phone on 175. Our when-to-go guide covers the month-by-month picture for the drive, and the winter guide covers what winter does to the coast.

🦅 Smøla: A White-Tailed Eagle Safari by Boat

If seeing an eagle is the goal, the surest option on this coast is a guided trip. Smøla, the island north of the Atlantic Road, is described as having one of the densest white-tailed eagle populations in the world, and local operators run a boat safari out of the Straumen small-boat harbour.

Note we deliberately do not print a driving time or distance from the Atlantic Road to Smøla: routes change with ferries and tunnels, so check the live route and the ferry timetable for your own dates rather than trusting a number on a page.

🐧 Runde: The Bird Island Cliff Walk

The other great birding destination within reach is Runde — a 6.3 km² island in Herøy municipality and the southernmost large bird cliff in Scandinavia. It is the better-known, longer day: a genuine cliff island with a visitor path network and a hard access rule.

Runde — key facts	Detail
Where	6.3 km² island in Herøy municipality; connected to the mainland by bridge and causeway opened in 1982
Why it matters	Southernmost large bird cliff in Scandinavia; seabirds monitored here since 1959, a SEAPOP key site since 2007
Protection	Bird life protected since 1957; conservation area from 1981; Goksøyrmyrane reserve from 1996; most of the land is a nature reserve
Access on foot	Park at Goksøyra, follow the marked path via Goksøyrmyrane up to Lundeura; a network of marked paths leads to lookout points
Main visitor period	Beginning of May to end of August
White-tailed eagles	Breed on the island (first pair in 80 years in 2010); in spring and summer it is usual to see 5–10 individuals

What is — and is not — still on Runde

Older pages repeat a figure of "500,000 birds" for Runde. The defensible number comes from SEAPOP, the scientific monitoring programme, and it tells a harder story. Runde's historic maximum was about 250,000 breeding pairs, including roughly 100,000 kittiwake, 100,000 puffin, 10,000 guillemot, 3,000–4,000 razorbill, 3,000–4,000 fulmar and 5,000 shag. Since that peak the populations have declined dramatically:

• The last fulmar chick was recorded in 2001.
• Razorbill, guillemot and puffin collapsed from 2005.
• The shag colony was empty by 2014, and kittiwake numbers reached zero in the same year.
• Not everything is in retreat: the gannet colony is now Norway's largest, and great skua numbers are increasing.

That mix — a famous colony that has lost its kittiwakes and puffins but gained a huge gannetry — is exactly why a visit here is worth doing properly rather than as a tick-box. The birds are wild and the numbers move; go to watch what is there, not what a guidebook promised.

Getting to Runde

Runde is a day trip, not a detour off the bridges, so plan the travel properly. The island can be reached from Ålesund by express boat plus public bus on a single ticket, arranged through the FRAM app (a verified tourism-board arrangement). Reaching it by road involves the subsea Eiksund tunnel — treat any tunnel depth or superlative claim as something to re-check against the roads authority before repeating it.

🔭 Spot by Spot: Where to Stand

Ranked by effort, from "stop the car" to "make a day of it":

• Myrbærholmen fishing bridges (eastern end of the road) — raised platforms over the tidal current; the easiest place to scan the water without leaving the car park. This is where the road's own birdwatching starts.
• Eldhusøya coastal path — the island stop off the carriageway, with a walking path that lifts you above the road for a wide sweep of the sea and the surrounding skerries.
• Håholmen and the roadside laybys — the historic fishing village island and the pull-offs along the route give you a lower, quieter angle on the shore and the rocks where oystercatchers and gulls feed.
• Hustadvika outlooks — the exposed headlands along the sea reach are the places to watch for white-tailed eagles and, on a good day, cetaceans offshore.
• Smøla (by boat from Straumen) — the surest eagle option; see the safari box above.
• Runde (day trip) — the full cliff experience; see the access rules above and keep to the marked paths.

If you are combining a wildlife stop with the drive's other highlights, the route guide and our best-views guide put these viewpoints in sequence, and the photography guide covers light and lens choices for birds along the cliffs.

🤝 Viewing Ethics and Distance

The birds here are wild and, on the colony islands, legally protected. Watching well is both an ethical duty and the way to see more.

• Keep your distance. Use binoculars or a spotting scope rather than walking closer; a disturbed colony loses eggs and chicks.
• Respect the closed areas. On Runde, the conservation area is off-limits 15 March–31 August. On the Atlantic Road, avoid disturbing sensitive cliff and shoreline areas during the breeding season (roughly April–July).
• Stay on marked paths and lookout points where they exist — they are sited so visitors and birds do not meet.
• Do not feed birds, and keep dogs under control and away from nesting ground.
• Log what you see. Birders in Norway record sightings on Artsobservasjoner.no, which is also a good way to find out what has actually been seen on your dates.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a licence or a booking to watch birds on the Atlantic Road?

No. Watching birds from the road's bridges and laybys is free and needs no booking. Bookings are only needed for the add-on trips — the Smøla eagle safari and the Runde boat trip.

What is the best time of year for birdwatching here?

Late spring through summer. The breeding season runs roughly May–August, puffins are present on the bird islands from early May to August, and white-tailed eagles are most visible in spring and summer. Winter offers wintering species rather than nesting activity.

Can I walk the cliffs at Runde?

Yes, but only in the open season and only on the marked paths. The bird conservation areas are closed to visitors from 15 March to 31 August — inside them, only Norwegian Ornithological Society fieldworkers may go. Park at Goksøyra and follow the marked path via Goksøyrmyrane up to Lundeura.

Where is the closest place to see a white-tailed eagle?

The coast along the Atlantic Road itself, especially the Hustadvika outlooks, is where eagles are seen — but the surest option is the guided boat safari from Straumen on Smøla, where the local population is described as among the densest in the world.

Are there puffins on the Atlantic Road?

No. Puffins belong to the colony islands. To see them, plan a trip to Runde; the main visitor period is early May to end of August.

How do I find out what has been seen recently?

Check Artsobservasjoner.no, the Norwegian bird-sightings reporting system, for recent records on the coast and around Runde before you go.

🚗 Where an Eagle Sighting Fits Your Day

A simple way to slot birdwatching into a drive without turning it into an expedition:

• Morning — the road itself. Drive the Atlantic Road and stop at the Myrbærholmen fishing bridges and the Eldhusøya path. Scan the water and skerries with binoculars; this is the "no effort" birding.
• Midday — a real stop. Use Håholmen or a Hustadvika layby for a longer sit and a lower angle on the shoreline, watching for oystercatchers, gulls and passing eagles.
• Afternoon — the add-on. Either take the two-hour Smøla eagle safari from Straumen, or, if you have committed the day, head for Runde and walk the marked cliff path in the open season.
• Always — check the road first. Live traffic and closures are at vegvesen.no/trafikk or on 175, and in an emergency call 112.

Combine it with the drive's other rewards using our sights guide and Averøy island guide, and see the winter guide if your visit falls outside the breeding season. For safety on the road's own exposed stretches, our safety guide covers what the weather can do.

Seen from the right bridge on the right morning, the Atlantic Road is less a postcard and more a front-row seat on a working coastline — gulls and oystercatchers at the tideline, eagles overhead, and, an hour away by boat, one of Scandinavia's great bird cliffs. Go quietly, keep your distance, and it rewards you.