Öland 170530 mist and whooper swan

Öland 170529-170601
Day 2.  © NF Photos 170530 additional!

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Eckelsudde and Whooper Swan
© NF Photos 170530

This was quite cool to watch. It was a misty and windy day and this Whooper swan had real trouble to get it´s way through the wind. It was flying against the wind and had to use both wings and feet to fix it. Talk about running in the air. Never seen that before.


Linking up with: Bird D´Pot   Wild Bird Wednesday

Labels:    Resor, travel, trip, journey, Sverige, Sweden, sky, photo, photography, Monica Johansson, NatureFootstep, nfphoto, NF_photo, nature, natur, fågelskådning, birding, resa, travel, photo, bird, fågel, Japan,

Öland 170530 A misty day

Öland 170529-170601
Day 2.  © NF Photos 170530

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When I woke up and looked out the window I saw nothing! Nothing but a grey world outside. No need to rush then.

Around 9 a´clock it started to lift a bit and I went out.  Just outside the hostel area there was a lot of cars and people standing along the road.


 I stopped and asked a person what was going on. Out on the other side of the field a rare eagle was almost hidden in the fog. A Greater spotted Eagle (större skrikörn). My 400 mm lens gave me this image. (Below!)

In Sweden there is a system where birders can alert each other about rare birds and where to find them, hopefully! That is why a bunch of people visit the same place. The Eagle seemed to have been in Öland for a couple of days so I continued down to South Point. I took some misty shots of horses, cows and sheep. But hardly even saw the lighthouse Långe Jan (Tall Jan). I had to get rather close before I could actually see it.

Sheep

Långe Jan and Ottenby Bird Station, one of the best places in Sweden to watch migrating birds. Well, not a misty day like this though :)

Done with Ottenby I headed for Eckelsudde, where the Pied Avocet (skärfläcka) are. Now there are mist over the Baltic Sea but just little over land. It was interesting to watch the mist rolling in over land from the sea. As I live inland I never see that.

But there is a lot more to Öland then birds. If you have not seen a windmill, you have probably not visited the island.

 Not to mention rape fields.  With poppies at the edge.


After having a lunchbreak I headed to the east coast of the island. Up to Stenåsa where the birding community has it´s center and a bookstore.

 I found a little old-fashioned house at a campingsite at Stenåsa.

A lot of artists live on Öland, This is one of them close to Stenåsa who has a gallery and creates glass art. And paintings as well. In the old style buildings.

In  the evening, back at Eckelsudde, the mist was finally gone and I found some Red Knots (kustsnäppor).

To finish off the day I went back to Ottenby just in time to see a group of Oystercather´s putting on quite a show.

On Öland there are a lot of limestone so that was the main builing material in the old days. They try to keep the old style on the south half of the island. And that is classified as a World Heritage Site.

Linking up with: WATW  Trough My Lens   Our World Tuesday     Wild Bird Wednesday

Labels:    Resor, travel, trip, journey, Sverige, Sweden, sky, photo, photography, Monica Johansson, NatureFootstep, nfphoto, NF_photo, nature, natur, fågelskådning, birding, resa, travel, photo, bird, fågel, Japan,

Birding on Öland 120504, Friday

Our World Tuesday    Outdoor Wednesday 178
World Bird Wednesday LXXXI
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Click to enlarge All photos 120504, Öland

120504 Friday

I woke up just before 6 in the morning, I went up and had a cup of coffee and an egg and then I went to Ottenby at 6.40.

When I arrived they had just spotted a Glaucous Gull (vit trut) so I spend some time with getting a shot of it. It was far out,of course, but I managed to get a shot where you can see it is that bird. A new one to me so I did really want a shot I could idenify the bird.  So it was nice that I saw it too. A new species on my list. Then I asked Göran and another about the ID of the vader I had shot the first day. And they could not give it to me. Somehow I felt good about it. Even the experts don´t know it all. :) When I was about to leave there was a peculiar light on the Baltic sea side of the Observatory area. Had to take some shots of course.

Some birds this morning; Glaucous Gull (vittrut), Merlin far away (stenfalk),   flying Red-Breasted Merganser (småskrake), flying Tufted Duck (vigg), Wood Sandpiper (grönbena), Canadian goose(kanadagås) and the the Common Scoter on a frame (sjöorren på bild). OK just like dots, but still. 

Ottenby bird obs and Långe Jan

Then I was supposed to go to the hostel and eat something. Instead I went to Södra Lunden to check out the new tower. It was cold and a little rain now. As I went on the path I heard some noice I could not recognice. Later on, at the tower, I met a couple and I heard the noice again. They knew it. It was the sound of the wings of the Common Snipe (enkelbeckasin). Nice to know. :) Not much birds but I had some photo session in the Lund also. A woman need to have some fun.

Back at the Hostel I made lunch, coffee and bread that is. And then I slept for 40 min. Tried to find a bird at Artportalen but was not succesful. I thought it was silkeshäger but it turned out to be an Egret heron that was seen some 50 km up north. Well, if it is still there tomorrow I might try to see it on my way back home.

Instead I went to find the closed damm, kalkstensbrott in Albrunna, where there was supposed to be gråhakedopping. I found it but it took a while and a long walk in a national park, Albrunna Alvar, and among cows. There were many Northern Weahtear (stenskvättor) in the area, It is Ölands Alvar, somehow looking like a thundra in the northern part of our world. 

The entire sothern part of Öland is a World Heritage area. It is a special ground made of chalk and it is also a very old cultural ground. Lots of Kings lived here.

Now my legs and feet don´t like it anymore but I had to get back to the car. My back is painful too. But at least the sun started to come out again. It was now about 16.30 and I was getting hungry.

Gråhakedopping - Red-Necked Grebe

Back at the car I headed to the next place. A small birdlake south of S Möckleby. That one too a remnant from an old factory. It was quite nice but I did not see much more then swallows. :)

Now it was dinnertime but on my way south the mist was coming in from the ocean as the sun shoen through the clouds.  So, I took a short additional trip to Ottenby. Not much to see though so I went for dinner.

After dinner the mist was still there so I took a new trip to Ottenby. Now it was cold and windy again. Not much of either birds or birders, So I took some shots and went back. Now I am writing and tomorrow I ´ll be going home.

To see the birds from Öland go HERE

To see Öland Photography go HERE

Labels: Resor, travel, trip, journey, vacation, Venedig, Venice, Camargue, Frankrike, France, Costa Rica, Öland, Sverige, Sweden, airplane, flygplan, sky, photo, photography, Monica Johansson, NatureFootstep, nfphoto, NF_photo, nature, natur, fågelskådning, birding,  ottenby, resa, Södra Lunden, travel, öland, Albrunna Alvar, Kalkbrott, gråhakedopping, dis, mist, Red-necked_Grebe,

Ängudden, Hummelvik

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Travel Photo Monday  NF Waters 22

Our World Tuesday 36      Outdoor Wednesday 173   Water World

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NF Photo  120424

This is only a one day trip to the coast of the Baltic Sea. But I have not been there before so it is new to me. This place is located south of Oxelösund, on the south side of the inlet. It is a small and old fishing village where only a few men still are fishing. I was there mainly to see sea birds and to document some of the village.

I had checked the weather forecast. It said it might be morning mist but later on, mostly sun at the coast.

I left home at 7.30h and had some crazy weather on the road. It varied between clear sky, heavy mist and a little rain. Had no idéa of what to expect next. Twice I could stop and take some shots of mist hanging over the farmland. Other moments I had to slow down due to heavy fog.

Arriving at Hummelvik the mist was still hanging over the Baltic Sea even if it was rather clear in the fishing village. I spent a while looking around and checking out the birds in the area. Eider, Barnacle goose, Goosanders, wagtails and gulls of coursre, and I took some shots of course. There was also a small ship wreck at one of the piers. I met a man and asked him how I could get out to the peninsula. He told me so. I could take the car a little bit longer and then I gathered my stuff and walked the rest of the way.

Arriving at the point I was stunned. Three small islands was lining up at the horizon. The mist was over the water. After a while the sun penetrated the layer and shone softly on the water creating a glowing area around the small islands. And then a boat comes in from the right. Just in the middle of the glowing area. Passing behind the islands. Stunning! Then after about 20 min the mist lifted and gave way to the sun and the mystery morning  was over.

I walked around a bit checking the area and the birds on the water. I spotted two razorbills (Tordmule) but could not get any shots. Then it was close to lunch so I ate what I had. Packed my stuff and went back to the car. Driving back to the fishing village I spotted a little European Robin and got some nice shots.

Hummelvik Fishing harbour

Ejder - Eider

I spent a little more time at the village talking to fishermen. Then I left to go to Oxelösund on the north side of the inlet. It was a 30 min drive to go there. But that place was a dissappointment now. Almost no birds I had not already seen. So, after an h I left to go home again. A great day.

Se även / See also
http://nfbild2.blogspot.se/search/label/Hummelvik
http://nfbird.blogspot.se/search/label/Hummelvik

Labels: Resor, travel, trip, journey, vacation, Sverige, Sweden, sky, photo, photography, Monica Johansson, NatureFootstep, nfphoto, NF_photo, nature, natur, fågelskådning, birding,  Baltic Sea, birding, fågelskådning, Hummelvik, Oxelösund, Ängudden, Östersjön, Eider, ejder, dimma, mist