Photo: Evening spring rainbow over farm, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. May 7, 2026. 21:25

It is that time of year where each day the weather rolls the dice and decides if it will still be winter or maybe spring and summer will be on the horizon. After a warm ‘false spring’ in mid April, the weather has once again cooled significantly in the last weeks and more than once I’ve woken up in the morning with a snow covered lawn or sat in line waiting for the Nappstraumen tunnel to pounding hail or graupel on my windshield.

Yet, despite the unsettled weather, the signs of spring are showing in the landscape – and a bit early I would say. The trees in my yard are already sprouting green leaves and the first flowers can be seen along the roadside. And slowly, but surely, Lofoten’s farm fields are begging to change from brown to green as the grass grows in the long hours of daylight.

Slow showers have been passing over the islands this week. Which has been a bit frustrating as need a predictable period of dry weather to change a dead battery in my van, pour some concrete in my yard, and put on summer tires. But in the wind-still sky, showers just seem to appear out of nowhere and slowly drift across the landscape.

This photo is from last night as the sun was shining over the sea as a rain shower passed over my neighbourhood bringing a bright rainbow across the sky. Today, it almost feels like bbq weather, and I probably would have, had I not looked at the forecast for Saturday and Sunday…

Camera Info:
Nikon Z8
Nikon 24-120mm f/4
39mm
ISO 100
f7.1
1/80 Second
WB Daylight

Photo: Winter plumage willow ptarmigan flies though mountain landscape, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. April 6, 2026. 18:23

In the longer and warmer days of April the local wildlife is beginning to increase its activity ahead of the summer mating and nesting season. Over the last weeks I can hear a noticeable increase in noise as the resident birds, such as willow ptarmigans (this photo), as well as the newly arrived migrants such as oystercatchers, common gulls, curlews, and more look for mates and nesting sites in the fields and moorlands of my coastal valley.

This year’s warm March means some of the locals haven’t quite adapted to the lack of snow yet, such as this still winter-white willow ptarmigan seen flying here. In another month they will be brownish color and almost completely camouflaged in the heathery landscape. But for now they are quite easy to spot, little white dots on the brown landscape. Though perhaps looking more like gulls is also a good camouflage technique for this time of year.

Camera Info:
Nikon Z8
Nikon 180-600mm f/6.3
600mm
ISO 4500
f6.3
1/2000 Second
WB Daylight

Photo: May sunset over summit of Volandstinden, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. May 16, 2020. 22:46

From mid May it is not long until the midnight sun arrives. Though as I often write, the light and temperature often do not match well at this time of year. Tomorrow the 17th of May is Norway’s constitution day – a day of parades and flags and bbq and more. And while down in Oslo it will be a sunny 20˚c, up here on Lofoten it will be a grey and maybe misty 6-7˚c – not exactly bbq weather!

Today’s photo is also from the 16 of May, but from several years ago. Lofoten had received a nice mid May snowfall, and so I headed up the mountains in the evening for a rare-ish combination of winter conditions and sun location. A couple days prior I had been on Ryten, for the evening sun to shine across the snowy bay (Friday Photo #384) , and it was a tough hike through the deep snow. On this day I took a little easier option of Volandstind, for a little rest of my sore legs.

I have already posted a different image from this evening (Friday Photo #595), showing more of the wintry landscape. This image is of the setting sun itself over the 2nd summit of Volandstind. Even at 22:46 at night, the sun still won’t set for another 45 minutes.

I was actually shooting a timelapse sequence as well. I actually shot a lot of timelapse sequences in May 2020 planning to put a short little video together, but 5 years later, I still haven’t found the time for that. Maybe one of these days, as there was some amazing light that year…

Camera Info:
Nikon D850
Sigma 14mm f/1.8
14mm
ISO 100
f11
1/30 Second
WB Daylight

Photo: Willow Ptarmigan in flight over grassland, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. May 1, 2025. 15:30

April and May are always a strange time of year for me in the mix of summer daylight but winter-ish temperatures and landscape. I’ve already made a few trips down south this year and have seen green trees and meadows and fields of flowers and flying puffins. Yet returning north to Lofoten is like taking a time machine back to the brown cold of winter while the islands wait several more weeks to catch up to southern Norway.

I know it will be summer soon, so I find it difficult to photograph the drab, brown landscape which exists at the moment. Though the forecast for the weekend is calling for up to 20cm of snow in some places, so maybe a bit of white winter will make a short return; though soon to be melted away by the high May sun.

The local wildlife don’t really care about the looks of the landscape, but they too are under transformation from winter to summer. From late March and into early April a large majority of the migratory birds arrive and fight for nesting grounds and mates. The moorlands around my village have been a bustle of activity for weeks now.

The year round residents like the mountain hares and, in this photo, the willow ptarmigans are in various phases of change from winter white to summer brown. The remaining white hares looks like ghosts as they hop around the fields in the twilight nights – probably easy pickings for any eagles flying around.

But just a couple more weeks and all signs of winter will be gone. Hopefully we have a repeat of last years fantastic summer, but that is yet to be seen…

Camera Info:
Nikon Z8
Nikon 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3
600mm
ISO 280
f 6.3
1/2500 Second
WB Daylight