Summary: A four-day quick birding trip to Härjedalen in central Sweden in mid-June 2023. Departed from Uppsala city in the 15th early morning and left Härjedalen at noon 18th. Driving took about 6 hours. Mainly go birding from 22:00 to 3:00 and early morning (5:00 to 8:00), and sleep during the daytime. Great Snipe lek watching on the nights of 15th and 17th, and other nights spent mostly driving in the lower forest area. In the mornings, hiking and birding in the bushy swamps and meadows in the hills. Camping at Flatruet. The weather was mainly light Cloudy.
I had longed to spot one Great Snipe (Gallinago media) in its display for quite a period, ever since I heard one in the south suburb of Uppsala. Despite its similar look to the Common Snipe, the Great Snipe is famous for its special lekking behavior and remarkable male dance. As it hardly ever stops in migration, it becomes hard to spot one. In June 2023, I was lucky enough to get a chance to visit this mysterious wader in its alpine lekking ground.
Table of contents
Wetlands
After driving through the forests in south-central Sweden for about six hours, we arrived at Härjedalen. This old province of Sweden is located in the Scandinavian mountains, where endless alpine meadows and swamps float upon the vast forests. In winter, it becomes a skiing ground, while in summer, it is a paradise for breeding birds and other wildlife.
The first stop we made before heading to the snipe lekking area was Storsjö fågelskyddsområde. Besides all the common breeding wetland birds of Sweden, the most remarkable attraction for me was clearly the breeding Little Gull colony. I used to go for about 200 km in search of a wintering Little Gull or encountered a few migrants in spring, but it was definitely a different experience to have a flock of 30 Little Gulls hovering on their nest in the northern wetlands. Arctic Terns and Common Gulls also shared this breeding site and aggressively chased all the potential invaders––though some might be just passing by.
In the following days, we had another chance to explore Lake Storsjö—Kyrktjärn. It was a peaceful lake at the mountian foot, with some Tufted Ducks and Horned Grebes spending their summer. We met many foraging Little Gulls, flying agilely like dancing and buoyantly catching mayflies. A few Black-headed Gulls and Arctic Terns were among the Little Gulls, but their flight was more rigidly. Snipe was not here, though; they were then at the higher alpine meadows.
Alpines
We drove by the highest road in Sweden and set up our camp near Flatruet. As a flat fell in the Scandinavian mountains, it was always a mythical place. From both sides of the road, meadows, swamps, and bushes formed the perfect breeding sites for various bird species.
I was surprised to see Long-tailed Jaegers (Stercorarius longicaudus). I knew they breed in the mountains of Scandinavia, but I never expected to see them in real life. We occasionally see a few flying over during the day, and we had a chance with two perching near the road at one dusk. 2023 was not a large year for lemmings, so the Long-tailed Jaegers had to feed more on insects.
Most parts of Sweden used to be covered under glacial. As the climate fluctuated, the expansion and retreat of the glacial made many porous structures in the substrate, and they became the swamps of Sweden. It feels like a huge sponge to store water, and it also made the home for many waders who were breeding there. The Great Snipe was never visible during the daytime, but the Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) frequently did their flight display. The Ruffs (Calidris pugnax) perched along the rivers with some males had exaggerated ornament; Red-necked Phalaropes (Phalaropus lobatus) were making circles in the ponds; and European Golden-Plovers (Pluvialis apricaria) were basically everywhere. However, we did not see many other Calidris there.
The alpine had its singer––the passerines. Bluethroats (Luscinia svecica) were the most remarkable symbol here. We met a crazy male who somehow could make a song flight, and some crazy birders came from Germany, especially for the subspecies here. Willow Warblers (Phylloscopus trochilus) and Meadow Pipits (Anthus pratensis) were abundant and always in the background. swamps. Reed Buntings (Emberiza schoeniclus), Redwings (Turdus iliacus), and Western Yellow Wagtails (Motacilla flava thunbergi) were not rare. Northern Wheatears (Oenanthe oenanthe) were common and preferred relatively dry areas. The Redwings were mostly active during my sleeping time, which was not so nice…
If the video doesn’t work, please go the bilibili: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1Bc411M7aU
Lekking
The main target of this trip was certainly the Great Snipe. Apparently, Härjedalen was famous enough to attract many birders here for the Great Snipe. On the 15th, we made our first attempt to the lekking ground, and the second on the evening of the 17th. We met about twenty other birders on the 15th, but only a few remained on the 17th. The peak of lekking is usually between 23:00 to 2:00. Before or after this period; there were hardly ever displaying Great Snipes. However, most people would somehow leave before midnight.
During the first attempt, we arrived early, around 20:30, when it was still bright. We started to hear the display sounds after 21:00. In central Scandinavia; it was partial midnight sun, so there would be some weak light then. However, the Great Snipe could barely be seen in the distance unless they jumped. The lek was inside a vast area of bushes, and most birds were usually well-shaded. To see them clearly, we had to find a proper angle and use the telescope in most cases.
The dance of the Great Snipe was probably the most memorable among all the waders. The male started by shrinking the body upwards. Then they had faster and faster beats in the call. They ended with a flip of the wing and an extension of the tail. The outer white tail feathers were likely very visible in the near darkness and worked as an attraction to the females.
For the second attempt, the other two friends wanted to sleep, thus only Per and I went to the lekking ground. It was slightly cold, but I was clever enough to put heating stickers on my back and legs. I went to the edge of the lek with Per; then, I could appreciate the dance of the Great Snipe nearly around me. To prevent further disturbance, I did not approach any further.
The night was extremely silent, and I could hear only the sounds of Snipes accompanied by the wingbeats of some insects nearby. Some flighting between the snipes drove them moving. With the faint light, I took some videos of this miracle lekking. We did not leave until 2:00 when all the displays had stopped. My mosquito spray seemed not very effective. I finally got a lot of bites on all bare body parts as the cost of experiencing the leking. We saw a Willow Ptarmigan () and heard a Black Grouse () calling after midnight.
If the video doesn’t work, please go the bilibili: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV17g4y1K7Pn
Hiking
On June 17th, we decided to have a short hiking uphill from Flatruet. It felt wonderful to walk along the trail surrounded by all the mountains, with the clear sky and swamp waters. Sometimes, the scene reminded me of the sacred mountains in the Tibetan Plateau, but in Härjedalen, it was more relaxing with higher oxygen. As for the bird, it did not change so much from the roadside: still the Willow Warblers, Reed Buntings, Yellow Wagtails, Northern Wheatear, as well as Meadow Pipit. Common Cuckoos (Cuculus canorus) also appeared. I had seen them from low land to 4,000 meters above sea level, and even in the near Arctic! A few Lapland Longspur (Calcarius lapponicus) and a Dunlin (Calidris alpina) were displaying in flight as well, and the number of both was slightly lower than expected.
By chance, I saw a white dog running below the hill, and some houses with red roofs were in the background. I told the others, while they all looked suspicious. We heard some weird sounds as well. Julius checked the “dog” with the telescope and said it was an Arctic Fox. We were very lucky to see it there since the number was dramatically declining in Scandinavia. Now there are ongoing projects trying to save them from climate change and the competition of expanding Red Fox in the region.
Forest
Lower down the alpine, there were conifers below. Song thrushes always sang in the background. We had no luck with owls then, but we could see some moose every now and then, even one day at noon.
During these four days, we always went birding from 22:00 to 3:00 and early morning (5:00 to 8:00) and slept during the daytime. That was clearly a lifetime experience. I was more than grateful to all my friends who went on the trip with me. If you feel interested, go and explore your own Härjedalen!
eBird Trip report: https://ebird.org/tripreport/139421
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