Smøla is a flat, treeless archipelago far out in the Norwegian Sea, north of Kristiansund. The main island and its thousands of surrounding skerries look nothing like the mountainous coast further south. The landscape is open, low, and wind-swept, more prairie than fjord country.
The island holds one of the densest populations of white-tailed sea eagles in Europe, with over 50 breeding pairs across the archipelago. Eagle safaris by boat are a major draw. Ironically, Smøla is also home to Norway's largest onshore wind farm: 68 turbines built between 2001 and 2005. The wind farm has killed over 130 eagles by blade collision since it opened, averaging about 8 per year, making it one of the most studied cases of wind energy versus wildlife conflict in the world.
At the northern tip, the fishing village Veiholmen has attracted sailors for centuries as the last reliable source of freshwater between the Norwegian coast and Iceland.
The island holds one of the densest populations of white-tailed sea eagles in Europe, with over 50 breeding pairs across the archipelago. Eagle safaris by boat are a major draw. Ironically, Smøla is also home to Norway's largest onshore wind farm: 68 turbines built between 2001 and 2005. The wind farm has killed over 130 eagles by blade collision since it opened, averaging about 8 per year, making it one of the most studied cases of wind energy versus wildlife conflict in the world.
At the northern tip, the fishing village Veiholmen has attracted sailors for centuries as the last reliable source of freshwater between the Norwegian coast and Iceland.