Description
The lagoon of Bøjden Nor is a shallow lagoon surrounded by grazed coastal meadows and bisected by a causeway leading to the Bøjden-Fynshav ferry port on the coast. Bøjden Nor covers an area of 118 hectares, of which around 40 hectares are coastal meadow and are a bird reserve. Two artificial bird islands have been constructed in the lagoon.
Breeding birds include pikku-uikku, ristisorsa, meriharakka, avosetti, pikkutylli, tylli, punajalkaviklo, lapintiira and riuttatiira. However, it is the large flocks of staging birds that make Bøjden Nor special. Swans, geese, ducks, grebes, coots, waders, gulls and terns forage and roost here. Raptors, including ruskosuohaukka, are often seen flying over the area.
Unless the lagoon freezes over, swans, geese, ducks and coots winter here in great numbers. Bøjden Nor is best known for the many thousands of tukkasotka, punasotka and lapasotka that can be seen from the bird hides in winter. The largest numbers of lapasotka are seen in February/March. In recent years, merikotka has been regularly seen hunting in the lagoon or over openings in the ice just north of the ferry port.
Details
Access
North of Fåborg, route 8 leads west towards Bøjden. On the outskirts of the village of Bøjden, on the left-hand side, signs along Dyndkrogvej show the way to two car parks, from where a nature trail leads to two bird hides. One of these is accessible for wheelchair users. The lagoon can also be viewed from the beach or from the causeway out to the port. (There is a car park at the port). There is a car park north of Kalvørevej, from where there is access to a path in the northern part of the reserve. Kalvørevej is on the right-hand side when leaving Bøjden. Nearby is a new observation tower with a view across the reserve. Visitors must keep to the paths in the reserve. There is no access to the enclosed meadows.
