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!