MEMORIES OF FALSTERBO
Posted: 26.10.26 in Articles category
Have you heard of Falsterbo? Probably not, unless you are Swedish, love golf, interested in historic lighthouses or are a keen European birdwatcher. It’s a small peninsula on the tip of SW Sweden with near-legendary status as an avian migration hotspot. I think I first heard the name half a century ago and I tentatively hoped that one day I might have the opportunity to see it for myself. That dream came true this September when I joined an organised birding tour and spent 6 amazing days at Falsterbo to revel in the spectacle
Let me quote from the RSPB publication, ‘Migration Hotspots; The World’s Best Migration Sites’ by Tim Harris and see if this description whets your birding appetite!
“Every autumn a huge avian exodus takes place with birds streaming out of Sweden, Finland and north-west Russia before the bitter winter sets in. Most of them head south-west and millions of them are making their first serious journey. Many find themselves funnelled into an increasingly narrow peninsula at the very south-western tip of Sweden – the Falsterbo peninsula, which points a 10-kilometere finger towards Denmark. From Falsterbo they can take the short route across the open waters of the Skjutomrade to Denmark, just 24 kilometres away – and beyond. Hundreds of thousands can be seen doing just that….
Falsterbo is one of the best places in Europe to ‘vis-mig’ in autumn. That’s birders’ shorthand for observing visual migration during daylight hours and the variety of birds on the move throughout the long ‘autumn’ season is truly impressive. Crossbills and passage waders are often the first in late June before it’s the turn of Starlings in July and pipits, wagtails, hirundines and duck come August. Yellow Wagtails are seen in large numbers by the end of the month, and they were one of the key species during my stay in early September with 3140 being recorded by Falserbo’s monitoring team on the 8th. The team also counted 1059 Barn Swallows, 560 Tree Pipits, 412 Sparrowhawk, 325 White Wagtails, 120 Siskin and 69 Honey Buzzard. My biggest surprise on that day was seeing so many Sparrowhawks flying past me as I didn’t realise that they migrate. Yet that’s part of the joy of birdwatching – you never stop learning if you have eyes to see.