Åby ängar, Naturreservat

Åby ängar ingår i ett stråk av betade och slåttrade strandängar kring Araslövsjön och Hammarsjön. Ängarna är värdefulla rastplatser för gäss, änder, vadarfåglar och rovfåglar. På vintrarna uppehåller sig flera havsörnar i området medan enkelbeckasin och gulärla häckar på ängarna. I naturreservatet ingår även en mindre del av Araslövsjön och Helgeå. Området är i första hand ett besöksmål för fågelskådare. I området finns ett fågeltorn, det kan dock vara svårt att komma ut till vid högvatten.

In English

Welcome to Åby ängar Nature Reserve

Åby ängar Nature Reserve is part of the open riparian meadows used for grazing and hay-making around both Lake Araslövssjön and Lake Hammarsjön. The wet meadows are important resting places for geese, ducks and waders. In winter, you often see white-tailed eagle patrolling the shores or hunting from a tall tree.

When, in 1775, the river Helge å broke through and took a new course to reach the sea, the water level in Lake Araslövssjön sank. Since then, the drained land has been used for hay-making and grazing. When the water level in the river Helge å is high, the lake reclaims its old shores. Birdlife is richest in spring and autumn, but a number of wet meadow species, such as curlew, snipe and yellow wagtail, breed here. In wet years, you can also find breeding shoveller, teal and garganay. Out on the meadows are three moraine hills – Sillebrandsö, Horns kulle and Tärnön.

A small part of Lake Araslövssjön is included in the reserve. The rare fen ragwort grows along the shores of the lake. The plant is only found in Kristianstad’s Vattenrike and a few other places in Skåne. The area of quagmire, reeds and willow thicket in the southern part of the reserve is a good reproduction site for wels catfish.

Regulations

Within Åby ängar Nature Reserve it is forbidden to:

• damage fixed natural assets or surface formations,
• pick, dig up or in any other way damage plants, mosses, lichens or wood-living fungi,
• deliberately disturb wildlife, e.g. by close-up photography,
• bring unleashed dogs or other loose pets,
• put up boards, signs, posters, or similar, or make inscriptions.Furthermore, without permission from the County Administrative Board it is forbidden to:
• collect invertebrates, e.g. insects and molluscs, or hide geocaches or other foreign objects.