Abisko and Kiruna, June 24 th - July 1st with Nanette Roland Photo: Kent-Ove Hvass

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1 Abisko and Kiruna, June 24 th - July 1st with Nanette Roland Photo: Kent-Ove Hvass A warm welcome to the land of the Midnight sun! On this trip you will experience places in far northern Europe and as we are north of the Polar Circle the sun will never set. Prepare for a bright midnight and that special feeling of never being sleepy! As Abisko is one of the sunniest places in Scandinavia we are certain to see the midnight sun. Abisko, with its mountain forest and tundra, is easily accessible. The nature shows a large variation at different elevations and we will explore it by foot, bus and cableway. Abisko is also famous for the rich flora and botanists from all over Europe come to enjoy orchids, rhododendron and other colourful flowers. It is also known for the large number of butterflies and bumblebees. Because of the many habitats, the birdlife is of course exceptional. We will hear birds singing around us during our days in the mountain. The Bluethroat will mimic other species and even the trains that run through the National Park! Arctic Terns and Red-throated Diver will fly over our heads on the way between their small breeding lakes and the big lake Torneträsk. Above the 1

2 tree line we will be overwhelmed by the sceneries and views but also have a personal encounter with the tame, colourful Dotterel. But we will start the trip in the mining town Kiruna where we will visit some old-growth forests and wetlands to find exclusive birds as Smew, Siberian Jay and Siberian Tit. We will also get a flavour of the Sami Culture and see some buildings with a very special architecture Pick-up and drop-off: Kiruna airport. To reach Kiruna one has to transfer via Stockholm Arlanda, Copenhagen or Oslo. Key species: Red-throated Diver, Black-throated Diver, Long-tailed Duck, Greater Scaup, Smew, Hen Harrier, Merlin, Ptarmigan, Willow Grouse, Whimbrel, Dotterel, Temminck Stint, Spotted Redshank, Red-necked Phalarope, Long-tailed Skua, Little Gull, Dipper, Bluethroat, Ring Ouzel, Siberian Tit, Siberian Jay, Twite and Snow Bunting. Red-throated Diver. Gavia stellata. Photo: Erik Hirschfeld 2

3 Possible species: Gyrfalcon, Northern Hawk Owl, Black Woodpecker, Redthroated Pipit, Arctic Warbler, Pine Grosbeak and Rustic Bunting Walks: We will walk slowly through the ancient forests, the beautiful mountain birch woods and on mountain heath. To reach the higher elevations in Abisko we will use the cableway. One day, we visit the mysterious valley Kärkevagge and will walk 12 km. Bring sturdy walking shoes capable of both rocky terrain and semi-waterproofs. Weather: In Kiruna and Abisko the weather will normally be nice sunny and a temperature of about degrees. West of Abisko, we expect bigger chance of showers and slightly lower temperatures. Backlashes with colder weather may occur. AviFauna Nature Tours Guides will be equipped with our bird alarm system and are well updated on observations and weather conditions. We will use local, English-speaking guides. Accommodation. In Kiruna we stay at Arctic Eden a new hotel in central Kiruna with an ethnic Sami people profile. In Abisko we stay at the splendid Abisko Mountain Lodge, situated on the border of Abisko National Park. All meals are included in the tour and we will be able to sample local specialties like Moose, Reindeer and the fish Char. Telescope. It could be useful to bring a telescope but the tour guide will be equipped with one. June 24th We will meet up our local guide at Kiruna airport when the plane from Stockholm arrives. From there we will start our birding in the birch forest and wetlands around this mining town. We will see and hear species such as Redwing, Redpoll, Brambling and hopefully our first Bluethroat. At the small lakes Yle and Ala Lombolo we will look after Slavonian Grebe and Yellow Wagtail of the beautiful northern race thunbergi. We will stay two nights at Arctic Eden a hotel with a strong Sami ambiance. 3

4 Siberian Jay. Perisoreus infaustus. Photo: Magnus Ullman June 25th Today we will head north-east to the small village Vittangi where we will stop at Kyrksjön where there is a good chance to see Smew. In the nearby lake Posiojärvi we hope to see Little Gull, Ruff, Greenshank and other waders. We will also stop at the free-floating mighty Torne River, one of Sweden's four national rivers and in some good spruce and pine forest to search out species such as Siberian Jay and Siberian Tit. Outside the town of Svappavaara we find more lakes with ducks. In the evening we will take a nice walk in Kiruna with its lovely church and some other interesting buildings. Night in Kiruna. June 26th In some old-growth forests close to Jukkasjärvi, just outside of Kiruna, we will make an effort to connect with the elusive Siberian Jay, which will either stay concealed or curiously approach us in small numbers. This is also the home for Siberian Tit and we will listen for its Willow Tit-like calls. In the lake 4

5 Sautasjärvi there can be Black and Common Scoter. The church in Jukkasjärvi is famous for, among other things, the altarpiece by Bror Hjort and we take a brief look at it. In the afternoon we transfer to Abisko (100 km). On leaving Kiruna, we will make a short stop at the Sami craft cooperative Mattharakka. In Abisko we begin to gently investigate the interesting surroundings of our beautiful hotel. The habitat is mountain birch forest with open subalpine heath in between. We will find many interesting flowers including orchids. The rich flora attracts butterflies and bumblebees. Night in Abisko. June 27th We travel the short distance (10 km) to Stordalen, one of the more exciting bird sites in the area. Here we will hope to see the unwary Red-necked Phalarope swirling around in small ponds. There are other waders such as Whimbrel, Ruff and Green Sandpiper, but also ducks, divers and swans. After this we go back to Abisko and the National park where we will visit the Visitor Centre to learn more about the area. We will walk along the spectacular river Abiskojåkk in which the Scandinavian race of Dipper has its home. Down at the Abiskojåkk s delta we will obtain a good view of the lake Torneträsk the seventh biggest lake in Sweden. We will have good use for our telescope when we scan for waders and ducks here. Bluethroat is very common along the lake shore. Night in Abisko. June 28th If the weather is favourable today, we take the cable car up to Njulla the famous mountain in Abisko. Sitting two and two we will enjoy the view from the cable car during the 20-minute silent ride up to 900 metres above sea level. During the ride there is a good chance to see Willow Grouse and Ring Ouzel. Without much effort we can leave the cabin and step directly out onto the tundra and enjoy the colourful mountain flora. From there we will walk slowly and start searching for Ptarmigan and Dotterel. If we reach the top we will encounter Snow Buntings. On the way back we will offer those who wish a walk the whole way down to Abisko valley where we will take a closer look at Ring Ouzel and hopefully Arctic Redpoll among other birds. The flora along the path is incredible! But it will of course also be possible to take the cable car downhill. Night in Abisko. 5

6 June 29th In the early morning we will offer those who wish an excursion to on of Sweden s few sites for Arctic Warbler. After breakfast we then drive to the west. Along the road we will stop at small lakes for Red-throated Diver, Greater Scaup and Red-necked Phalarope. We will stop at the small train station Låktavagge to begin a nice walk in Kärkevagge. Here we will meet a The Lord of the Rings - atmosphere with dramatic rock formations. In the end of the valley we come to Trollsjön ( The Troll Lake ) said to be Sweden's clearest lake with a transparency equal to its depth of 34 meters. Besides the beautiful landscape, we hope to enjoy Ring Ouzel, Twite and maybe a Snow Bunting or two. Night in Abisko. June 30th The whole day will be spent in Abisko National park where we can explore the many nice trails leading us through birch forest with some very old pines, along lovely mountain rivers or over subalpine heath. We expect to see Willow Grouse, Arctic Tern, Bluethroat and Brambling but chances are also good for birds like Hawk Owl, Red-throated Diver and Merlin. We will of course also study the flora and fauna that the national park is famous for. Night in Abisko. July 1st Depending on departures, there will hopefully be some time for a morning walk down to Lake Torneträsk before we make the transfer to Kiruna airport where the trip ends. Price: SEK (shared occupancy) Including: full board accommodation, all local transports to and from Kiruna airport, German tour leader Nanette Roland, assisting English-speaking, Swedish tour leader, entrance fees. Exclusions: Travel insurance, items of a personal nature, alcoholic drinks, visa fee (if non EU national), costs incurred if the participant does not stay with the group, such as extra meals and transports. 6

7 Lapland Bunting.Calcarius laponicus. Photo: Kent-Ove Hvass AviFauna Nature Tours is fully insured as a professional tour agency and has deposited travel guarantees with Kammarkollegiet in accordance with the Travel Guarantees Act (1972:204).AviFauna is a member of and follows the recommendations made by The Swedish Association of Travel Agents. Disputes are handled by The National Board for Consumer Disputes (ARN) and AviFauna follows their recommendations. AviFauna Nature Tours is owned by the Swedish ornithological society BirdLife-SOF. All proceeds go to bird conservation which makes us unique among bird tour operators. AviFauna Nature Tours, Lilla Brunneby 106, SE Mörbylånga, Sweden Tel info@avifauna.co.uk 7