LIMOSA HOLIDAYS, West End Farmhouse, Chapelfield, Stalham, Norfolk NR12 9EJ (UK)

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1 Sweden SCANDINAVIAN AUTUMN Up to 20,000 Cranes gather to roost at Bergslagen in autumn... where the unexpected appearance of this hot air balloon put the whole lot to flight on our September 2014 tour - an amazing sight! Sweden tour participant Jim Bennett 2016 Friday 2nd - Tuesday 6th September (5 days) Small group tour with Daniel Green Spend a few autumn days amidst the wild forests and lakes of central Sweden, with tens of thousands of migrating Cranes and geese, the chance of seeing Bluethroat and other migrants, a good selection of northern moths and butterflies - and maybe even rutting Eurasian Elk. Add good food at two super rural hotels - and you have all the ingredients for a hugely enjoyable 'Scandinavian Autumn' break. Autumn birding in the wild forests and wetlands of central Sweden See thousands of migrating Common Cranes and geese making their way south Up to ten species of raptor to watch for - from Merlin to White-tailed Eagle Chance to see Bluethroat and other migrants being ringed Dusk foray into the forest to look and listen for Pygmy Owl Red-backed Shrike, Penduline Tit, Red-throated Pipit - all seen last time! Small group tour led by our resident Swedish expert Daniel Green What's Included? Expert Tour Leader Flights London Heathrow to Stockholm nights accommodation - at two charming country guesthouses All meals included All local travel, entry fees, tour based tips and taxes LIMOSA HOLIDAYS, West End Farmhouse, Chapelfield, Stalham, Norfolk NR12 9EJ (UK) TEL: +44 (0) info@limosaholidays.co.uk WEB: limosaholidays.co.uk

2 Greylag Geese flying - one of five species of goose recorded on our last autumn tour Sweden tour participant Jim Bennett Outline Itinerary Day 1: Day 2: Day 3: Day 4: Day 5: We fly London-Stockholm. Transfer via Hjälstaviken and Lake Fläcksjön to Salbohed (2 nts) We explore Hälleskogen Forest Today we head to Färna Eco-park and Bergslagen, then continue to our second hotel at Sörby Säteri (2 nts) We visit the Kvismare Valley and Svartådalen wetlands, a hotspot in autumn for raptors, geese and cranes. Morning visit to Kvismare Bird Observatory. Fly Stockholm-London Tour Overview This exciting and original short break to central Sweden offers a fantastic chance to spend a few autumn days amidst its wild forests and lakes. Migration is the theme of our early September visit, as birds of all shapes and sizes stream south through Scandinavia to escape the impending grip of winter - but there are lots of exciting resident birds to watch for, too. As the Scandinavian summer draws to a close, the peaceful forests, lakes and water meadows of central Sweden act as a magnet to tens of thousands of migrating birds heading south to warmer climes. Huge flocks of Bean Geese and Common Cranes gather in the farmland, and up to a dozen species of birds of prey - from the diminutive Merlin to the huge White-tailed Eagle - pass overhead. Numbers of Bluethroat also reach a peak in early September, when these attractive birds pause to spend a couple of weeks in central Sweden, fattening up before continuing east towards their Asian winter haunts. We can expect to see other species leaving the taiga forests too, among them many warblers, tits (including the lovely whiteheaded caudatus form of Long-tailed Tit), pipits, thrushes and buntings. In addition to an abundance of migrants, Sweden's resident birds will be active and busily putting on weight to see them through the snowy months ahead. Tiny Pygmy Owls are at their most vocal in the autumn and up to six species of woodpecker are possible in the forests, along with Capercaillie and Hazel Grouse. Mammals to watch for include the mighty Eurasian Elk, the bulls now in prime condition and ready for the autumn rut with a full rack of antlers! Although the autumnal pine forests are quieter than in the spring, birds such as Nutcracker and Three-toed Woodpecker can still be found - especially with the help of our excellent Englishspeaking local guide Daniel Green, who has designed the itinerary exclusively for us info@limosaholidays.co.uk

3 Daily Itinerary Day 1 TO STOCKHOLM, HJÄLSTAVIKEN & SALBOHED Our early autumn birdwatching tour to Sweden commences with a morning flight from London to Stockholm's Arlanda airport, where Daniel will be waiting to welcome us. Our first excursion is to Hjälstaviken, a reedfringed wetland with plenty of birds. Here we look for Europe s rarest goose, the Lesser White-fronted Goose, its population currently growing slowly after having been hunted almost to extinction on both its breeding and wintering grounds. Most of these birds are the offspring of reintroduced and captive-bred goslings, but they still offer unique possibilities of putting your identification skills to the test - not to mention carrying the future of their species. And there is always the chance of finding a totally wild, unringed individual amongst them - as did our September 2014 group! We continue to our accommodation for the first two nights - a wonderful and historic country guesthouse in the woods at Salboheds. In the evening we will go searching for owls, with our focus on Pygmy Owl: tiny but amazing creatures that appear just before dusk in forest clearings. For those who may be interested (and if the weather is fine), we will also try to offer a 'moth night' during the trip, selecting an interesting site locally where a good range of moths are likely to appear. Light Crimson Underwing and the spectacular Clifden Nonpareil are examples of what could be found in early autumn. Night Salbohed Day 2 HÄLLESKOGEN On the western edge of the Black River Valley, lies a vast pine forest: Hälleskogen. With a plethora of bogs and mires, it is an interesting area to explore during a longer walk. Amongst a range of possible species, we are here to look for the elusive Capercaillie and Hazel Grouse, while Common, Southern and Migrant Hawker dragonflies can be seen over the wet bogs. Nutcrackers and both Crested and Willow Tits are attracted to a forest feeding station, where we also spend some time watching them and admiring the landscape. Along (or sometimes directly on) the gravel roads, Camberwell Beauties may appear. At this time of the year, this magnificent large butterfly can offer great photographic opportunities. A look around the valley wetlands and farmland can be rewarding too, as we search for raptors such as Hen Harrier, Rough-legged Buzzard, Merlin and Peregrine. Further birds of prey may be seen beside the lakes, where White-tailed Eagles, Ospreys, Hobbies and Marsh Harriers are usually about in autumn. If we drew a blank yesterday, we can try again this evening for Pygmy Owl. Or if our 'owling' was successful yesterday, we might instead choose to enjoy the sunset by Lake Fläcksjön, where hundreds of Common Cranes gather to roost. It promises to be a spectacular (and noisy) experience! Night Salbohed Day 3 FÄRNA ECO-PARK & BERGSLAGEN We rise early to seize the best morning activity in the forest, this time to search for Three-toed and Black Woodpeckers. They are attracted by good numbers of dead trees, which is why we'll go to a recently burnt part of the forest. It might look ugly with its charred trunks and blackened tree-stumps, but the woodpeckers like it! After a picnic breakfast that we'll enjoy in Färna Eco-park, and a walk in woodland where Greyheaded Woodpeckers breed, we continue our drive westwards through the vast coniferous forest towards Bergslagen. Here, sawmills and steel manufacturing once contributed to the Swedish war-machine - and even helped build the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Today, this largely unpopulated area is a great place for wildlife. Our 'Crane evening' in Svartådalen can be spectacular - but imagine seeing more than ten times as many! Up to 20,000 Cranes gather to roost at Bergslagen in autumn, an amazing and overwhelming experience to witness... so good, info@limosaholidays.co.uk

4 in fact, that that we spend an extra day and night in the area, aiming to get optimal conditions for the massive influx of birds. If conditions are good, it can be a great event for photography. Our accommodation for this and the following night is an historic 'bed & breakfast', offering tasty food and good rooms in a tranquil setting close to the Lake Kvismaren nature reserve. If the weather is calm, we will put out a moth lamp. Night Sörby Säteri Day 4 KVISMARE VALLEY, SVARTÅDALEN We enjoy a tasty guesthouse breakfast and set off to explore the Kvismare Valley: a farmland region that was once a vast marshland. After being drained in the early 1900s, it is being restored once again to a wetland area. The patchwork of lakes, marshes and productive farmland area attracts masses of birds - mainly geese and Cranes, but also birds of prey and passerines. Among many possible raptors, we look for Hen Harrier, Rough-legged Buzzard, White-tailed Eagle, Merlin, Peregrine and Osprey, whilst migrating Montagu's or even Pallid Harriers could be the icing on the cake. We should see thousands of geese too, with Greylag and Taiga Bean Geese being the most numerous - up to 20,000 birds gather here in autumn - but there are also Barnacles, Whitefronted and the odd Pink-foot too. For those who enjoy intriguing identification problems, it will be a challenge to find Tundra Bean Geese and the one or two rare Lesser White-fronted Geese that get in amongst them (our September 2014 group was lucky). This evening, we will visit another viewpoint to enjoy the Crane influx at night, for great chances of good photos and to experience this wonderful event. Backed by the setting sun, the sight of flock after flock of trumpeting Cranes passing overhead, joined by equally large numbers of geese and other waterfowl, must surely be one of the most breathtaking wildlife spectacles Europe has to offer - a fitting finale to our 'Scandinavian Autumn' tour! Night Sörby Säteri Day 5 KVISMARE BIRD OBSERVATORY, FLY STOCKHOLM-LONDON We have a chance to go out early in the morning today to watch migrants such as Bluethroat being ringed. We head down to the reedbed area by the lakes and will be guided by the Kvismare Bird Observatory staff. Skilled ringers will show us birds in the hand and explain how they are ringed, weighed and measured, before being released. Reed Buntings, along with Reed, Sedge and Willow Warblers are the more common species, but what we really want to see of course is the Bluethroats! This is absolutely the best time of year to look for them as they spend a couple of weeks fattening themselves up in the rich wetlands of east central Sweden before starting to migrate. Our birding over, we head back to Stockholm and catch an afternoon flight back to London, where our autumn tour to Sweden concludes. Trip Information Group Limit 8 participants & 1 leader Birds species Accommodation 4 nights accommodation in Sweden, with two nights at a charming and historic country guesthouse in Salbohed, and two nights at Sörby Säteri, a historic 'B&B' close by the Lake Kvismaren nature reserve. All rooms are en suite. Meals All main meals are included in the tour price, commencing with lunch on Day 1 and concluding with lunch on Day 5. Walking Easy. Short walks, mainly on good trails. Occasional forays over uneven ground away from tracks optional. Sturdy waterproof walking boots advised. Weather Sweden's weather is mild in early September, when monthly temperatures for Stockholm range from 9-18C (48-64F), info@limosaholidays.co.uk

5 averaging 12C (54F). Some rainfall is likely at this season, just as in the UK. Flights We use the scheduled return services of British Airways, SAS or similar, direct from London Heathrow-Stockholm (Arlanda). Ground Transport By minibus. Photos Good photographic opportunities from time to time - especially Cranes! Tour Cost 2016 (5 days): 1545 (inc flights from London) Land only cost: 1290 Deposit: 300 Single Supp: 100 Cost includes Services of our expert guide; flights London- Stockholm; 4 nights accommodation; all main meals; all local transport, entry fees, tour-based tips and airport taxes; map & checklist of birds. Cost excludes Insurance, drinks and other items of a personal nature. This trip will be operated in conjunction with The Travelling Naturalist About Your Guide Daniel Green Daniel is our resident, Englishspeaking Swedish guide, who both designs and leads our April and September tours to central Sweden. A birder since early childhood, he is still mad about Cranes (his favourite bird), owls, moths, butterflies and feeding birds in the wintertime. In a varied career, Daniel spent 12 years working as a gourmet chef, has been a newspaper journalist and photographer, and lately serving as editor of the Swedish bird magazine, Fågelvännen. He led this September tour to Sweden for us in 2014, and also led our April 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 tours there - and is eagerly looking forward to welcoming our groups in spring and autumn 2016! What You Say Most enjoyable - wonderful forests and lakes. Saw many more species than I expected, even if it was a bit cold! Top bird on this trip has to be Nutcracker - excellent views at a spot in the forest where Daniel knew there was a good chance of one turning up. Scand. Long-tailed Tit a surprise too! This was my third trip with Limosa - Great!! MK, Sweden (April) tour Daniel was friendly and hardworking on our behalf. His knowledge of the birds and Scandinavian history and culture added much interest to the days. Wilma and Johan of Salbohedgardens were just terrific, very warm and kind. My room was spacious. The short (4- day) tour was a nice option to the full 2-week itinerary to get a taste of Scandinavia. JRT, Sweden (April) tour Financial Security Limosa Holidays is a fully bonded Tour Operator and a member of the Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO). We hold an ATOL (Air Tour Operators Licence) granted by the CAA, providing for your protection in the event of Limosa Holidays' insolvency. Our licence number is ATOL For tours not including the cost of a flight from the UK or for holidays booked by you as Land Only, all payments made to us are fully bonded through the Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Limited (ABTOT). Our ABTOT membership number is For details please see our brochure or website: Limosa Loyalty Discount We are proud of the number of loyal customers who travel regularly with us. As our way of saying thank you, we offer a Frequent Travel Discount. Under the scheme, everyone who takes four trips with us is entitled to claim a 5% info@limosaholidays.co.uk

6 discount on their 5th trip *1. Remember to request your discount at time of booking! *1 Please note: This offer applies to the basic tour cost only and excludes certain commissionbased trips, extras such as additional flights, private extensions and cancellations. Discounts cannot be given in lieu of tour deposits or off the cost of single room supplements. How To Book Check availability on our website or with our office. We are happy to hold Provisional Reservations for up to 7 days. After this, we do require a Booking Form and deposit to confirm your place on tour. Any unconfirmed space will be released. Book Online, by Phone or by Post You can book and pay the deposit simply and securely Online via our website, using the Book This Tour button on the relevant tour page or the Booking tab at the top of the page. Telephone bookings must be confirmed in writing by completion of a Booking Form (there's one tucked inside every brochure or as a PDF download from our website), which can be mailed to us in the time honoured way. Be sure to read our Booking Conditions and General Information (found at the back of our brochure, on our website or available from our office on request) prior to booking. When to Book Early booking is advised since flights and accommodation are much more easily secured well in advance. To encourage early booking, we are pleased to offer an Early Bird Discount - see our current brochure or website for details. Our tours are limited to small group sizes. So they can fill up quickly - sometimes even before our new brochure comes out! Single rooms in particular can often be in short supply and among the first to go, so do try to plan well ahead if you definitely require one of these. Last-minute Bookings: We inevitably receive a few unexpected cancellations over the course of a season so it is always worth enquiring about vacancies on any tour - even for those departing in just a few weeks! Payments The amount of booking deposit per person is shown alongside every tour. We accept deposit payments by debit card, cheque (payable to Limosa Holidays and drawn on a UK bank in GB Pounds Sterling) and BACS (please ask for our bank details). We also accept Visa and MasterCard credit cards, with no transaction charge on payment of tour deposits. Full payment of the balance is due not later than 12 weeks prior to departure (20 weeks in the case of certain tours such as cruises or those involving rail travel). We will send you an invoice before the balance is due. We accept payment for balances (and interim payments) by cheque, BACS or UK debit card. We also accept balances (and interim payments) by credit card or overseas debit card but with a charge of 2% of the transaction amount to help offset card company charges. [Note that we do not retain your card details, which are destroyed once used. This means we may need to phone you again for details for subsequent payments.] Payment by overseas customers must be in GB Pounds Sterling and may be made by transfer to our bank (please ask for our bank details), or by overseas debit or credit card with a 2% transaction charge. Please note we do not accept cheques on US Banks in US Dollars, or cheques in Euros or Eurocheques. Late Booking Payments: In order for us to guarantee your airline seats, hotels etc., full payment is required at time of booking for all late bookings (i.e. bookings made within 12 weeks of departure) info@limosaholidays.co.uk

7 Other Things You Need To Know Passports & Visas For UK passport holders, your passport must be valid for the proposed duration of your stay. Although no additional period of validity beyond this is required, when travelling anywhere overseas we always recommend that your passport has a minimum of 6 months left to run after your intended date of return home in case of unforeseen delay. VISA NOT REQUIRED by UK passport holders to enter Sweden. As a British passport holder you can stay as a visitor for up to three months. Holders of non-uk passports should contact the nearest Swedish embassy or consulate to check whether or not they require a visa/s. If a visa/s is required, you will need to apply locally. If the embassy or consulate requires you to provide a letter confirming that you are booked on an allinclusive tour, please contact our office and we will be happy to provide one. Health & Vaccinations Compulsory vaccinations: None. Recommended vaccinations: For travel everywhere we recommend you check you are up-to-date with protection against tetanus, polio and hepatitis A. Ticks can occur in grassy, forested and wetland areas below 1400m during the summer months across most of continental Europe, including Sweden. If you are at all concerned by this, you may wish to seek advice from your doctor about inoculations and other measures to prevent tickrelated problems (such as tick-borne encephalitis) prior to travel. The above information, together with that contained within our Travel Information sheets (sent to everyone who books), outlines health requirements for this tour. Please note that these details are given for guidance only - and are only for certain diseases - and you must consult your doctor in good time prior to travel as to what immunisations (if any) are needed for your chosen holiday. For full and up-to-date health information we urge everyone to consult The National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) website prior to booking any overseas holiday. NaTHNaC is funded by the UK Government s Health Protection Agency and provides health information for both health professionals and travellers, with information compiled by its own clinical and scientific team. You can search for individual country requirements, which are updated regularly. Your Safety & Travel Advice An unavoidable aspect of travelling abroad nowadays is the risk it may pose to your safety and security. The best advice on current risks is provided by the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO). In order to assess and protect against any risks in your chosen destination we strongly recommended that you refer to the relevant FCO Travel Advice - both prior to booking and regularly before you travel. See It is standard Limosa policy for our office to send a copy of the relevant FCO Travel Advice about the tour to all participants along with their Final Letter (ca. 2-3 weeks prior to the trip). Know Before You Go - staying safe and healthy abroad - is a travel safety campaign run by the FCO, and another useful resource. Go to: Further useful information on visas, health, etc., can be found at the World Travel Guide website: Travel Insurance Good travel insurance is essential before setting off on any overseas trip. In common with all responsible tour operators, it is a condition of booking that all clients are fully and adequately insured before travelling overseas with us info@limosaholidays.co.uk

8 Your travel insurance should cover against cancellation, curtailment, missed departure, delay, personal accident, death, loss of baggage and valuables (see note below), personal liability and legal expenses. Most importantly, your insurance must cover you fully in respect of medical care and repatriation should you become too ill to continue with the tour, including the cost of emergency evacuation by helicopter or air ambulance should this be necessary. Note that passenger liability insurance covering the transportation that we hire, particularly in Third World countries, may be inadequate; it is therefore important that your insurance cover includes sufficient provision for your dependents in the event of an accident. We recommend that you obtain travel insurance as soon as possible after booking your holiday to ensure you are protected right from the word go in the event of unexpected cancellation prior to departure due to accident or illness. You must inform your insurers of any pre-existing medical conditions (including those of persons not necessarily travelling but upon whom your holiday may depend) that may require treatment during a period of overseas travel or might cause you to cancel the trip. Once you have arranged your insurance, please be sure to send us the following essential details: name and contact details of your insurance provider, your policy number, expiry date and your insurers 24hr Emergency Assistance number. Important Things to Note about Insurance Travel Insurance does not normally provide sufficient cover for valuable optical equipment, which is often best protected under your own household insurance policy. If in doubt ask your insurers for advice prior to travel. Most travel insurance policies limit the amount of cover, typically up to a maximum tour cost of 5000 per person. If the tour you are booking exceeds this amount, additional cover can usually be provided upon payment of additional premium. We recommend all travellers check their individual policy limit to ensure the full cost of their holiday is covered. Arranging Your Insurance: due to UK Government legislation, under Financial Services Authority (FSA) regulations, we are not allowed to offer or recommend travel related insurance to customers. Premiums can vary widely according to your age, needs, health, choice of destination and other factors, while many people nowadays have Annual Travel Insurance cover. For these reasons, we leave you free to shop around and pick your own policy, one best suited to your own individual needs. General Information Our website gives easy access to detailed tour itineraries (Tour Info Packs), trip reports, trip photos and the latest Limosa News. Special Diets & Other Requests We pass on all such requests to the airlines, hotels and other suppliers, and do our best to ensure (but of course cannot guarantee) that your needs will be met. Please be sure to tell us about these (in as much detail as possible) at the time of booking, to allow good time to make the necessary arrangements. Smoking Almost all of our clients prefer a smoke-free environment. For the enjoyment and comfort of all, we ask that smokers refrain from smoking in proximity to the group and respect our NO SMOKING policy in the vehicle, at meal times and when watching wildlife. Any Questions? If you have any questions at any time, you ll find our office staff friendly, efficient, approachable - and just a phone call away, eager to assist you in every way. Our office is open hrs Mon-Fri, and can also be reached by fax and . In the event we are unable to take your call, please leave a message on our answerphone (24 hrs) and our office will contact you as soon as we can. Thank you for your interest in our tours. We do hope that you will be able to join us - and we look forward to hearing from you again! CK info@limosaholidays.co.uk