Southern Sweden and Oland (1 Viewer)

[Hermann]

Due to a very late change of plans we'll be off to Sweden next Sunday, travelling to Helsingborg via Denmark. We intend to stay in southern Sweden, mainly near the coast, including a week or so on Oland. This will be a "real" holiday, my partner is interested in birds but not a birder. I won't be able to bird 24/7, and we will also have a look at some cities, for instance Karlskrona. I've been to southern Oland before, but something like 20 years ago. We'll be mostly camping, so we're fairly flexible.

Some questions:

- I've got a few books on birding in Sweden, all of them probably out of date (Lars Svensson: Fagellokaler i Sverige (1985), Gustav Aulen: Where to watch birds in Scandinavia (1996), Fagellokaler i Oland (no year, but also some 20 years old)). Are there any other books you'd recommend for our trip? We'd have to get them in Stenasa though, it's a bit late to order them now.

- Any chances of getting one of the following species on that trip: Capercaillie, Hawk Owl, Ural Owl, Great Grey Owl? I know the three owls are highly unlikely that far south, but these are the four species I somehow managed to miss on my previous trips to Norway, Sweden and Finland.

- Are there any interesting long-stayers in southern Sweden we might get on the way to Oland? Mainly birds, of course, but a Walrus, for instance, would also be of interest ...

- Is there a site that far south where we'd be able to see an elk? My partner has never been to Sweden before, and she'd love to see an elk.

- Is it possible to buy reasonably cheap prepaid cards for our smartphones in Sweden without any hassle? We'll really need internet access if at all possible, something like 300 MB should do nicely.

Hermann

 

[StuartReeves]

This website should help answer some of your questions. it may not be a long stayer, but I see there's a Red-necked Stint not far from Öland today.

 

[Hermann]

This website should help answer some of your questions. it may not be a long stayer, but I see there's a Red-necked Stint not far from Öland today.

Thanks a lot. That's a really useful website ... Wouldn't mind getting a Red-necked Stint I must say. That's a bird I still need in the WP.

Hermann

 

[marie_mattsson]

How did it go? Did you see any elks? They are quite common in Skåne...

 

[Hermann]

How did it go? Did you see any elks? They are quite common in Skåne...

It went very well ... We actually spent most of the time on Öland, in the south. It was actually my third trip to Öland, but by far the best. Got a lot of good birds including the Griffon Vulture, Greenish Warbler (at Ottenby) and a few Two-barred Crossbills. We actually didn't know about the Griffon Vulture, got it circling overhead when we left the campsite. About 15 minutes later about 50 other birders arrived in search of the bird ... Nice. The campsite we stayed at in the south turned out to be excellent - a very nice place, and lots of nice birds there, including a Serin we first heard when we put up our tent ... I didn't know it was a local rarity at the time.

We got Elk as well, so I didn't have to drive to Store Mosse to show one to my partner ... Also did some shopping at Stenasa, as usual.

Next year I won't be able to get away before early August in summer, so I reckon it's going to be Sweden yet again, including a week or so at Falsterbo ...

Hermann
who *really* likes birding in Scandinavia