Shallow waters rich in food

Søylandsvatn Lake is very shallow, and the lakeside is dominated by reed beds.
Photo: Erik Thoring

Søylandsvatn Lake

Søylandsvatn Lake is very shallow – only half a metre deep in many places. Many small birds nest in the reed beds, but species requiring a more open landscape are in decline. In 1975, as many as 2,300 pairs of black-headed gulls nested on the small islands in the lake, but these are now overgrown and the gulls have disappeared. As many as 220 butterfly species have been recorded around the lake.

The bearded tit (Panurus biarmicus) is one of the rare birds recorded on the reserve.
Photo: Radovan, Wikimedia Commons

Bjårvatn Lake

The Bjårvatn Lake nature reserve is located on bird migration routes. The birds have only a short flight to the local rocky coastline and sand dunes at Brusand. Many ducks can be seen on the water, and the lake is also home to salmon, trout, sticklebacks, flatfish and eels. A wide diversity of fungi and plants such as mosses and lichens flourish in and around the lake. Water quality is poor due to agricultural run-off and the impact of the invasive species western waterweed.

Western waterweed (Elodea nuttallii). This is an unwelcome plant that forms dense mats on the lake surface and outcompetes the native water plants. Photo: Petra Pohjola, Länsstyrelsen Norrbotten

Harvalandsvatn Lake

Harvalandsvatn is a shallow lake, located in a depression excavated by ancient glaciers. It is nowhere more than one metre deep, and its surface is covered with floating plants such water lilies and pondweed. In winter, you will find large numbers of ducks, geese and grebes, and as many as 242 different plants have been recorded on the reserve.

The gargeney (Spatula querquedula) nests on Harvalandsvatn Lake and is classified as endangered (EN) on the Norwegian Red List. Photo: Roy Mangersnes