Golden eagles

25:th of November
Just north of Skultuna I spot a raptor at a distance and soon realise it´s probably a Golden Eagle. When I stop to look through the telescope, 2 Eagles glide over the adjacent field to and fro in the wind.It´s an adult and an immature (not juvenile though) bird and they´re in fact both Golden Eagles. I see them for quite a while as the young bird sits down in a tree, but then takes to air again.
I move around to the other side of the river to get closer and get them coming so close that I even can get a picture with my tiny digi-camera. Just a silhouette but still a Golden Eagle.

Snowy day

25:th of November
As I drive on northwards along the Black River, I stop every now and then to scan the surroundings. In a nice, sunny clearing the sun is really warming despite the snow and cold around me, at least it´s lea here. A flock of 20 or so Redpolls entertain me for a while, when a nice group of passerines come and lively up the immediate nearby. Goldcrests, Treecreepers, Coal–, Crested–, Willow– Blue– and Great Tits altogether in a little "meståg" (Swedish expression for a band of tits, quite untranslatable word by word)
I put up some birdfood for them and move on to my regular feeding site where 20 Long-tailed Tits great me. Such sweet little creatures! The Nutcrackers get happy over my new shipload of Hazelnuts and margarin. They´re crazy!
In the village (Fläckebo) my garden is also busy, with plenty of Yellowhammers, Greenfinches, a few Marsh Tits, a male Pheasant and above all... a nice group of 30 or so Waxwings, feasting on the apples still hanging from my trees.
Oh I love these birds! Just as I´ve focused the telescope on them the alarm call of a Marsh Tit makes them fly away, and when they finally come back the light has gone totally, so no Waxwing pics today. Maybe another day.

Cracking tree

23:rd of November 2008
To the utter disappointment of the Nutcrackers, I forgot to bring hazelnuts today, just brought the birdseeds and they´re not quite happy with that. Will they be able to trust me again or have they totally lost confidence in me now?
Mr Coal Tit is very happy though and allows pictures on basically just a meter and a half, as five of the Nutcrackers moans up in the sunlit Aspen tree.

Brilliant and cold

23:rd of November 2008
Northerlies, –5° C but some blue skies and sunshine makes it a nice day out. Me and my friend Jan-olov drive around forest tracks to look for birds. A few stops to take winter pictures doesn´t really produce anything, until we stop at a place called Odessa (west of Krim) where a Great Grey Shrike is perched in a treetop, 14 Common Crossbills fly past with high, "kypping" calls, and a female Black Grouse feeds in an Alder by the road. An adult White-tailed Eagle soars by and we start to feel that this day is actually quite bearable... despite the cold.

Winter by the bog

21:st of November 2008
A touch of snow on the ground and sunny weather. A round to the feeders is rewarding with 3 Hawfinches, Nutcrackers and all the forest-tits. I start up the feeding station by the bog Höskovsmossen for the season. It´s always a great and wild place to visit, with such a great view and so many good Bird and Moth memories.
As I fiddle with the birdfood, the sun bursts out through a cloud and it is probably the last I will see of it this day. It casts a smooth winter light over the scene and as I stand there taking pictures of the view, a flock of 14 male Black Grouse comes flying in above me, landing in som Pine trees a few yards away. Nice birds!
By the way... a juv White-tailed Eagle sat in a tree just by the road on the way up. As I drove closer, I saw the cause of it´s presence: a roadkilled Roe Deer lying in the ditch.

Winter´s coming

16:th of November 2008
Heavy snowfall for a couple of hours and then northerlies and clear blue skies, create excellent crispy cold winter atmosphere as I refill my feeders after midday. Flocks of Whooper Swans and Canada Geese are filling the sky with sound and shape as they migrate southwards.
On a field by Lake Hällsjön I encounter some 170 Whoopers grazing just by the road. Almost invisible against the snowcovered ground. One Bewick´s Swan is among them. A good find here this time of the year.
At least 4 Nutcrackers are busy at the Inn and a Coal Tit is even perching on my wrist as I lay out some sunflower seeds on a rock. Such tame little creatures.
Anyway it´s great with real winter!

Nutcrackers

Six Nutcrackers keep visiting the feeding station and giving really good photo opportunities. Four Swedish photographers tried them out during the weekend and goot reasonably good results, bearing in mind that the light is not very good this time of the year. Some sunshine worked their way though. Picture by Niclas Lignell. Check out his own photopage!

Nutcracker in snow

... and in the first snow. (courtesy of Niclas Lignell)

Just a red cottage

3:rd November 2008
Even just a little, red cottage by the road in Svartådalen – the Black River Valley can be beautiful in this light.

Sunny november

3:rd of November 2008
The first snow came during the weekend but didn´t last for longer than 2 days. Today it is mild and sunny again after a cold night. The mild sunshine makes beautiful colours even though the trees are stripped naked on their yellow leaves now.

Retro -phalarope

The weather wasn´t the best, but the birds where obliging. Lekking Ruffs, Long-tailed Skuas, Long-tailed Ducks and Red-necked Phalaropes in the same puddles on the high Alpine plateau at Funäsdalen. Glyn Sellors took this excellent picture on the 11:th of June 2008. See more about the Upland trips on birdsafarisweden.com

Wolf howling night

29:th of October 2008
The Scandinavian Wolf population is slowly increasing and recent good news include an immigrated male from the east (Finland probably) who have bred succesfully with a swedish female wolf in the south part of Lapland.
This is the first time that the Swedish/ Norwegian Wolftribes have received some new blood to their worryingly small DNA-base. They´re all (ca 150 animals) in fact descending from the same single pair of ancestors (!)
Even the 2 resident local pairs got puppies this year, so a night out in the wolf territories of Bergslagen shure seems like an exciting event.
We set off a group of 8 people and start with a good barbeque on some local hot sausages and vegetarian baguettes. After that we cruise the forest-tracks, stopping to howl and listen for answers every 5-10 minutes or so.
Unfortunately no Wolves where heard this time, but we shure had a good time together. Have a look at the oficial wolf-howling trips provided by Marcus Jonsson at Kolarbyn this winter!