Dättern I, Naturreservat

Dättern is one of Sweden’s most important inland bird areas and is highly regarded.

The shallow bay in southern Lake Vänern attracts large numbers of resting ducks and waders. There are two nature reserves here (Dättern I and Dättern II) with a total of three birdwatching towers, offering excellent opportunities to get up close to the birdlife.

Dättern offers a rich variety of birdlife year-round. White-tailed eagles and marsh harriers are frequently spotted, and species such as the crested lapwing and northern shoveler are recurring favorites among visitors. During the summer, you also have a chance to see curlews and black-tailed godwits resting in the area.

Dätterstorp

Here you’ll find Dättern’s newest birdwatching tower, which has two levels with a ramp leading up to the first floor. From the barn, there’s a gravel path all the way to the tower.

Parking is available just before the railroad crossing. From there, walk toward the farm, turn right just behind the barn, and then continue out toward the lake. The distance to the bird tower is just over half a kilometer.

Frugårdsund

The bird tower at Frugårdsund has two levels and is located out on the Vänersnäs peninsula. From the nature reserve parking lot, it’s about a kilometer’s walk along a forest road and then through deciduous forest on a boardwalk and a well-trodden path.

Want to take a loop? Then head straight out from the bird tower toward the forest road and follow it back to the nature reserve parking lot.

Sjöryd

On the eastern side of Lake Dättern, directly across from Frugårdsund, there is a bird tower on the Sjöryd estate in Ås. The reserve parking lot is on the right-hand side just before the farmyard. From there, signs lead to the tower—a walk of about two kilometers.

The birdwatching tower is partially hidden by the tree canopy and features an elevated platform accessed by a steep staircase.