Orarna, Naturreservat

The Orarna Nature Reserve includes large areas of water, the 250-hectare main island of Orarna and 130 smaller islands and shoals. A small archipelago just outside Gävle city. You need a boat to get to the main island. At Rönnviksharen on the main island, Sillerharen and Leharen you can make a fire at barbecue areas. You can also canoe in the area. On the island of Leharen you can also visit old defense facilities.

On the main island of Orarna, you will find the county's richest occurrence of mayflower and the orchid flyflower. In recent years, rare and peculiar soil fungi such as fireweed and purple thorn fungi have also been found on the island. During the summer, cattle graze on the salt meadows to keep down the weeds and reeds.

Torp and defense facility

There used to be a tenant farm on Orarna, which was established in the 1880s and 1890s and operated until 1923. The farm had cows and horses grazing on the beaches, and there were a few small farms on the island. On the island of Leharen in the north there is a now abandoned defense facility with camouflaged bunkers and gun turrets.

Beach meadows and animals

The beaches on Orarna are calcareous, with extensive coastal meadows and wet meadows. This gives way to an unusually rich and protected flora. Small protruding hillocks with dry hillside flora that were previously part of a more open landscape around the farm. Here you will find species such as wild onion, hayloft, wild ragwort and almond blossom.

The nature reserve is one of the county's best places for birds. Here you can find curlews, dunlin, dabbling ducks, black snipe, common scoter and small waders such as moorhen. On small islands there are several colonies of fish and sandwich terns. Herons have begun to establish themselves as breeding birds in the area, as have cormorants with colonies on Båkharen, Skräddarhällen and Leharen. White-tailed eagle, osprey and lark falcon are regularly seen in the area.