| Sweden - Taiga & Mountains - 8th-15th June 2010 | | Print | |
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This trip takes us in search of the charismatic upland breeding birds of Sweden, in the breath-taking scenery of Västmanland and southern Lapland – some of the most beautiful and dramatic scenery in Scandinavia.
Meet & great stop with coffee/tea and sandwiches by a small wetland surrounded by Oak forest. We look at Slavonian Grebes and hopefully newly arrived Icterine Warblers Ortolan Bunting. In the evening we'll do an excursion in search of Great Grey Owl & Pygmy Owl.
Day 2 Early Woodpecker morning with Wrynecks, Three-toed–, Grey-headed–, and Black Woodpeckers. On top of that we join ringers carrying out their work on Tengmalms Owls. Black-throated Diver and Goshawk breed in the area. Lunch and short siesta. Ural Owl ringing excursion. Outdoor lunch. Transfer towards Dalarna. Red-backed Shrike, Thrush Nightingale and Common Rosefinch, can be seen along the way. Overnight: Älvdalen
Day 3 Breakfast and departure for Fulufjället National Park. We follow the boardwalk around the impressive forest and look for Crossbills, Siberian Jay, Siberian Tit, and Wood Sandpiper. Below an impressive waterfall we stand good chances of seeing Dipper, Rough-legged Buzzard and Ring Ouzel, while we also enjoy the scenery. Of course we'll take time to grab a coffee at the newly established Visitors Centre in the National Park. Stunning summer-plumaged Bramblings appear all around. We will spend most part of the morning here and then leave for lunch near a nesting area of Siberian Tits. Red-throated and Black-throated Divers, Common and Velvet Scoters, Long-tailed Ducks, Greenshanks and northern Yellow Wagtails are often seen in or by the lakes along the road. After lunch we go to Funäsdalen to check in at our accommodation in Tännäs where Rough-legged Buzzard often breeds on the rocks just above the hotel. Overnight: Tännäs.
Day 4 We spend the whole day on different sites on Flatruet – a high mountain plateau with interesting high alpine flora and fauna. The species we´ll be searching for are among others Long-tailed Skua, Willow Grouse and Rock Ptarmigan, Dotterel, Snow Bunting, Lapland Bunting, Bluethroat, Red-necked Phalarope, Whimbrel, Temminck´s Stint, Ruff, Golden Eagle, Merlin, Rough-legged Buzzard and Gyrfalcon. There will also be mammals like Reindeer around.
Outdoor afternoon meal while we scan the mountain sides for raptors and await the Great Snipe lekking party to start. Hawk Owl, Short-eared Owl and Hen Harrier might appear in the area, depending on the lemming-season.
Day 5 The weather in the mountains can often prevent birding at higher altitudes so an extra day will be saved for the parts we might not have been able to reach yet. Or we simply re-visit some of the more beautiful sites. One just can´t get enough of the scenery and the birds up here. We could have further encounters with Overnight: Tännäs.
Day 6 Today will be spent mostly in the taiga forest in the foothills of the mountains searching for Parrot Crossbills, Hawk Owl, Siberian Jay, Three-toed Woodpecker, Hazel Grouse and anything we have failed to see so far. If we didn’t see Gyrfalcon yesterday we will drive into Norway for a new attempt. (Bring your passports!) In the afternoon we drive back to Idre. We visit Nipfjället to look for Rock Ptarmigan, Ring Ouzel and Snow Bunting. Golden Eagle might visit us. Overnight: Idre
Day 7 Breakfast and optional early morning excursion if we need more time for Siberian Tit around the ancient mountainside forests around Nipfjället. We will be moving slowly south stopping for Peregrine Falcon, Eagle Owl and Blyth´s Reed Warbler if they´ve arrived yet. We'll also get another chance to see any of the lowland species that we may have missed. Optional late night birding in the Black River Valley for wetland birds (Corncrake, Spotted Crake, Marsh Warbler, etc.) or last chance to clean-up the Owl section. Overnight Fläckebo
Day 8 Short birding trip by the lake Fläcksjön to look for Wrynecks, Icterine Warblers, Red-backed Shrike and Honey Buzzard.
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