Gammelgården

14:th of February 2009
The Gammelgården in Fläckebo is such a pretty place on a day like this.

Runestone in frost

14:th of February 2009
Requests of visiting the local rune stone (Odendisa´s stone) in Fläckebo can´t be denied anymore and since the flock of Waxwings from one of the adjacent gardens don´t seem to be around anymore, we have some extra time.
The conditions are almost more than perfect.

Great Pygmy

13:th of February 2009
Maybe you know that friday the 13:th is supposed to be a day of bad luck. That don´t seem to be the case today, because even if we don´t get to see the 3:rd Hawk Owl reported in the area, we find a Great Grey Shrike and just around sunset... a Pygmy Owl.
After spending some time in a distant treetop, our imitations make it fly right at us and perch really close. The first Pygmy this year with some aggressiive behaviour. Spring is on it´s way.
I´m shure a lot of people got better shots than my. Why don´t you send them in and I´ll put them up here?

Feeders at work

13:th of February 2009
Nutcrackers and Grey-headed Woodpeckers are performing very well today, as well as the small birds like Crested Tits and Nuthatches. Glyn Sellors took the picture.

Nordic lights... almost

12:th of February 2009
As the 3:rd Naturetrek group arrives, we start with a visit to the Hawk Owl and finish the day with trying to lure out Pygmy Owls with some imitating calls. No success though but a colourful evening sky at the last stop, almost reminding of the Nordic Lights (Aurora borealis), which it was not though. We are a bit to far south still.

Great day and visit

10:th of February 2009
Another great day and famous Swedish photographer Brutus Östling visits the feeding stations for some Nutcracker shots. Have a look at his own blog and maybe some pictures turn up there eventually.

Hawk Owl performance

9:th of February 2009
As the weather finally turns into super, some get really good opportunities to see and photograph Hawk Owl in excellent conditions. Here´s a sample from Glyn Sellors.

Hard fighters

8:th of February 2009
Yes this group fought a hard battle with the weather with snowfall every day (!) on the trip. Despite they kept up a really good mood and in fact saw most of the birds even if some of them did not perform as willingly as usual. Thank´s everyone for all your gratitude and spirit!

Skidooride to Jays

8:th of February 2009
Snow depth and slightly lower movibility among some of the groupmembers, make us arrange for a skidoo-ride to the Siberian Jay today. Quite an adventure and comfortable too. Many thanks to Bernt Andersson for providing his services so kindly.
You can see the joy in their eyes, can´t you?

Pygmy makes the day

7:th of February 2009
The snowfall makes bird activity a bit low and we struggle to get good views on Three-toed Woodpeckers. At least we see one. Black Wood however is far less obliging. Lynx prints, Golden– and White-tailed Eagles and a singing Pygmy Owl just before dusk are some of the highlights of the day.

Snow keeps falling

6:th of February 2009
Snow keeps falling but bird activity is not too bad inside the forest and especially on the feeding station for Nutcrackers where we hang most of the day today. Crackers and tits like Crested–, Willow– and Coal are busy and unshy. Picture by Glyn Sellors.

Another Hawk Owl

5:th of February 2009
Another Hawk Owl has turned up and with this weeks group we head to see it. First we struggle to find it, but after some good local knowledge comes our way, it´s easy to spot. Despite it is first sitting in the middle of a dense little wood and resting. Eventually it flies up to a tall tree top, where it perches for the rest of the time we stay. Several Hawfinches show around gardens on the way to the Owl.

In Sibejay land

1:st of February 2009
The snow depth is about half a meter, so it is not without effort we make our way to the favourite area of the Siberian Jays. The trees are so full of snow, it´s really beautiful. And the jays show well by the warming fire.

Blue morning

1:st of February 20009
It´s cold (–10° C) and the snowfilled skies are clearing up. The light is that arctic blue in the early morning and we just have to stop before we reach the Siberian Jay-site, just to get some pictures and enjoy the view.

Lynx and Glove

31:st of January 2009
In the ice we find the round, unmistakable footprints of a big cat – a Lynx. Just one of the big predators of the area. Wolves breed here too.

A day in the dead forest..

31:st of January 2009
"The dead forest" was flooded because Beavers built a dam in a creek near it two years ago. Since the dead spruce trees attracts beatles, they in turn, attracts Woodpeckers, like the Three-toed Woodpecker.
But today we also enjoy the snow covering everything and some Lynx footprints frozen into the ice. Also some lichen on the dead tree trunks are really attractive.

..with three toes

31:st of January
And a pair of Three-toed Woodpeckers offer good views even if the light is just good enough for some blurry digiscope pictures. Here´s the male with his yellow cap.

The Hawk Owl

29:th of January 2009
This picture was taken by Glyn Sellors on the same Hawk Owl on a sunnier day.

First Naturetrekkers

29:th of January 2009
The first winter group from the British tour-company Naturetrek arrives and we set off straight from the airport to look at a Hawk Owl. On the way there we get lucky to see a Great Grey Shrike, a Goshawk, and a bunch of garden birds in the nearest village, including such winter scarcities for this latitude as Starling and Brambling.
The Hawk Owl offers a bit of drama as it gets mobbed by another Great Grey Shrike.