El toro

Full frontal, this little creature resembles more a little bull ready for fight, still a December Moth though. (Poppelspinnare in Swedish)

Mottled Umber

Ural Owl in broad daylight

Some days things more extraordinary than other happens. Today was one of them. I was busy driving to collect stuff for a tourism-fair in Posnan, Polan, when a Ural Owl appeared posted on a clearing in the forest near the Black River Valley. I got out and approached it down to 10 meters before it finally took off. An abnormal behaviour, that in worst case could be due to starvation. Ural owls don´t almost ever perch in the open in daytime. I think I´ve seen that perhaps only twice in my life ver apart from at nestsites.
At the "Nutcracker Inn", 4 birds approached me instantly as I gave out hazelnuts to the. Such charming birds!

The heat is on

8:th of October 2008
It´s a busy time for the Nutcrackers at our feeding station. Today no less than 6 of them were there together. Sven & Berit Lång saw it and took the picture. A sparrowhawk was there several times and for a second one of the crackers and the hawk sat on the same boulder, just a few feet from each other.

Feeding season started

The feeding season have started with Nutcrackers and Jays, Woodpeckers and forest tits, coming to the hazelnuts, acorns and seeds we put out. Sven & Berit Lång kindly submits this picture on one of the more tame Jays we´ve had lately.

The lodge

1:st of October
After a great, social sauna with outdoor baths last night, we wake up to fog and frost on the hotel lawn. Indeed struck by autumn!
But we enjoy the vast forests of Bergslagen and drive through the Wolf territories and feel the excitement of just sharing air with them. We stop at one of the biggest Beaver lodges I´ve ever seen. Just have a look!

Last day of the summer?

30:th of September 2008
The sun is shining warm from a clearblue sky, Dragonflies and Butterflies are very active at Sikfors herrgård in Hällefors, where I pay a visit for a network-meeting with other Swedish tourism-companies involved with natur- and wildlife tourism. Check out their websites on the links & partner page on birdsafarisweden.com.
Blue Hawkers and Black Darters are hunting the lakesides and the sunny side of the garden offers great views of Commas, Brimstones, Small Tortoiseshells and a really fresh Red Admiral. Could it be hatched recently?