Fauna

There’s a rich and diverse fauna on Öijared’s lands. Fish rich waters. Elk, roe deer and hares. A strutting capercaillie. Fallow deer, wild boar and a varied bird life.

Biodiversity

In the woods and fields elk, foxes, roe deer and hares are seen. Sometimes we get a glimpse of a wary lynx or dancing capercaillies. The most recent arrivals are a little flock of fallow deer and a herd of wild boar. The lakes have waters that are rich in fish.

Bird life is varied. Amongst others, Pheasant, Mallard, Common Goldeneye, Goosander, Red Breasted Merganser, Great Crested Grebe, Little Grebe, Common Moorhen, Crane and Mute Swan breed here. Lake Sävelången is an important wintering ground for different kinds of water birds, and around the lakes Osprey and Sea Eagles have been observed.

Marine species that aren’t normally found on inland waters are found here, like Great Black-backed Gull, Eurasian Oystercatcher, and Eider. In the migratory season skeins of impatient birds pass by. Examples of breeding seabirds are Black-throated Diver, Osprey, Little Ringed Plover, Red Breasted Merganser and Great Black-backed Gull.

In Öijared’s forests and our open spaces and game trails roe deer, fox, elk and now also fallow deer make themselves at home.

There are fantastic hunting grounds of around 2000 hectares, including water, at Öijared. The topography is varied, with ancient deciduous forests, game drives, and scattered areas of open ground. There are wind shelters, picnic areas, a hunting lodge and hunting tower. The farm’s forest managers and hunting staff work together to manage the wildlife, and the estate’s hunters lead hunts and are responsible for dogs, tracking and transport.

Game farming

An active game management, “game farming” is, alongside farming and forestry, an ever more important part of an estate’s finances. Öijared has traditionally always been associated with good stocks of cloven hooved game like elk and roe deer. More recently other game species have found their way to Öijared.

The fallow deer that have been seen have a good chances of strong growth thanks to the diverse habitats we have here, for example, large open grasslands, hardwood and broad leaved deciduous forest. Wild boar have also settled in parts of the estate, where churned up earth indicates their presence. Wild boar management requires increased efforts to keep the herd at a controlled level in order to safeguard both golf courses and an unrestricted outdoor life. And the balance needs to be maintained between the risk of mammal damage to trees, and wild animals’ food needs.