Sweden ~ Falsterbo: Autumn Migration – from £1995

Honey Buzzard © Christopher Hall

Leader: Christopher Hall

Located at the southernmost tip of Sweden, Falsterbo truly is the country’s ‘Land’s End’, and being just a short sea crossing from Denmark, this special location is one of the premier sites in Europe for the autumn bird migration.

Every year, several hundred million birds leave Scandinavia and Arctic Russia on their journeys south to warmer climes and many choose the route which minimises the distance they have to fly over water and thus head for the Falsterbo Peninsula before making the short flight over the sea to Denmark.

As a result, the Peninsula is a veritable ‘pinch point’ for migrants and on a good day in the autumn, the spectacle can be incredible with thousands of birds passing through. Often the highlight is the raptor passage and as well as species such as White-tailed Eagle, Osprey, Sparrowhawk, Northern Goshawk, Merlin and Hobby, we hope to see good numbers of European Honey Buzzards with hundreds of individuals migrating through every year. Indeed, almost all of the raptor species recorded in Europe have been found here including rarities such as Greater Spotted and Lesser Spotted Eagles and Pallid Harrier so there is always a chance of something unexpected.

Basing ourselves at a conveniently located hotel, we will be able to make multiple visits as the peninsula will only be a short drive away and as well as the birds of prey, we can expect to see a good variety of other passage migrants including a variety of larks, pipits, wagtails, thrushes, warblers, flycatchers, finches and buntings.

We will also explore the nearby shoreline which offers the opportunity to look for an impressive range of wildfowl and waders including Brent and Barnacle Geese, Pintail, Eider, Velvet Scoter, Red-breasted Merganser, Grey and Golden Plovers, Little Stint, Spotted Redshank and Wood Sandpiper.

On at least one day, we will venture away from the peninsula to explore the local coastline, woods and heathlands where we will look for Whooper Swan, White-tailed Eagle, Red Kite, Northern Goshawk, White Stork, Common Crane, Caspian Tern, Black Woodpecker, Marsh Tit and the delightful white-headed form of Long-tailed Tit.

With direct flights to Copenhagen and then a short drive across the famous Öresund Bridge to Sweden, this six-day holiday provides a perfect opportunity to enjoy the spectacle of mass migration at one of Europe’s premier migration hot spots.

Day 1

FLY TO COPENHAGEN, CROSS ORESUND BRIDGE TO SWEDEN, BEGIN EXPLORING

Our autumn holiday to Falsterbo begins with a flight to Copenhagen from where we make the short drive to the Öresund Bridge and then cross into Sweden. It should then take only another half an hour or so to reach our nicely laid out hotel which is located within easy reach of the Falsterbo Peninsula and a number of other nearby birding sites..

Depending on flight times, we should be able to begin our exploration of the area before returning to the hotel for the first of series of excellent evening meals. Night Hollviken

Days 2 – 5

FALSTERBO PENINSULA AND NEARBY BIRDING SITES

We have four full days to explore the Falsterbo Peninsula and a number of other nearby birding sites. Where we go each day will largely depend on the weather conditions but we are likely to make several visits to the peninsula over the course of our stay. There is a lighthouse at the tip of the peninsula (which is Sweden’s oldest having been built in 1795) and the scrub and woodlands around this can be excellent for migrating passerines which stop to feed up before they make the short crossing to Denmark.

On some days, thousands of birds can be present including a mixture of larks, pipits, wagtails, hirundines, thrushes, warblers, flycatchers, finches and buntings. We will also hope to find scarcer species such as Wryneck, Red-backed Shrike, Icterine Warbler, Nutcracker and Lapland Bunting, however, we will need to keep an eye to the sky as well as the autumn passage of birds of prey through Falsterbo can be spectacular.

Depending on the conditions, on some days, hundreds of European Honey Buzzards pass overhead and previous tours have seen eight species of raptor in little more than an hour, with other possibilities including White-tailed Eagle, Northern Goshawk, Sparrowhawk, Merlin, Hobby and Marsh Harrier.

We also plan to explore the nearby shoreline and lagoons to look for a variety of waders and wildfowl and, once again, we will hope to pick out something unexpected from amongst the more widespread species. Whilst birds such as Great Egret, Barnacle Goose, Shelduck, Shoveler, Pintail, Avocet, Ruff, Greenshank, Wood Sandpiper and Curlew Sandpiper are all possible, we will hope to pick out something rarer such as Broad-billed Sandpiper which was seen very well on a recent tour, with the chance of maybe a Citrine Wagtail or Bluethroat creeping around the edge of one of the freshwater pools.

On at least one day, we intend to venture away from the peninsula to visit various other sites where there are opportunities to look for a variety of species. We may well explore some woodlands and heathlands where there are chances for birds such as Black Woodpecker and the gorgeous white-headed form of Long-tailed Tit, whilst more open habitats are where we will look for Whooper Swan, White-tailed Eagle, White Stork, Common Crane and Caspian Tern. Four further nights at Hollviken

Day 6

FINAL EXPLORING AT FALSTERBO, RETURN TO COPENHAGEN, FLY TO UK

Depending on our flight schedule, there is likely to be time for a final early morning visit to the Falsterbo Peninsula before we reluctantly make the short journey north, cross the Öresund Bridge and then head to Copenhagen Airport for our flight back to the UK where the tour concludes.