Sweden – Visible Migration in Autumn
8 – 12 September 2012
- Price per person: £520
- Deposit per person: £200
- Suggested Flights: The low cost airline Ryanair run daily flights to Gothenburg from London Stansted.
Autumn migration is an exciting time in southern Sweden and nowhere is this more evident than at Falsterbo in the far south. Here migrants are concentrated and funnelled onto a small spit of land that can be alive with passerines streaming south. Whilst good for passerines however the main draw of the area is its spectacular raptor migration. In August and September a huge number of raptors use the Falsterbo peninsular as a launch pad for sea crossings to Denmark and thus onto the main European landmass as they make their perilous journeys south. Our tour is timed to coincide with the peak of that raptor passage in terms of numbers and also variety of species. Honey Buzzards, Common Buzzard, Rough-legged Buzzards, Red Kites, Ospreys, Marsh Harriers, Hen Harriers, Peregrines, Merlins, Hobbies and Sparrowhawks should be joined by White-tailed Eagle and annual scarcities such as Eastern Imperial Eagle, Lesser Spotted Eagle and Steppe Eagle.
Amongst literally hundreds of thousands of Chafflinches and Bramblings other goodies high on the wanted lists of UK birders will be Crossbill and more importantly Parrot Crossbill, both of which move through in good numbers. Spectacularly huge movements of Tree Pipits, Yellow Wagtails and Woodpigeons should be in evidence whilst that denizen of the northern forests the gregarious Bohemian Waxwing also passes through Falsterbo in impressive volumes.
Wildfowl and tern migration is also a big draw with massive numbers of Eider, Brent Geese and Barnacle Geese plus Wigeon, Common Scoter, Red-breasted Merganser, Red-throated Diver, Black-throated Diver and up to 6 species of tern.
Our tour then has a twist in its tail as we head north to explore some species rich woodland for species such as Capercallie, Hazel Hen, Black Grouse, Pygmy Owl, Tengmalm’s Owl, Nutcracker, Crested Tit, Black Woodpecker and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.
Spending a few days experiencing migration on this scale is a humbling experience and one of the highlights of the Western Palearctic birding year.
Day 1
Our tour commences in Gothenburg where flights typically arrive at about lunchtime. From here we’ll head south during the afternoon hugging the west coast of the country. A stop will be made at a site on the coast for our first migrant search before we continue to Falsterbo in the far southwest.
Days 2/3/4
From our base near Falsterbo we will typically spend the mornings on the peninsular exploring the variety of habitats it offers. These will of course include ample opportunity for raptor watching on the tip of the peninsular at Nabben. The other habitats include heathland, woodland, sandy beaches, meadows, lagoons and marshes and this variety should enable us to rack up a good list of species. The lighthouse garden and the bird observatory are excellent spots with the excitement of not knowing what’s around the next corner. In the autumn of 2008 for instance the place was teeming with Tengmalm’s Owls!
In the afternoons we will venture a little further afield to a number of local sites such as:
Fyledalen for its reputation as a raptor hotspot with enhanced chances of some of rarer aquila eagles plus Black Woodpecker and Hawfinch.
Hammarsjon for its migrant waders and woodland for woodpeckers and migrant passerines.
Kullen, a coastal promotory for a good selection of migrant passerines that could include Ring Ouzel, Bluethroat, Thrush Nightingale, Woodlark, Tawny Pipit and Common Rosefinch.
Day 5
We leave the Falsterbo area this morning and make our way northeast for an entirely different birding experience which will provide a nice contrast to the migrant watching of the previous days. Our destination is Lake Asnen and more specifically the woodland there. At a number of locations we’ll explore the forest for some of those enigmatic species that Scandinavia has become famous for. Capercallie, Hazel Hen, Black Grouse, Pygmy Owl, Tengmalm’s Owl, Nutcracker, Crested Tit, Black Woodpecker and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker all inhabit these forests and we’ll do our utmost to locate as many of these as we can.
We’ll then reluctantly leave the area and return to Gothenburg for evening flights back to London.
All nights will be spent near Falsterbo except the last night (Day 4) where we will rest near Vaxjo.
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