Northern Sweden Owls, Woodpeckers, Capercaillie, Black Grouse and more bird watching guided tours

Holiday packages run from May until the end of September. Outside of this period we offer day or evening guided tours only.

We specialize in finding and observing the birds of Northern Sweden.

We manage our 16 Ha of forest and grassland as habitat for owls, woodpeckers, capercaillie and others. This aids you in experiencing these wild birds in the local surrounds of your stay with us. There is no need to travel far.

The guardian of our forest is the Great Grey Owl (Strix nebulosa). Often referred to as the phantom of the north, nesting and hunting sites are on our doorstep.

We locate the owls at sites known to be productive to us via walking or car. We then observe at distance before venturing closer and enjoying the spectacle out in the open air with nothing between us and the owl. If found, the owls are regularly tolerant of our presence and tend to stick around for a long time. A truly wild experience affording a lifelong memory. 

We follow the ethical guidance standards for bird watching as set out by Bird Life Sweden. At all times we respect the wildlife and avoid disturbance.

We provide you with an emailed digital bird list on completion of your booking (when the deposit has been paid). The bird list contains bird names in English and Latin of 180 species visible in close proximity to your stay.

There is a good chance that the Great Grey Owls will be nesting close by. They have done so in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022.

The Ural Owl (Strix uralensis) can be viewed nearby, with the most productive places being a short drive away. We afford these owls a view from a distance as they can readily become vocal and give warning swoops when raising nearby young. We search forest edges and known hunting grounds. 

The Northern Hawk Owl (Surnia ulula) is seen hunting at specific locations within a short drive from us. Knowledge of where they hunt using man made light is very advantageous to us.  

The trips can be tailored to all abilities and desires. Choose 100% driving and viewing to as much walking as you desire; across Sweden’s vast forests and open areas. Both approaches can yield terrific rewards.

Walking across recently cut forest and old growth forest will require a degree of dexterity and physical fitness. You will be walking over uneven terrain. Ground conditions may be frozen, muddy or snow covered. Usually, they are dry. Numerous forest roads and paths exist, making for an easier walk across flat ground (usually hardcore, woodchip, cut or vehicle trampled grass).

Numerous non owl bird boxes (designed for different and specific species) are all in place and visible from the windows of your accommodation.

For obvious reasons we keep the exact locations of known owl breeding sites a secret. The birds are at risk from egg collectors, chick thieves and hateful hunters. We live on site, which affords a credible protection for our cherished wildlife.

We do not allow any hunting on our land. This is for your safety and minimises the disturbance to our wonderful birds.

The use of motor vehicles (cars, quad bikes and snow bikes) is not allowed on our land (forests and fields) so as to avoid disturbance to the wildlife and our visitors. 

After a couple of days of wet weather it is possible to see Great Grey, Ural and Hawk owl all out hunting in quick succession, within a couple of kilometers of each other. Simply amazing. Conversely, with such a huge area of forest to range over it may take time and effort searching to find them.

The smaller Tengmalm’s or Boreal owl (Aegolius funereus) and the Eurasian Pygmy owl (Glaucidium passerinum) are more of a challenge to find. Encountering a vocal bird is possible, but they are most likely spotted when perched at the top of pine trees. We do have boxes for them to breed in.

We sometimes encounter European eagle owl (Bubo bubo), Tawny Owl (Strix aluco) and northern Long-eared Owl (Asio otus).

We often see Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) on our property.

1hr 45mins drive away in Lovanger we had a Snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus) in 2018 spend a prolonged period of time. It was much enjoyed by the locals and we can always hope!

Other notable birds of prey we may encounter include White-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus), Western marsh harrier (Circus aeruginosus), Northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis), Merlin (Falco columbarius), Eurasian hobby (Falco subbuteo) and Rough legged buzzard (Buteo lagopus).

The Hen Harrier hunt across the grassland around your accommodation (usually the female) and over the road the male is seen in grassland adjacent to our pine and spruce forest. Hen Harrier viewings were prolific in 2018 on our doorstep, but much sparser in 2019. Hobby are seen perched on wires and hunting around our house. Sparrowhawk and Goshawk are ever present. We have various Rough legged buzzard sites that we visit by car. White-tailed eagle bred alongside the Vindeln River in 2018 and were often seen flying above the river or being mobbed by corvids. Recent years provided less frequent, more random views.

 

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) hunt and nest in close proximity to where you stay. They have been seen daily during July and August every year from the caravan; hunting and taking fish from the shallow bay visible from the caravan window.

 

Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) have frequented our village. I have seen them while fishing on the lake. Being on our boat in the middle of the lake affords a large peripheral view. Otherwise, we know of another site which offers a chance of seeing them in Winter. They are attracted by road killed Reindeer.

Crane (Grus grus), Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus), Black-throated diver (Gavia arctica), Common goldeneye (Bucephala clangula), Eurasian curlew (Numenius arquata) and Red-breasted merganser (Mergus serrator) are seen daily; as they breed near the lake and are regularly visible from your caravan.

Roosting European golden plover (Pluvialis apricaria) and Northern lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) are prone to attack from the raptors; which makes for a spectacle.

Hazel grouse or hen (Tetrastes bonasia), Black grouse or Blackcock (Tetrao tetrix) and Western capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) are frequently seen as they gather roadside or at the top of trees to warm up.

We use Hazel Hen mimic whistles to improve encounters with these cryptic birds in dense vegetation. 

Grey-headed woodpecker (Picus canus) and Great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major), along with jays regularly visit our bird feeding stations.

Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius) nest in our forest and are mainly spotted foraging in ancient trees. Their endeavours are easy to spot. We find that they quickly spot walkers and flee alarm calling. As such, we have a bird hide near their chosen feeding trees which affords a view of their undisturbed behaviour.

Breeding Redwing (Turdus iliacus) and Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris) are present in large numbers. Flocks put on a spectacle in March; feeding voraciously on the grassland exposed by the retreating ice.

We have a small bird feeding site viewable from your caravan, another one near the sauna and a large feeding table deep in the forest reachable within a 10 minute walk. These attract Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula), Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus), Nuthatch (Sitta europaea), Willow Tit (Poecile montanus), Spotted Nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes), Grey-headed woodpecker (Picus canus) and Great-spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) plus Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix) and huge Northern Raven (Corvus corax) to name a few. We feed with seeds, berries, fruit, mealworms, bones and fatty foodstuffs.

 

 

 

 

 

Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis) passing through in Spring, Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla) in huge numbers in spring and autumn, Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus) – feeding in very large numbers during September on Rowan Berries in our garden, Red Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra), Pine Grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator), Lapland Bunting or Lapland Longspur (Calcarius lapponicus) and Arctic Long-tailed tit (Aegithalos caudatus) with its distinctive pure white head make for a terrific burst of colour in our forest and around our house.

Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes) are a rare visitor to our bird feeding stations. Yellowhammer and Chaffinch are common. 

The Willow Tit, Brambling, Lapland Bunting, Snow Bunting and Bohemian Waxwing come and go around our house.

It can be very difficult to see many species if you were to just visit Sweden and try to do it yourself without help. The large, low populated areas to cover with limited access routes can be challenging.

Many people in our village have bird boxes and bird feeding stations. A simple walk perusing them can be very rewarding.

The Siberian Jay (Perisoreus infaustus) appears sporadically at a nearby picnic location. When they do arrive they are amazingly tame and amiable to free food. We currently have access to a further site nearby. That area of forest is currently being felled and is giving regular sightings of foraging Siberian Jay amidst the newly cut trees.

Two other seperate forest locations hold family groups of Siberian Jay. We have access to both of them. 

Venturing to urban areas can provide close up encounters with Spotted Nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes). They go worming on residential lawns.

Red Squirrel, Roe Deer, Badgers, Red Foxes, Arctic Hare and Norwegian Lemming exist close to your accommodation.

We have healthy populations of Moose and Beaver (their felled trees can be seen at the river bordering our land).

Around 400 000 moose are present in Sweden. Each year around 100 000 are shot. Our village and the surrounds has a prolific population. A siting is most likely from a vehicle window or on foot. Males, females, breeding pairs in September, young (often twins) and even groups are present year round.

Pine Marten, Otter, Lynx and Bear are present but very shy. If you do see one enjoy the rare experience.

Around 3500 Brown Bears are spread across central and northern Sweden. Our county of Vasterbotten has an annual allowance to shoot  them. They have managed to meet that quota within a fortnight of the hunting season starting in recent years.

Wolves are not accredited as being present in our area. But individuals have walked from Russia and Finland into Sweden. The stronghold of the wolf population is in central Sweden. Individual wolves have been photographed in local villages near here.

Reindeer (owned by the indigenous Sami people) are seen daily during November and December and less frequently at other times. Some wild Reindeer move freely around the local area all year.

 

Holiday packages run from May until the end of September.

All of the species on this website can be seen throughout the year.

Prime bird watching is in the spring and autumn.

May and June offer the best chance of seeing owls. Owls call consistently in December, January and February but getting to their exact location is difficult in deep snow or minus 20 degree Centigrade! 

September is best for Spotted nutcracker and Waxwing.

You can book guided birding trips with us outside of these dates. We supply the transport and visit prime locations.

During the premium tour times (May and September) I am out spotting birds for most of the days. This means I have a better grasp of what is where and when.

From June until October I will also be out on guided fishing trips. That means I am spending less time in and around the forest, so locating birds for you may require more time and effort. On the plus side I will be out on the water, so I will have a better grasp of what birds are present and where they are on or around the lake!

In the peak of summer with 20 hours of daylight owl spotting is more hit and miss. Dawn and dusk are at unsociable times!

The reasoning for our premium tour dates is;

1. They afford excellent owl watching potential.
2. Both sexes of Capercaillie, Black Grouse and Hazel Grouse/Hen are simple to find and observe as they spend time roadside and alongside forest tracks.
3. Spotted Nutcracker, Siberian Jay and Grey-headed woodpecker visit our bird feeding sites.
4. The Black Woodpecker frequents certain trees in our forest to feed.
5. Our spring opening times afford the opportunity to see breeding Cranes, Divers and Merganser at close quarters lakeside. We can also check our owl, woodpecker and small bird nest boxes.
6. The huge numbers and diversity of foraging birds when the snow and ice retreats during April/May is a fantastic spectacle. 
7. The forests are free from mosquitoes!
8. The birch trees that often grow along the roadside are leafless, which gives the birder a much better view to spot their quarry.
9. Autumn berry bushes attract birds.
10. The caravan is stored in the barn from October to April.

IT IS POSSIBLE TO TAKE BIRD WATCHING TOURS WITH US OUTSIDE OF THE DATES ABOVE. CONTACT US FOR FURTHER ADVICE AND WITH ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.

SUMMER OFFERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO VIEW JUVENILE BIRDS AND FAMILY GROUPS.

DURING THE SUMMER WE CAN USE OUR BOAT FOR BIRD WATCHING ON THE LAKE AND VISITING THE ISLANDS.

We are situated near to the Vindelalven-Juhtatdahka UNESCO  Biosphere Reserve in northern Sweden.

The Biosphere Reserve is within a 20 minute drive from us at sweden fishing and birding and makes for a must see day trip.

Take a look at their internet site for more information – https://vindelalvenjuhtatdahka.se 

Great grey shrike spend the year with us. They have sat on our bird feeding table in minus 33! September is a good time to see them visiting our bird feeding stations. All of the Bramblings, Tits, Finches etc promptly flee! The shrike then fly up to a nearby tree, which then empties of all the Fieldfares and Redwings sitting there!

The Great grey shrike (Lanius excubitor). The scientific name of the great grey shrike literally means “sentinel butcher”: Lanius is the Latin term for a butcher, while excubitor is Latin for a watchman or sentinel. This refers to the birds’ two most conspicuous behaviours – storing food animals by impaling them on thorns, and using exposed tree-tops or poles to watch the surrounding area for possible prey.

Here are some of the photos I managed to take. I always feel privileged to encounter the Shrike here in Sweden.

 

 

 

How many bird species can you expect to see?

Ability, effort, weather, number in your group, luck, will you visit the coast? A myriad of reasons will affect the answer. BUT as a rough guide a short Friday to Tuesday stay could be 80 / 100 species, while a week long stay could be around 140 / 160 species. This includes seen and heard species. Everything is hoped for, but nothing is promised. Wildlife is mercurial. One thing is for certain – when you encounter a Great-grey owl you won’t want to leave.

THE MAJORITY OF OUR GUESTS VISIT FOR THE OWLS, WOODPECKERS, CAPERCAILLIE, SPOTTED NUTCRACKER AND WAXWING. AS SUCH, OUR VISITED LOCATIONS FAVOUR THEM.

STAYING ADJACENT TO THE HUGE LAKE MEANS MANY WATER BIRDS ARE SURE TO BE SEEN WITH LITTLE EFFORT.

OUR BIRD FEEDING STATIONS ARE VISIBLE FROM WHERE YOU STAY.

WE SUPPLY YOU WITH A BIRD LIST OF 180 SPECIES WHEN YOUR BOOKING DEPOSIT IS PAID.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All of the photos used on this website were taken by Kristin and Craig in the vicinity of your accommodation. They remain the property of sweden birding and fishing and their reproduction is not permitted.