Brånsjön

In Brånsjön near Vännäsby, resting and breeding birds can gorge themselves on staggering numbers of insects. The lake is also one of Västerbotten’s genuine pearls for those of us who appreciate trips out into the countryside. Don’t forget to bring a well-stocked picnic basket and thermos of coffee. You can then enjoy the beautiful, rich Västerbotten countryside at the lake’s bird-watching tower.

A bird lake with a high level of biodiversity

Brånsjön overflows with birds during the spring, summer and autumn. Garganeys, northern shovellers, northern pintails pochards, coots and Slavonian grebes all breed here regularly. And common species like teals, wigeons, wood sandpipers and common snipes are naturally found here as well. From mid-April to mid-May, Brånsjön is full of resting ducks and geese. Rare pink-footed goose can also be seen now and then among the bean geese, and sometimes even lesser white-fronted geese.

Brånsjön has been studied in depth as regards ducks and what they eat, all in the name of science. These studies showed that Brånsjön is a real wetland pearl when it comes to insects such as Asellidae, diving beetles, midges, black flies and chironomid larvae. These insects are the perfect food for ducks.