Vendelsjön

From the bird tower at Varggropen at the south-eastern end of Lake Vendelsjön, you can experience a vibrant bird life. Already in early spring, you can hear the muffled tones of the bittern from several kilometers away and geese are seen in their thousands in the lake and in the surrounding fields. The long, narrow and shallow Vendelsjön is one of Uppland's finest bird lakes. A lot of work has gone into restoring it to make it more appealing, both for birds and for people.

Around the 9 km long lake there are many places worth visiting. At Åhl is the Varggropen bird tower. Another bird tower can be found at the north-eastern end of the lake, where a path through the forest leads you to it. Take a look at the high Vendel church with its adjacent visitor center and stop by Örbyhus Castle with its large castle park. Why not get on your bike and take a ride around the entire Vendelsjön! Along the idyllic "Sunday road" on the eastern side there are several nice resting places with beautiful views. A trip around the lake is about 30 km long.

The first spring birds arrive here in early March, sometimes even earlier. Whooper swans and lapwings are then seen out at the ice edge. When all the ice is gone, the fields are teeming with ducks and thousands of geese are resting and heading north. In the crowds of white-fronted geese you can find both pink-footed geese and white-fronted geese. During a visit in early summer, you can hear nightingales and warblers, and over the reeds you're likely to see lesser black-backed gulls, black terns and brown harriers. On a balmy summer night, you can hear a number of different night-singing species from both towers, such as swifts, grasshopper warblers and perhaps a small-spotted swamphen. Until the snow covers the fields and the ice begins to settle, it is worth visiting the lake.

Services: Information boards, bird tower, parking lots

Manager of Vargropens bird tower: Upplandsstiftelsen