On our 2022 tour of Sweden, we stopped for two nights at Norrfly Herrgård, a villa by Bollnäs Golf Club, to visit Ålsjön nature reserve, among other things. Here we wanted to photograph horned grebes and were surprised to get a magnificent couple in front of the lens after only a few meters on the paths along the lakes. Ålsjön also has observation towers from which you can get a good view of the lakes and see many birds. To get to the top floor of the towers you must not be overweight, the stairwell is very narrow. Arriving at the top of an observation tower, we first met an elderly Swede who could tell us a lot about the Ålsjön nature reserve. After some time, another bird lover who came from Germany joined us. We received good tips from him as to where we could photograph the rather rare phalanges in Norway.
In a short time we not only saw the planned horned grebes but also sea eagles, marsh harriers, Canada geese, tufted ducks, goldeneyes, smews and as a special highlight, a crane, brooding on a clutch of 2 eggs!
A visit to this nature reserve is highly recommended.
