Leaders	Roy Atkins and Jane Atkins
Flights	British Airways, scheduled Outbound: Morning, Heathrow – Copenhagen Inbound: Afternoon, Copenhagen – Heathrow

Day 1	Fly to Copenhagen, then drive across the border to Sweden and on to our hotel in Gammalsby - 7 nights Gammalsbygarden Inn.
Days 2-7	Birdwatching and wildlife exploration including visits to the Ottenby Bird Observatory. Bird ringing and mist netting opportunities.
Day 8	Drive back to Copenhagen for our afternoon flight home, birding enroute if time allows.

Weather	Expect a mixture of sun and showers, with cool winds (0°-20°C).
Walking	2-3 miles on wide tracks which may be muddy after rain.
Meals	All included from lunch on Day 1 to lunch on Day 8.
Insects	Inlikely to be a problem.
Accom	Twin and single rooms all ensuite.
Group	12

Autumn migration at its best; masses of cranes, geese, seaduck and raptors, enormous numbers of Goldcrests, Robins and other common migrants.

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	*   Ottenby Bird Observatory at peak migration - Goldcrests everywhere
	*   Raptors including Rough-legged Buzzard, Goshawk and White-tailed Eagle
	*   Chance of rarities such as Gyr Falcon and Pallas's and Dusky Warbler
	*   Huge Barnacle Geese flocks with chance of Red-breasted Goose
	*   Spectacular Common Crane migration
	*   Chance to see ringing demonstration and stunning lighthouse top view
	*   Relaxed pace birding with most sites close at hand and lots to see!

Day 1	After our flight to Copenhagen, we drive across the border to Sweden and on to our delightful hotel at Gammalsby.
Days 2-7	Wooden windmills and burial mounds dot the charming open landscape of this remarkably flat island. We stay just a short distance from the famous Bird Observatory at Ottenby, set in meadows, scrub and heathland, surrounded by low boulder beaches and coastal bays. We need to check everything as we drive down to the lighthouse, as birds can be passing through in large numbers. In the right conditions the trees and bushes can be alive with Brambling, Chaffinch, Tree Sparrow, Twite, Redpoll and Siskin. Woodpigeon and Stock Dove pass overhead and flocks of Golden Plover dot the fields. All around the lighthouse and even around our feet, tiny Goldcrest flutter in the weedy plants. Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs, Treecreepers, Robins and thrushes are all heading south and gather for a final feed before heading out to sea - perhaps joined in the Sycamores by scarce Pallas’s or Yellow-browed Warbler and we’ve seen Red-breasted and Collared Flycatchers here. The Observatory staff make regular checks of the mist-nets and will bring out anything special to show any birders nearby. We’ll also visit the Observatory to watch the ringing in action and learn about the research and results of many years of work here, one of the oldest bird ringing stations in the world. The coast can be dotted with ducks of several species, along with shorebirds and Brent Geese, sometimes with Black Brant amongst them. The fields can hold big flocks of migrant Barnacle Geese, with occasionally other species such as Bean and White-fronted Goose. Common Cranes add to the spectacle, often in their thousands and we frequently hear them passing over our hotel at the start of the day as they head out to feed. The trees around the lighthouse may hold Long-eared or with luck, even a Tengmalm’s Owl and Great Grey Shrike perch in the bushes nearby. The number of birds can be astonishing - over a thousand Goldcrests have been ringed in one day! Swedish birders excitedly scan all that goes by and there is a tremendous sense of anticipation. If the winds turn to the east, then our thoughts will turn to Richard’s Pipit and Pallas’s, Radde’s and Dusky Warblers. If the winds blow from the north, then we’ll be thinking of larger, more spectacular birds - we’ve seen Snowy Owl, Hawk Owl and Gyrfalcon in previous years. We’ll check other hotspots along the coast - places such as Seby Badet and Stenåsa Badet, where taller trees attract migrants such as flycatchers. The Swedish Ornithological Society runs a shop and Visitor Centre here. Who knows what we shall find and a lot of the pleasure is in looking with excited anticipation. We shall also keep in touch with news of any rarities on the island, as we would not want to miss something special! Wherever we are on the island, small clusters of Rough-legged Buzzard drift lazily south, along with Goshawk, Sparrowhawk, Hen Harrier and in recent years the occasional Pallid Harrier! Wandering immature Golden Eagle can pop up over the trees and White-tailed Eagles patrol the coast or follow the geese. At Sandvik, we’ll check the waders for anything unusual amongst the Dunlin, Knot and other species - we’ve seen Buff-breasted Sandpiper here! More waders are at Bejiershamsvik, with a chance of Bearded Tit in the reeds here too. Peregrines menace the waders and offshore, tremendous numbers of Eider may be on the move, 10,000 a day have been recorded. Long-tailed Duck, Red-breasted Merganser, Scaup, Common Scoter and even King Eider are possible, Black and Red-throated Diver pass south and there may be Arctic and Pomarine Skuas if conditions are right. On the grazing meadows at Kastlosa and Eckelsudde there may be thousands of Barnacle Geese and smaller numbers of Greylag and White-fronted Geese, with the chance of Bean Goose too. It is always worth a careful check as vagrant Red-breasted Goose is always a possibility. There are dense woods, small ponds and clearings near the Observatory, which have roving flocks of Goldcrest that are worth checking through, as an elusive Pallas’s Warbler just might be amongst them! We’ll look for Black Woodpeckers in the pines, where passing Nutcracker or Parrot Crossbills sometimes turn up and deciduous woodlands have Scandinavian race Nuthatch, Bullfinch and lovely white-headed Long-tailed Tit. A few Elk (or Moose) inhabit Öland and we may make an early start one morning to search for them too.
Day 8	We drive back to Copenhagen for our flight home, birding enroute if time allows.

Just some of what we hope to see..

Whooper Swan	Caspian Gull	Hen Harrier
Common Crane	Northern Grey Shrike	Rough-legged Buzzard
Avocet	Long-eared Owl	Goshawk
Bearded Tit	Black Woodpecker	Yellow-browed Warbler
Barnacle Goose	Hooded Crow	Pallas's Warbler
Bean Goose	Eider	Brambling
Red-breasted Goose	Robins!	Twite
Eiders!	Goldcrests!	Red-breasted Flycatcher
Little Stint	Tree Sparrow	Elk
Long-tailed Tit (White-headed race)	White-tailed Eagle