Bird Watching in Upplands, Sweden

The key habitat in Sweden is forest. Contrary to popular opinion, Sweden is neither wall-to-wall trees, nor all conifers.

First of all, in this region at least, there is lots of agricultural land. Much of the farming is at low intensity, and the pastoral landscape of cottages, woodpiles, rocky islands of trees in the middle of fields, against a background of dark trees, is charming and very rich in birds, notably farmland birds now scarce in much of Britain. It was a real highlight of the trip to see so-called 'common' birds in good numbers in the 'ordinary countryside', away from nature reserves.

Second, the forest is very varied and differs from place to place. Primary old growth forest is now very rare in southern Sweden, but can still be found at sites like Olas Skifte, Färnebofjärden NP and Fiby Urskog. This type of forest is immensely beautiful, but makes for tough birding - tracks are often tree blocked, there are swampy defiles, and growth is so dense that actually seeing the birds can be hard. But don't miss this great habitat.

Old growth forest is an absolute requirement, it seems, for just one species, the White-backed Woodpecker. The calamitous decline of this bird in Sweden has been the result of modern forestry leaving very little standing, dead, old wood in its operations. White-backed Woodpeckers seem to need numerous such trees, not just the odd one or two in an otherwise managed forest-scape, as will suffice for Black Woodpecker. It does seem as though the final, tenuous link between the (still healthy) south Norwegian populations and those of central and eastern continental Europe is about to be broken (forever?). And that is a real tragedy.

The best areas to see forest birds are often along the edges of clear-felled areas in more or less intensively managed forests. Look out especially for areas with mature aspen trees they are startling and attractive trees, and by all accounts crucial for species like Black and Grey-headed Woodpeckers.

The really heavily managed uniform-age forests, especially after the first thinning cycle, are much less attractive to the specialist species. However, clear fell areas, or recent burns, can be good for species such as Great Grey Shrike, Black Woodpecker and (allegedly) Three-toed Woodpecker.

There are also some notable wetland sites in Uppland. Especially notable are Lake Tämnaren, Vendelsjön and Hjalstaviken. These are important sites for wildfowl, though at the time we were there, Lake Tämnaren was still completely frozen, so we were watching wildfowl on the surrounding fields and floods.

Hjalstaviken-This is one of Europe's best places for migrating birds to rest. Here can you see geese, waders, grebes, ducks and raptors. Hjälstaviken is perfect if you would like to go for a morning- or evening trip. There's a bird tower within easy reach here you can get a good view over the area and get close to the birds. The surrounding areas have good walking areas with different environments and lots of different plants. Hjälstaviken lies between Uppsala and Enköping, 6 km SE of Örsundsbro.

Vendelsjön- This is one of the nicest bird lakes in Uppland. Here are two nice bird towers with good views over the lake. There is many spieces that breed in Vendelsjön and during spring and fall a lot of birds rest here. Among some of the more rarer spieces worth mentioning are the Eurasian Bittern and Great Reed Warbler. During summer time is Vendelsjön with surroundings a nice area to listen for nocturnal songsters. Some years is it possible to hear Savi's Warbler and Eurasian River Warbler. Vendelsjön lies about 35 km north of Uppsala.

Lake Tämnaren- A large shallow lake, just a few kilometres east of Östervala, frozen in winter and early spring, with large areas of wet surrounding farmland, attractive to wildfowl, cranes and other birds.

The main problem is access. The best idea is to drive around the whole lake, taking any turn towards the lake and following it as far as you can. Very few get at all close to the lake itself!

The best areas during our visit were consistently those to the south and west of the lake, especially the road signposted off the Björklinge-Harbo road to Berga, and some of the roads on the northern shore. The location of birds apparently varies from year to year, depending on the water level, degree of icing, and land use change by farmers.

Uppland is one of Sweden's most exciting areas for woodpeckers. We have good populations with grey-headed woodpeckers and three-toed woodpeckers. Black woodpecker is a common sight. During the early hours of the morning of March and April it isn't that rare to see some bonus spieces like crossbills, woodland grouses and Eurasian Pygmy-Owl.

Bird Timetable
Eagles- December-March.
Owls- Late February-Early April.
Woodpeckers- Early February-Early April.
Parrot Crossbill- February-April.
Black Grouse- February-April.
Geese- March-April, September-October.
Capercaille- April-May.
Migrating Sea Birds- April-May, September-October.
Jack Snipe- Late April-Early May.
Great Snipe- Early May.
Nocturnal Song Birds- Middle May-Middle June.
Waders & Shore Birds- July-September.
Two Barred Crossbil- September-October.

Activities In Sweden organise bird watching packages to all of the above areas. Check out their website for details.