Morups Tånge, Naturreservat

If you are interested in bird watching, Morups tånge is the place for you. The reserve is one of Sweden's finest bird locations. During late summer and fall, it is possible to see most of the country's waders, often in large numbers. The reserve also has one of the few grazed dune heaths in Halland.

Getterön is probably the place in Halland that is best known for its bird life, but Morups Tånge is also widely known among birdwatchers. The reserve is located just south of Glommen and is dominated by a headland that extends far out to sea. The nature is varied with gentle flower-rich grasslands, grazed dune heaths and lots of pebbles and boulders along the shores. The stones come in all sorts of shades of gray, red and brown and together with the growing rock lichens they create a splendor of color of the more muted kind.

Getting around the area

There are no marked paths or trails in the reserve. But it is easy to get around on the flat beach heath and discover the area on your own. It is also possible to take a pram out onto the beach heath, if you have a model that is adapted for slightly uneven ground. In the parking lot, right next to the lighthouse, there is also a dry toilet that is open during the summer.

Collect stamps

In some of our most attractive reserves, you can also collect a nice stamp when you visit the reserve. You stamp either directly in your guidebook or on your own paper/book. In Morups Tånge, the stamp is at the lighthouse.

The area is grazed by cows

In the summer, cows roam freely on the coastal meadows and help us to keep the landscape open. The calmly grazing heifers spread a tranquillity over the area. In high summer, the beautiful martens bloom a couple of hundred meters around the Morups Tånge lighthouse. The martens have blue flower heads and stand in vase-shaped, silver-gray bouquets in the middle of the gravel just before the seaweed banks take over. It is a red-listed and protected species that with its thorny leaves resembles a thistle, although it belongs to a different family of plants. The sandy beach is also home to the critically endangered beetle, the shore runner.

Sweden's waders come to visit

The changing seasons give Morups Tånge a special charm. Spring offers playing larks, lapwings, curlews and nesting migratory birds in an intense light. Many of Sweden's waders now come to visit. They can be seen on the meadows, in the seaweed piles and in the shallow bays where there is plenty of food in the form of insects, larvae and molluscs. The southernmost bay, Korshamn, has the richest bird life. Sometimes the whole beach is packed with birds picking through the washed-up seaweed.

Autumn and winter birdwatching

In the fall, when the strong westerly winds blow across the coast, seabirds such as the black guillemot and the black guillemot can be seen flying close to land. This is when the colors of the landscape on the headland deepen and migratory birds move restlessly south before winter creeps into the coastal areas with cold, clear days. During migration times in the fall, the real rarities emerge. Some of the unusual birds that have passed through include the barn owl, great egret, ringed plover, snipe and broad-billed godwit.

Although birdlife is at its most intense during the summer months, winter also offers great birding experiences. For example, you can zoom in on peregrine falcons, snow buntings or one of the many wintering diving ducks in your binoculars.