Volunteering in Sweden, bird observatory
| country: | Sweden |
| location: | Swedish Lapland |
| departures: | Group departure 11 Jul 2008. This trip can also be tailormade after this date |
| price: | From Kr10300 (approx £790) (10 days) excluding flights. Includes English-speaking tour leader and guide, all local transport, all food and accommodation in a simple but comfortable cabin with bunk beds. Group size 1-4 people |
the amazing things you'll be doing
In the northernmost part of the Bay of Bothnia, close to the border between Sweden and Finland, there is a small group of islands that was established as a National Park in 1995. Haparanda Sandskär is the main island of the group. Since 1981 local ornithologists have been running the Bird Observatory and over 100 000 birds have been ringed on the island.
Now you have the opportunity to have a working holiday as a volunteer at the bird observatory. You will learn a lot about the unique bird life on this magical island whilst contributing to the work done by the local ornithologists.
In the morning, you participate in the catching and ringing of birds, observing, monitoring and other work. The afternoons and evenings are free for birding, bathing, fishing and discovering this extraordinary island. You don't need to have experience of this kind of work but it is an advantage to have some basic knowledge about birds.
Once upon a time there were several fishing villages here but now the personnel of the bird observatory and a few fisherman and tourists only populate it for a part of the year. Haparanda Sandskär is about 5 km from north to south and about 3 km from east to west. The island consists of sand and has risen out of the sea with the land rise after the last ice age. The environment of the island is the result of interplay between the wind, the waves and the still ongoing rise of the land from the sea.
With time vegetation has colonised it and the great biodiversity now present is one of the factors making Haparanda Sandskär such an interesting and diverse birding site. Many migratory birds rest here and a total of over 240 bird species have been observed.
Now you have the opportunity to have a working holiday as a volunteer at the bird observatory. You will learn a lot about the unique bird life on this magical island whilst contributing to the work done by the local ornithologists.
In the morning, you participate in the catching and ringing of birds, observing, monitoring and other work. The afternoons and evenings are free for birding, bathing, fishing and discovering this extraordinary island. You don't need to have experience of this kind of work but it is an advantage to have some basic knowledge about birds.
Once upon a time there were several fishing villages here but now the personnel of the bird observatory and a few fisherman and tourists only populate it for a part of the year. Haparanda Sandskär is about 5 km from north to south and about 3 km from east to west. The island consists of sand and has risen out of the sea with the land rise after the last ice age. The environment of the island is the result of interplay between the wind, the waves and the still ongoing rise of the land from the sea.
With time vegetation has colonised it and the great biodiversity now present is one of the factors making Haparanda Sandskär such an interesting and diverse birding site. Many migratory birds rest here and a total of over 240 bird species have been observed.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Arrival at Luleå airport in late afternoon/evening. Stay at hotel in Luleå, the largest town in Swedish Lapland. |
| Day 2: | In the morning transportation to Haparanda Sandskär Bird Observatory, first by car/minibus and then by boat |
| Day 3-8: | This is the first week and we have to start up this year's work. After a few days of preparation we will have the bird observatory operational and then, in the morning, starting 5 am, you participate in catching and ringing the birds and other work. The rest of the day is free to discovering this extraordinary island. |
| Day 9: | In the afternoon we go back to the mainland and the programme depends on the group's requests. Accommodation is in comfortable chalets or at a hotel. (It could be very windy and the transportation back to the mainland could be delayed. In order to avoid any missed flights we include one extra night at the mainland.) |
| Day 10: | Transfer to Luleå airport. |
volunteer travel - what's it all about?
Are you are looking for an adventurous trip with a purpose, or on a gap year or career break? If you want to make a difference in some of the world’s most important conservation areas - and in community projects - then volunteer trips are for you! Volunteers tend to have a sense of adventure, and come from a range of different backgrounds and from all over the world. Edward Abbey said 'sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul'.
flights at Xmas & New Year
For the Christmas and New Year period you need to book your flights early to ensure availability and good value for money. Flights fill up very quickly and are normally impossible to book by the end of November. We recommend Scandinavian Airlines, www.flysas.com who offer flights from the UK to Lulea (via Stockholm). We can then collect you from the airport. Rovaniemi and Kemi in Finland are also possible.how this holiday makes a difference
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This holiday is a result of cooperation between our company and Haparanda Sandskär Bird Observatory. The Bird Observatory, run by the local organisation for ornithologists in Lapland, is focusing in ringing and monitoring breading and migrating birds. As a volunteer you will mainly help them out with the work with catching bird with mist nets and cages for waders and with counting of birds. Other vary work will also occur. 10 – 15 % of the money you are paying for the week will be transferred to Haparanda Sandskär Bird Observatory.
Our company is a small-scale company, based in Swedish Lapland and locally owned. When you choose to buy your holiday directly from us, over three quarters of your money will benefit locally based and owned companies that employ local people. Wherever possible, we use local suppliers for food, materials, detergent, expendable items and equipment. We works closely with nature and we avoid being intrusive or harmful. Where possible we use eco-friendly products: food, detergent, materials. Locally sourced meat, as elk and reindeer, fish as salmon, vegetables and potatoes, usually organic is provided during the trip. We try to minimise consumption of material and products. We recycle package materials and compost our organic waste. Waste is carried out and package materials are recycled according to our policy. We don't use disposable cutlery, plates and similar. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've lead the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |