I have no heavy training... Barely Elementary School. Preferred the wilderness, it became my university, but I got muddy boots and experience instead of School knowledge so my English was therefore quite inadequate. This blog is a project to improve my skills in English language.
We all have our own universe, welcome to visit mine.
Restaurant
happy bird is a success, several kilos of shelled sunflower seeds has
maintained a swarm of now quite rich and prosperous great tits. It also
attracts other dinner guests, such as Mr. Sparrow hawk.
We make no difference to the guests; those who are hungry can provide
themselves. Okay, the neighbor’s cats excepted, they are often quite chilly
treated, but sparrow hawk and pygmy owl are welcome at the bird table, which
also has delicate voles to offer on the menu.
Early
morning in the tracks of two wolves that made a short visit to the village,
frightened a horse to panic, and created hot topic to discuss while visiting
the villages only general store. I follow the tracks down to the lake, where
the wolves have been hunting roe deer in the grove surrounding the changing
cabin, at the local beach.
Then we
returned to the mountains. Raven calls out, there is a moose killed by wolves
somewhere in the dense forest around me, but I find it not. The tracks carry on
and I follow, always looking for pee and poo. (DNA – samples that hopefully
makes tracking valuable for our work)
Lunch on a
stump with a view of the landscape, sunshine and a few degrees, it starts to
feel like spring already. A black tit singing eagerly from the top of a fir tree,
as a non-lubricated sewing machine “, sittju-sittju-sittju-sittju”.
The light
begins to return, working days become longer. At dusk, another wolf pair
walking along a river, sometimes eerily close to the fragile ice edge. You need to be vigilant, but it is also part
of the job, to assess the risks related to different types of terrain and
circumstances.
I found
both pee and poo during the tracking. It was a good day.
If you are
young and vulnerable, and surrounded by long scary strangers, then jump up on a
rock and defend yourselves, stand close together, back to back. Mom and Dad are
on its way, they are going to save you!
Hmm, stop
dreaming, down with the nose and continue to track, it’s a long way to go
before it´s evening.
The track
tells; that alpha male and alpha female frequently urine marks together in the
same place and both with lifting legs, and in this case that tracker preparing
samples for the DNA analysis.
The track
tells; that other, low ranking members of the family urinating in a squatting
position. Anatomy Knowledge need not be particularly impressive to see if it´s
a male or female that eased the pressure.
The track
tells; that an old root cellar can give a little warmth and security for some
scabies infested young wolves during the coldest period so far this winter.
The track
tells; that even a wolf weighs lighter than that chubby tracker!
It’s been
another great winter week with about 20 degrees below zero and lots of
interesting tracking. It began with wolves (scabies infected, tragically in the
biting cold) but ended with tracking of the season’s first lynx, a female with
a cub. It was far nicer.
Over long
distances, you could not see that there was more than one animal treading in
the tracks, but then suddenly, when they jump down a slope, it turns out to be
two.
In some
places appear that the female marked her territory, in other that kid become
restless and started to play around a bit, but almost immediately continue
their targeted journey towards bushland rich in roe deer and hares.
Lynx weighs
slightly compared to a tracker, still a little chubby after Christmas and New
Year holidays. (A beaver insidious dam subjected me to several unplanned
plunge, but it is claimed that the winter bathing is good for the character.)
This Week
wolf tracking has been done in about 20 degrees below zero and with snow to the
knees. Now is the winter for real. It´s demanding but beautiful, the job is not
so bad right now!
When the
snow is deep and loose, moves the wolves in the same manner as the lynx. They
usually go where it is least snow, through the bushes and under dense trees.
That is when the tracker’s main equipment is a proper hood!
If you do
not have a hood, you have to tighten your belt, then the snow will at least do
not extend below the lower back … 
We were
hungry for a little beach holiday now in the dark winter time, so we went to
Iceland, where it was even darker … Hmm, but the bath was nice and warm. Blue
Lagoon is world famous for its hot water directly from the hot springs out of
the ground. It was blowing ice-needles, the water stung the skin and smelled a
bit like rotten eggs, but it was certainly an experience to savor.
It is said
that, what you lose in the blue lagoon, is lost forever. It is not always true.
You can retrieve an iPhone, but it requires endless hard work, desperately
swimming and advanced diving techniques to succeed. And yes, expensive
waterproof shell is waterproof, even when they have been chewed on by lava
sand.
We were in
Iceland just under a week and would like to travel light, no suitcases and
minimal hand luggage. No advanced photo and video equipment, just an iPhone and
a tiny action camera. It stung!
With just
under four hours of daylight it was hard to get any sensible picture with so
faint equipment. The fact that it blew almost storm did not make things easier.
But it was infinitely beautiful and well worth experiencing. The blue light
just before dusk was the most amazing, magical light I’ve ever experienced! (The
above picture was taken at dawn, 11:03 am, and provides only a small taste of
the blue light)
Reykjavik
is a great place; it has everything one could ask of a city. Wilderness
completely doorstep, where Glaucous Gull, Iceland Gull and Purple Sandpipers
huddle in the old harbor, there are outdoor shops in abundance, and not the
least; An abundance of great cafes, pubs, bars and restaurants! (And they have very
good beer!)
Perhaps it
should also be mentioned that there are several universities, lots of museums,
galleries and other cultural buildings. And that there are an unusual number of
sculptures, you can reflect on.
Go there!
It is worth it!
Winter
Solstice, now it turns slowly towards brighter times. Beautiful, although I do
not mind the dark time that prevails around the Christmas holidays. It is cozy.
It provides a moment of rest before the long bright days that come forward in
spring, when there is so infinitely much to experience and get done.
Usually
this day spent on snow-covered ground, often with wolf tracking, but not this
year. Here is rain, harsh winds and several degrees above zero! Santa Claus
should put boots on the reindeer and count with the spring thaw this time.
As late as
the middle of last week, it was 16 degrees below zero and frost throughout the
province. No basis for comprehensive wolf tracking but beautiful to enjoy.
When it
switches so rapidly between hot and cold weather, lingonberry leaves and
blueberry bushes becomes small sculptures of frost and ice crystals in moist
places.
The wife
and I had a perfectly timed lunch break at work on Wednesday last week. We had
just filled our cups with hot chocolate when an otter came scampering on the
ice along a small forest river. It stopped suddenly to mark territory against a
tuft of grass and then continued downstream to the open water. What a perfect
restaurant for lunch! It is rare to get such an experience on the Mac Donald
…
It seems
like the moose, which usually raise it´s calves at our garden expense, have
taken a bullet during the moose hunt this year. The local hunting team said it was a mistake and that even the
calf was shot. I do not think it was a mistake. A fucking miracle it was, hallelujah!
Just when I
thought to celebrate the victory, and the glorious dream of an orchard has
taken root, I see that the forest begins to thin out around our farm.
Especially outside the kitchen window, down to the river … We’ve obviously got
new neighbors. Geeky types with big teeth! Wondering how their relationship is
to the fruit trees?
We have a
rich nature around the cottage. Wolf has peed on our mail box, red fox stole
our shoes, badger sought to undermine the house. Forest Pine Marten has
plundered the bird table. A variety of rodents and cervids have convincingly shown
that they love our garden. And now, soon perhaps even beaver…
Today came
the first gray-headed woodpecker to the bird feeder. A male, who preferred the
shelled sunflower seeds before the tallow that we bought especially for him. We
probably have a costly winter to look forward to.
Please
excuse if I sound grumpy, that’s just a disguise. In reality, I love them all,
but do not tell it to them. I fear that they will then take greater liberties than they already do.
Restaurant
Happy bird has opened again! After several chilly nights of down to minus ten
degrees, it is time to re-open the bird feeder. With the finest back sebum to
woodpeckers (hoping for Grey-headed woodpecker as usual) A large feeder with
ordinary sunflower seeds, one with shelled sunflower seeds (will be interesting to compare
consumption) and a smaller feeder with vitamin-enriched special diet for those
extra demanding. YOU ARE WELCOME!
