Ottenby Nature Reserve
On the southern most tip of the island of Öland, in the Baltic Sea.Size: 1,610 hectares
Habitat: Coastal areas, small bays, open grazing land, scrub and deciduous woods (birch and oak). Extensive areas of shallow water and seaweed-covered beaches.
Birds & wildlife: A number of species and individuals are exceptional for Sweden. Migrants pass through the area during spring, summer and autumn. Geese, ducks, waders and passerines are the most numerous, while the number of resting birds depends on weather conditions. Among the species with larger numbers there are often quite rare birds, in May and October you need to pay special attention to see them. Breeding birds are also of importance: they include Corncrake, Avocet, Terns, Thrush Nightingale, Barred Warbler, Collared and Red-breasted Flycatcher. There is a high density of Waders breeding within the reserve. The Swedish Ornithological Society runs a bird observatory near the tip of the island. Waders and passerines dominate the ringing, and some twenty thousand birds are ringed annually.
Visiting & access: Close to the Ottenby Bird Observatory and the lighthouse there is a visitors' centre. The museum and information centre is open during weekends in May-June and September-October, and daily during the height of the tourist season (late June-mid August). There is also a restaurant, which is open under roughly the same conditions as the visitors' centre. There is a fee for parking at the southern tip of the island during peak periods, but members of national BirdLife Partners are offered a discount.
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