On the rocks
Kvassheimsbukta. In southern Jæren the coastline is dominated by long boulder beaches. Photo: Erik Thoring
Håtangen-Obrestad-Reime
If you walk from the priest’s farm at Hå to the Obrestad lighthouse, you can see how much rock the glaciers carried along the coast. Ancient burial mounds can be found on the boulder beaches, and habitat diversity includes peat bogs, marshes, meadows and natural pasture. More than 170 plant species have been recorded in this area, and nesting birds include shelduck, redshank and wheatear.
Perhaps you have come across a wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) hopping among the rocks in the mountains, but you can also find them along the coast. Photo: Craig Nash
Hårr-Kvassheim-Brusand
The name Hårr means stony ground – an excellent description of this stretch of coastline. There are seaweeds galore among the rocks, and the area is excellent for birdwatching. But remember to keep your distance and use binoculars or a telescope. Enjoy the walk down to Brusand, but follow the marked paths so as not to damage the plant life.
The beautiful long-tailed duck (Clangula hyemalis) overwinters along the Jæren coast. Photo: Roy Mangersnes
Brusand-Ogna
In this area, the beaches and back-dune landscapes are home to many species and habitats. It is considered poorly suited for cultivation and development, and has thus remained largely unspoiled. When in flood, the water flowing out from Fuglestadåna river (also known as Rennå) forms a large brackish lagoon.
A burnet moth (Zygaenidae) on a broad-leaved helliborine (Epipactis helleborine neerlandica). The broad-leaved helliborine is also known as the dune orchid, and neerlandica is found only in south-western Norway, in back-dune habitats and on open moorland and meadows. Photo: Roy Mangersnes