Midsummertime – soon at least!
2014-06-17, sunshine but a little bit cold.
Can't say that I have taken care of this site in a good manner! Almost half a year since uppdated, not even a sign on this Journal and nothing new on the Gallery, sorry for that - hope things will be better some day!
To sum up: this was the worst winter for many years, not vey much of a winter at all! A week or two in January and February had the sign of winter, but almost no snow, and I didn't even try to make a walk on the ice of the Baltic sea, not very much of ice either! Now, if the winter was a bad winter (not cold enough!), hope the summer will be better (warm enough!).
Planning to spend midsummer on Stora Fjäderägg (island north of Holmön east of Umeå in the Baltic Sea) - hope some nice (rare!) singing birds will show up, in any case it's a nice island and an interesting landscape just to visit.

Not that cold – an early sign of spring?
2014-01-21 Night: –6,9°C; Day: –3,2°C
Getting warmer, perhaps misunderstood by a female of Great Spotted Woodpecker (Större hackspett) – she started drumming intensively on a dry tree branch, announcing being prepared to other things than finding food (?).
Also this day: a group of Black Grouse (Orre) on top of alder and birch trees.

Quite cold, but perhaps getting warmer
2014-01-20 Night: –20,5°C, Day –6,4°C
Yesterday a beautiful sunny quite cold day, towards evening and during the night more then –20°C, but today things seem to change: during this day –9 to –6°C; some more but nice snow – though rather marginal.
First day of the academic spring semester.

Nice winter days
2014-01-14
–15°C Night; –10,5°C Day
Sun showing up some hours in the middle of the day. Ice starting to build up in the bay, some more snow during this day, very little wind. Put up more blubber for tits and woodpeckers; the Great Spotted Woodpecker (male) found it within an hour.

No doubt: winter!
2014-01-12 -12°C
No doubt, now it’s winter! The last days -10 — -12°C and a lot of snow, at least 50 cm at my place. Very soft powder like snow; will it stay and get more compact or will it just blow away? The Nuthatch (Nötväcka) did show up this day, always welcome.

Winter coming in!
2014-01-10 (-8,8°C)
Yes, winter on it’s way! Today -8,8°C, nice powder snow covering the landscape. Birds haven’t been very interested in my sunflower seeds, and all the remains from the Christmas table (!), but this cold day things are different. Some 10 Bullfinch (Domherre), both male and female, a Coal Tit (Svartmes), some Blue Tit (Blåmes) and Willow Tit (Talltita), and off course the Great Tit (Talgoxe) – always around as the Magpie (Skata). The Great Spotted Woodpecker (Större hackspett) turned up some days ago, but probably waiting for better food (the red squirrel stole it some time ago); still waiting for the Grey Headed Woodpecker (Gråspett) and Nuthatch (Nötväcka) to show up.

A New Year - winter coming in?
2014-01-09
Have been waiting quite a long time to see some signs of a winter coming to this area, but still no winter. Some indications in the middle of December gave a little hope that at least some snow on Christmas, but just rain and rain and rain! Weather information now seems to tell us that this week will end in some degrees below 0 (C), perhaps even colder – hoping for that! Very tired of this wet and rainy weather. Well, in fact this very day some nice snow came, hope it will stay and more to come.
Unfortunately haven’t have much time to do something to this website for a very long time, hope things will change and at least some more pictures added to the gallery

Blooming Bird Cherry
2013-05-30 19.50
This very hot day, according to weather information the warmest in Europe, my Bird Cherry (Hägg) outside my window starts booming; the Fieldfare (Björktrast) is flying back and forth to the nest with long worms hanging in the beak; mosquitos starts getting quite irritating – but after all, like a very nice summer evening in the end of May!

Summer already hear
2013-05-28 05.30-06.30
Wonderful weather for almost two weeks, really summer days! Birch trees, Alders, Aspen and Mountain Ash (Björk, Al, Asp och Rönn) growing greener and greener for every day. Surprisingly a Thrush Nightingale (Näktergal) is singing loudly at the harbour. The Garden Warbler (Trädgårdssångare) started singing a weak ago, he is very welcome! A short walk this morning down to the harbour, a group of at least 30 Crossbills (Mindre korsnäbb) flying around, now and then visiting the Fir trees (Gran) full of cones, a Rose Finch (Rosenfink) singing his nice little song, the characteristic sounds from at least two Goldcrests (Kungsfågel), and a Chiffchaff (Gransångare). Otherwise the ”soundscape”: Chaffinch, Willow Warbler, Song Thrush, Redwing, the Robin and the Pied Flycatcher (Bofink, Lövsångare, Taltrast, Rödvingetrast, Rödhake och Svartvit Flugsnappare).

Fog coming in - and more than that!
2013-05-12 05.14 – 06.15
Yes! This very morning, for the first time this spring, I can hear the nice soft song from the Willow Warbler (Lövsångare), sitting and singing among the Alders (Alträden) – you are welcome my friend! Hope you will find what you are looking for, and really deserve, after this long flight! And the same goes for the Pied Flycatcher (Svartvit flugsnappare) that yesterday, just outside my window, suddenly was sitting on some remains from garden plants – a refreshing sight such a rainy day. Otherwise on my morning walk nothing new, the fog quite thick – you can’t see more than some 50 meters. Well, perhaps I should add that the Mountain Ashs (rönn) now seem to undrstand what's going on and showing some signs to wake up.
Jused received the message on my mobile that a Redrumped Swallow, Hirundo daurica, (Rostgumpsvala) has been seen this morning at Brånsjön (some 50-60 km west in from the coast). Well, that's something very rare and special, supose there are some good reasons to make a short visit to that lake this day!

A calm non-rainy morning
2013-05-10 05.00-06.25
Though not a sunny morning, not that rainy as yesterday and a nice clear visibility over the sea. Still no Willow Warbler (Lövsångare) – when will he arrive? Taking my ordinary route I counted to at least 6 singing, or rather talking (!), Song Thrush (Taltrast) – he really dominates together with Robin (Rödhake) and the Chaffinch (Bofink) the singing passerine (tättingar). Though the first Wheatear (Stenskvätta) arrived some weeks ago, this morning he was really performing, flying in an artistic way and making his special sounds and song. This morning on the cape the Black Grouse (Orre) is really playing with high intensity deep in the forest. Out there in the bay at least 25 Velvet Scoter (Svärta) together with, hard to say, perhaps some 75 Tufted Ducks (Vigg), lots of Goldeneyes (Knipa), some Goosanders (Storskrake), Red-breasted Merganser (Småskrake), and hundreds of Blackheaded Gulls, also some Oystercatcher (Strandskata) shouting - would need my monocular in order to identify if there are some Turnstone (Roskarl) out there on the islets.
A White-tailed Eagle (Havsörn) – really white tailed, thus an old eagle, flying to the south. The very nice thing this morning, a group of 5 Little Gulls (Dvärgmås) at a new place, among Blackheaded Gulls (Skrattmås), Common Gull (Fiskmås) and Herring Gull (Gråtrut).
Birch-tree (Björk) and Willow (Vide) showing more and more of the coming leafs, as my Bird Cherry(Hägg) does, but the Mountain Ash (rönn) doesn't yet show much longing for the spring and summer.

A rainy grey day
2013-05-09 16.45
A rainy grey day, had hoped to hear the first Willow Warbler (Lövsångare) singing this morning, but no one yet. Also these days looking for the little nice Hedge Sparrow (Järnsparv), but unfortunately my neighbour found some days ago a dead one on his veranda. Put the poor little fellow into my freezer, perhaps one day afford to stuff it up. But would rather have seen this little friend jumping up and down on my firewood - still not properly processed but good for birds to sit on! The birds belonging to the spring I hear around here all the time are the Chaffinch (Bofink), the Robin (Rödhake), the Blackbird (Koltrast), the Song Thrush (Taltrast), the Fieldfare (Björktrast), and in the evening the male Woodcock (Morkulla) flying over my place and making his characteristic: orrrt-orrrt – very nice to hear.
Some few Birch-trees (Björk) have started to show some sign of waking up, but in fact my Bird cherry (Hägg) just outside my window is showing more signs, quite soon it will show some small green leafs.
The First of May was a little bit special, not just a very nice sunny day, but suddenly jumping slowly over my yard a big frog, still cold and wet, the very first this year. Later there will be lots of them, both big and small, jumping down to the small creek in the Alder-tree forest (Alskogen) close to the buildings. But not just the first frog, also surprisingly flying nicely in the sun a beautiful Mourning cloak, Scandinavian species: Vane´ssa anti´opia (Sorgmantel). Also quite a big one, obviously having survived the winter - probably happy for that in view of her (!) lively way of flying around. Got some nice pictures to an album of butterflies, and more will come, particular if being better to care for flowers around me.

A nice night – the Walpurgis Night
2013-04-30 22.30
Being out in the late evening, or rather night, the first sounds from the Woodcock, my Woodcock! (Morkulla), flying his special route over my place, indeed a very welcome friend – and this the very last day in April, and a quite special evening in Sweden, the Walpurgis Night (Valborgsmässoafton). Hope the coming morning the first day in May will be as nice as the weather report seems to say. A lot of rain and wind the last days, all snow almost just a memory and not much ice left in the bay, though still have to tar my boat.

A wonderful morning
2013-04-24 05.15
The strong wind from yesterday, and the fog that came in from the sea in the evening, are gone –now a clear bright morning. The Redwing (Rödvingetrast) is singing for the first time this spring. He together with the Chaffinch, the Robin and the Greenfinch (Bofink, Rödhake, Grönfink) are filling the whole air with their voices. A day with promises.

A day at sea
2013-04-21, 06-11 for the morning tour
Some hard work to get the boat out over the ice still covering the bay, avoiding all the new pack ice that came in during the night, and get her into the open water. A wonderful calm morning, a little bit cold but a warming morning sun. A lot of ice, very small "icebergs", in the water that must be avoided in order not to cause problems for the boat. After a nice tour, going north and reaching Svarten, close to Lövöbådan, we decide to stay for a while, hoping to see some interesting birds coming up from the south. Some observations worth noting: 3 Shelducks (Gravand) heading for north, 4 Pintails (Stjärtand) heading for west, 4 or 5 Rough legged Buzzard (Fjällvråk) coming from the open sea heading for west, the same for a Kestrel and a Merlin (Torn- och Stenfalk), also some Eider (Ejder) and Long tailed Duck (Alfågel) at the open water. Some 4-5 Oystercatcher (Strandskata) flying around making sounds, and also the Curlew (Storspov) with his special nice spring sounding song. A Ringed Plover (Större strandpipare) sitting on a stone looking surprised: so cold, and so much snow and ice on the very breeding beach! The White Wagtail (Sädesärla), the Robin around, and also 1 or 2 Meadow Pipit, and perhaps also one Rock Pipit (Ängspiplärka reps Skärpiplärka). The Great Crested Grebe (Skäggdopping), swimming among ice floating around, always nice to see when spring is coming.
The evening spent editing more picture albums to this site: Landscape 1, Found 1, Seen 1, Studio 1 and 2, Time 1 and Varia1.

Pack ice coming in – and sunshine and rain
2013-04-17; 05.45-07.00
Two very foggy mornings, but this morning the sun shows up, a clear bright and very nice morning. Enormous amount of pack ice around the coast coming in yesterday. The Black-headed Gull (Skrattmås), more then 100, arrived yesterday to the little island (Skvalphällarna) outside my bay (Krokviken), where they will stay and breed as they normally do - the sound from the colony is pleasingly familiar!
Lots of Goldeneyes (Knipor), both male and female, a pair of Red-breasted Merganser (Småskrake) and also pairs of Goosanders (Storskrake), one single Mute Swan (Knölsvan) and a pair of Whooper Swan swimming north of Lillhaddingen, where there is now open water. Several pairs of Canada Goose and a pair of Grey Lag Goose standing on the ice.
A quite young White-tailed Eagle (Havsörn) showing up, an unidentified Falcon at a distance, probably Kestrel (Tornfalk) or Merlin (Stenfalk), at the top of a bush at Storhaddingen.
In the forest the Chaffinchs (Bofink) and Greenfinchs (Grönfink) are singing everywhere; I counted to 4 Blackbirds (Koltrast) singing, and at least one Robin, though sound from several of them. When writing this (08.35) a pair of loudly "talking" Wooper Swans flying right over my working place. Later in the day rain coming in.

Fog coming in
 2013-04-16 05.45 – 6.45am
Fog coming in from the sea, very calm, Chaffinch (Bofink) and Greenfinch (Grönfink) singing and Great Tit (Talgoxe) making more sounds than kind of singing. Several Caffinchs singing really signals: spring! The first Robin (Rödhake) showed up yesterday, but haven't yet started singing - Robin, the birds answer to Miles Davis - hope he soon will start his improvisations!
In the forest close to the sea, familiar sounds from the Black Grouse (Orre); meeting a neighbour taking a walk with his dog, he had just seen some Hazel Hens (Järpe) - have been myself looking for them for a long time, but unfortunately not managed to see them; last year in March they were close to my place eating buds from the alder trees almost every day.
Most of the ice at the mouth of Ume River has gone, though still quite thick ice in the bays. Where it yesterday was open water with some Whooper and Mute Swans (Sång- och Knölsvan), now 3 Mute Swans are standing on the pack ice that the storm has brought in. At the edge of the ice to open water one can hear the sounds from the male Goldeneyes (Knipa) trying to make impression on some females around, though hard to see them in the thick fog. Also a group of Goosanders (Storskrake), and probably also Red-breasted Merganser (Småskrake), is swimming close to the edge of the ice, but hard to see. The sun quite high, seen as a bleak yellow disk in the sky.

Storm coming in
 2013-04-15, 0.30am
This night trying to learn how to edit this site; a storm coming from south, probably breaking up most of the ice on the Baltic Sea close to home, (Norra Kvarken), at the mouth of the Ume River. The storm has been going on for some hours, it's raining and the temperature is going up after a very cold period – very cold for this time of year. The first birds from the south are showing up these days, and for those of us who take an interest in birding it's the beginning of a very interesting time, having to be used to get up early in the mornings in order to enjoy the intensive singing of birds, and more than that.