Field course: Natural History and conservation in Boreal Environments
Discover, with the help of conservation professionals, a fascinating island in the Baltic sea, declared Natural Reserve for its unique biodiversity
Lilla Karlsö, Gotland, Sweden
Dates: 19-26th June 2022
From 950 €
Thousands of seabirds cannot be wrong
Lilla Karlso is a true natural jewel. This small island – an ancient coral reef – has been carefully protected since 1954 by Naturskyddsföreningen, the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation. On its rugged cliffs, thousands of pairs of guillemots and razorbills breed every year. The coast, full of fossils, shocked even Linnaeus, when he visited the island in 1741. Hundreds of gray seals can be seen in the sea. The most inquisitive individuals will get closer to inspect us, raising their heads from the water, vocalising their curiosity. We’ll be observed also from the sky, by the majestic white tailed eagles.
If we are lucky, around those dates we might witness a spectacular drama:
The fledging of the guillemot chicks, daring to jump, from the first time in their lives, from the heights of the cliffs, responding to the call of their parents from the water.
Aims of the field course
The main objective of the course will be to introduce participants to the basic techniques of ecological sampling and fieldwork for conservation.
Natural History
Discover the geology, fauna and flora of this emblematic example of the Swedish natural treasure. Lilla Karlsö was the natural lab of Carl Nilsson Linnæus, the father of the system of classifying and naming organisms, taxonomy.
Field ecology techniques
Learning and practicing together bird ringing, monitoring, species identification… We’ll gain knowledge from local professionals about the ecology and conservation of an ecosystem as unique as fragile.
Career strategy
Design a career strategy to get a conservation job, with the help of professionals with decades of experience in the sector.
Itinerary
The trip will last 8 days. We’ll start our adventure in Stockholm, on the 19th of June, and we will return to the same point on June 26th.
Day 1 – We’ll meet in Stockholm, take a bus to Nynashamn and, from there, we’ll board a ferry to the island of Gotland. Once in Visby, the beautiful capital of the island, we’ll go over the details of our adventure, and we’ll organise together the logistics for the next few days on Lilla Karlsö. We’ll spend the night in a hostel by the harbour.
Day 2 – Early in the morning, we will board another ferry which will take us to Lilla Karlsö (unless the weather conditions don’t allow it, a rare event in summer).
Days 2- 5 – Once settled in our comfortable wooden huts, we’ll start planning our 5 days of scientific ringing, bird and plant monitoring, and wildlife observation. We will cook together our meals – any volunteers to run the BBQ? – and we’ll sleep on warm and comfy bunk beds.
We’ll observe grey seals, white-tailed eagles, seabirds…Learning about fossils and talking about biology, conservation and adventures will be our other activities.
During these days in Lilla Karlsö, and depending on the weather conditions, we will practice bird ringing every day. Two days of gulls, two days of terns, passerines everyday and, depending on the status of the breeding season, every night we’ll ring guillemots.
Day 6 – Friday 25th is midsommarafton, the most interesting celebration of the Swedish calendar. That morning we’ll go back to Visby and, after a restorative and therapeutic shower, we’ll dive into Swedish tradition.
Day 7 – We have some surprise activities planned. There will be time to relax and maybe buy some local souvenirs in Visby, where we can have a nice dinner together. We’ll spend the night at the hostel by the harbour.
Día 8 – We’ll board the ferry to Nynashamn, in the mainland, and from there, a bus back to Stockholm, where we’ll say goodbye until our next adventure.
Included:
- Transport within Sweden from the meeting point
- Special permits to access the island and banding
- Boat to the natural reserve
- Lodging
- Fees for guides and natural reserves.
- Equipment needed for the field work
- Guidance before the trip
Not included:
- Flights to Sweden or transport and/from the airport to the meeting point
- Lodging before and after in Stockholm
- The meals and drinks (we’ll do shopping together and take it to the island where we’ll cook)
- Compulsory travel and travel cancellation insurance.
In colaboration with:
- Alka Wildlife
- KMH Konsult
The trip will be led by both English and Spanish speaking guides.
Course leaders
Price
No insurance, no flights, no meals. For more information visit the questions
- No flight no insurance
- No flight no insurance
FAQ
How many students will we be in the course?
The course consists of 16 participants accompanied at all times by 3 guides/teachers.
How is the payment method?
Bank transfer to a bank account in Spain
Why is the price of the trip not included?
Trips vary a lot depending on the time of year and when they are bought. From past experience we know that students are able to get the best prices.
In addition, many of our students take advantage of the trips to stay a few days before and/or after in the area, so they prefer to organise their own return trips.
What is compulsory travel insurance?
Travel insurance covers you against accidents and repatriation, as well as medical care.
What is the recommended cancellation insurance with covid clause?
Cancellation insurance gives you your money back if you cancel your trip, according to the terms and conditions of the insurance policy.
With Covid, it is possible that the entire trip may have to be cancelled, or that you may not be able to fly due to regional or personal restrictions. The insurance is responsible for refunding the money to you, as Bio+ will have already spent some of the money on preparing the course (accommodation, materials, etc.)
Is a course certificate issued?
Of course! All courses come with a certificate of achievement.
In addition, courses that are university-specific degrees are also issued with the corresponding qualification.
Read what some of our students have to say about our courses (in Spanish)
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