Date Cost Availability Deposit Single Supp	30 May - 06 Jun 2027 £3195.00 12 Spaces £635.00 £320.00 Book Now

Leaders	Roy Atkins and Jane Atkins
Flights	Scandinavian Airlines, scheduled Outbound: Morning, Heathrow-Kalmar Inbound: Afternoon, Kalmar-Heathrow (Outbound and Inbound via Stockholm)

Day 1	Fly to Kalmar via Stockholm and transfer to Gammalsby - 7 nights Gammalsbygarden Inn.
Days 2-7	Birdwatching, botany and wildlife exploration including visit to the Ottenby Bird Observatory.
Day 8	Transfer to Kalmar for our flight back to the UK, via Stockholm.

Weather	Weather can be variable and unpredictable with temperatures between 10 - 22 °C. It can be windy and cloudy; rain is also possible so bring layers and waterproofs.
Walking	Up to 2-3 miles on easy tracks, which may be muddy after rain.
Meals	All included from dinner on Day 1 to lunch on Day 8.
Insects	There may be a few mosquitoes in sheltered woodlands and marshes so bring repellent.
Accom	Double, Twin and single rooms all ensuite.
Group	12

A relaxed holiday on this delightful island in Sweden, with spring migration and exciting breeding birds such as Collared Flycatcher and Montagu’s Harrier - plus carpets of flowers.

	*   Ottenby Bird Observatory during spring migration - who knows what might turn up!
	*   Beautiful display of Alvar spring flowers, including island endemics such as Öland Rockrose
	*   Collared and Red-breasted Flycatcher, Thrush Nightingale, Icterine and Barred Warbler
	*   A host of orchids - including Green-winged, Burnt-tip, Fly and Military
	*   Chance to see a ringing demonstration and stunning lighthouse-top views
	*   Relaxed pace birding and botany, with most sites close at hand and lots to see!
	*   Susanne and Stephan provide a friendly welcome and amazing food at our great inn

Day 1	After our flight to Kalmar, via Stockholm, we then drive the short distance over the bridge to Öland and onward to our delightful inn at Gammalsby, where Swifts race around overhead and Susanne and Stephan provide a warm welcome. Stephan is a mine of information about the island and its history, while Susanne’s food is simply delicious - they are the perfect hosts!
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 Ottenby Bird Observatory, set in meadows, scrub and heathland, surrounded by low boulder beaches and coastal bays. This whole area makes for excellent birding, with geese and waders on the shore, migrants in the bushes and some exciting nesting birds nearby. The extensive oak and birch woodlands here are just beautiful in spring, with the oak leaves a pale green and the trees alive with birds at this time. Common nesting species such as Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Treecreeper and Nuthatch of the rather paler Scandinavian race, make for a great background, but are joined by much scarcer species such as Collared and Red-breasted Flycatcher, Icterine and Wood Warbler, with a slimmer chance of Common Rosefinch, while Golden Oriole nest in small numbers but are almost impossible to see. Migrants add excitement to the trip, with the possibility of some great birds including Garganey, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Temminck’s Stint, Little Gull, Caspian Tern, Red-backed Shrike and perhaps a Bluethroat or Wryneck - or something much rarer! Some of the passage waders are likely to be in their beautiful breeding plumage - let’s hope for Grey Plover, Spotted Redshank or Knot at their best! Late May and early June can be the best time for rarities, with species such as Greenish Warbler, Red-footed Falcon and Marsh Sandpiper turning up surprisingly regularly. The Observatory staff regularly check the mist-nets and Heligoland traps and we’ll make a visit to watch 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. Common birds can look so beautiful when seen at such close quarters. One striking feature of Öland is the Stora Alvaret - a bedrock of limestone that breaks the surface over an area some 40km long and 10km wide in the southern centre of the island. On our autumn trip there is little to be seen here, but in spring we expect fabulous flowers including several species of orchid. Siberian, Arctic and Southern European flowers mingle here with sheets of Meadow Saxifrage, Sticky Catchfly, yellow patches of Öland Rockrose and purple Wild Chives. We’ll look for delicate Birdseye Primrose, Maiden Pink, Yellow Oxytropis, tiny Rue-leaved Saxifrage and endemic Öland Wormwood. Plus there will be orchids! Flowering times depend a little on the weather, but we hope to catch the last of the Early Purple, Green-winged and Elder-flowered Orchid - the latter known locally as Adam and Eve as it may be purple or yellow. These species might be going over or may be in huge numbers, with occasional Early Marsh Orchid amongst them. Delightful Burnt-tip Orchids are scattered here and there, but the star of the show must surely be the amazing Military Orchids - so very rare in the UK, yet surprisingly abundant here. Being a week later than last year we may find species of Spotted Orchid or Butterfly Orchid. We’ll visit a couple of interesting ancient fortress remains at Isentorp and Gråborg - interesting in their own right, but also with excellent orchid sites where we have chances of Fly Orchid and Sword-leaved Helleborine, plus interesting plants such as Angular Solomon’s Seal. Beautiful woodlands nearby hold Lily-of-the-Valley, Solomon’s Seal and Herb Paris, however Lady’s Slipper Orchid may be difficult as, in many years, it does not produce flowers at the only easily visitable site. We’ll also visit a Reserve to see the unusual and rather spectacular Spring Adonis also known as Yellow Pheasant’s Eye – with large yellow flowers and feathery foliage. Returning to birds – elegant Montagu’s Harrier may be a fabulous feature of the holiday, as they nest close to our hotel and one evening we shall try for Nightjar with chances of roding Woodcock and a sound track of Thrush Nightingale - a tricky bird to see but we will try. Avocet and Black-tailed Godwit breed here, as do Little Terns, Marsh and Barred Warblers and Red-necked Grebe in their stunning breeding plumage. Common Cranes may be passing through and we’ll watch out for resident White-tailed Eagles.
Day 8	After birding in the morning we catch an afternoon flight home, via Stockholm.

Just some of what we hope to see..

Collared Flycatcher	Common Crane	White-tailed Eagle
Red-breasted Flycatcher	Avocet	Montagu’s Harrier
Thrush Nightingale	Black-tailed Godwit	Nightjar
Barred Warbler	Broad-billed Sandpiper	Military Orchid
Icterine Warbler	Temminck’s Stint	Burnt-tip Orchid
Marsh Warbler	Woodcock	Fly Orchid
Wood Warbler	Caspian Tern	Elder-flowered Orchid
Red-backed Shrike	Little Tern	Pasque Flower
Tree Pipit	Little Gull	Spring Adonis
Red-necked Grebe	Garganey	Oland Rockrose