Äspuddens fågeltorn

The newly built bird tower at the southern end of the island is an excellent place to study the seabird migration that passes south of Hanö. The tower is large and can accommodate many people. On the ground floor, a large wooden deck has been built with several movable benches and a large coffee table. The upper floor is five meters high and has a fantastic view of the Baltic Sea. The easiest way to get to the tower is to follow the white path south from the village, the distance is about 600 meters in terrain. The path is not recommended for people with reduced mobility.

The range of species from the tower is extremely variable depending on the month you visit the island. April-May and August-October are the months when seabird migration is most intense and it is during these periods that you can expect the most activity. It should also be added that birds prefer to migrate mainly from dawn and well into the morning, so the early birds are usually the most rewarded.

The early spring migration in March-April is dominated by different types of ducks. Eider is the species seen in highest numbers during this period, historically days with over ten thousand eiders have been seen from Äspudden. A little later in April, the number of species increases as the heat returns. Common Scoter, Black Scoter, Common Goldeneye, Pintail, Teal, Oystercatcher and Curlew are species that pass the island in higher numbers in mid-April. In May, the stretch is dominated by terns and sandwich terns, barnacle goose, bar-headed goose, and little and common guillemots.

In late summer you can enjoy the wonderful wader migration before all the ducks return south in September. Generally, birds are not in as much of a hurry in the fall as they are during spring migration, which means they move for much longer periods. So you normally get a much greater variety of species in September-October than you do in spring.

In the hornbeam forest next to the bird tower there is a wonderful concert in the spring with many different species of warblers, nightingales, thrushes and both great and lesser spotted woodpeckers. Outside the tower there is also a good chance of seeing harbor seals, gray seals and otters.