Uncle Henry´s Universe.

Hello fluff brain, I´m here!

I got some
quality time with our local wolf pack yesterday. Lovely! It is important to
take the opportunity, in early January begins the hunt and this flock is one of
four that will be pushed away.

I track at
least 5 wolves, one set of parents and their puppies. There is much playing along
the tracks. (We always track in the reverse direction, to see what they have
done in recent days) My job right now is to collect samples of urine and
droppings for DNA analysis, it is important that the hunt takes place at the
right individuals because we have high inbreeding in our wolf population.

First, I
discover a wolf tail wagging, it pops up occasionally between some small trees,
a moment later, I see the whole wolf. It is a young wolf hunting voles. It is
so preoccupied with the pursuit that it does not notice my presence. (Youth, parents
free and out on their own adventure)

Always
wonderful to observe nature at close range, get to fuse with the surroundings,
become a stump for a few hours, just to be a moment in time. Wolf concludes his
hunting, studying the surroundings, vents in the attic, rest for a while,
walking around and seem bored, eat a little bit of a moose calf that flock
killed two days ago. (Moose cow is still attracting it, I hear her several
times during the day)

It is not until the wolf leave the place and trudge off
through the woods that I dare to move. Infinite frozen with aching joints, it
was 13 degrees below zero yesterday, but happy. I like wolves.

Our Advent
lighting is limited to 16 lights in a row at our grain store. Think it looks
nice, it gives some Christmas spirit.

Our new
neighbors (fortunately just over one km away), have different taste for light
decorations. There shines 60,000 lights. (Only got half of them on photo)

16 will be
enough for us, we buy no more. You have to know when you’re defeated!

It’s 13
degrees below zero, light snow and virtually no wind. The silence is present in
the way it always is, in the light poor part of the year. A distant call from a
swan on the way to warmer regions, the sound of the paddle caressing water and
the crispy sound of crumbling new ice. Magical.

The ice is
covering the bays; maybe it’s the season’s final kayaking. Soon, the lake is
completely covered with ice. A gigantic start and landing place for paramotor
flight, beautiful. There are always other opportunities for enjoyment of
life.

I got to
play icebreaker for a while. Ridiculous, but a bit of fun anyway, but childish
… yes yes, I know!

The beach
at Kläggen, our nearest swimming lake, is abandoned long ago. Swimwear
exchanged for snowmobile suit, harsh times lie ahead.

Algodonales
is a small mountain village in Andalusia, Spain, often mentioned with great joy
and passion of paraglider pilots. Now I understand why. After two weeks among
these devoted and lovely people, I am lost and longs already back.

The area is
known for its white villages, in part, a remnant of the Moorish era ended in
the late 1400s. The image above is from the neighboring village, Zahara de la
Sierra.

To fly
along with griffon vultures, was a dream come true. These majestic birds with a
wingspan of nearly 3 meter seemed almost amused by to hang out with us. A pilot
I met was swerving in thermals with more than 50 vultures around him! An
experience I hope intensely on for the next visit. (Mine came mostly as single
and glared at me a little hungrily)

For a few
days, was the weather gods teasing us. Nice wind but hard to find the way.
Sierra De Lijar.

So we went
to the coast, to Conil, where some just beginning with ground handling before
the rain came after ten minutes.

Other days
were fantastic, with magical flight of the Spanish countryside. Style Study of
Stu. El Bosque – take off.

Pepe had
not only the village’s best pub; he also followed us with their mobile landing bar.
How else would we have been able to get cold beer at the last evening flight?

It was
powerful to fly over Algodonales, the village where we lived.

Last flight
is still in place as a restless spirit of the soul. What a great bunch, hope I
get the opportunity to fly with you again. Love you all.

I guess I’m
somewhat of a lone wolf. Listening, observing and pondering over the order of
things. I have over the years spent long periods alone in the wilderness, by
the campfire, or in the endless book of tracks and characters that always
surrounds us. Perhaps I have become wiser, or maybe it’s the other way around
so that I understand even less than I did before. Most of it is simple and
obvious, yet so incredibly complicated.

When I
started working with wolves in the mid-eighties, we estimated that there were
three individuals in Scandinavia. Today, we believe that there are about four
hundred. The work of ensure an endangered species now turn to management. There
is talk of extensive hunting of wolves, maybe already this winter. I’m
ambivalent, not entirely comfortable with the idea; it will probably take some
time to get used to.

Hundreds of
wolf meetings have given me endless joy, some more amazing than others. Like
when I encounter a wolf pack in heavy snowfall, with course straight towards
me. I stand stiff as a statue, waiting for a big rock to hide me from the
wolves. When that happens I lie flat in the snow and trying to look like a
stump or something. It works well, almost too well. I allow myself to snow over
and end up next to a resting wolf pack. For almost two hours!

I freeze
like a dog but force the body to endure the cold. The reward becomes a variety
of observations of social behavior among young wolves and alpha female. Bickering
around an old blade-bone, affectionate play and, not least, my own sense of
almost being one of the gang.

Last week
has been warm, between 30 and 35 degrees Celsius, perfect weather for this
year’s inventory of Methuselah´s Beard Lichen. Not as heavy as work with a
chainsaw, but tiring anyway because several of the premises situated at the top
of steep mountains. 200-300 meters altitude climbing brings out one or two drop
of sweat.

Methusalah,
Old Man´s Beard, is lichen with
very long stems and short, even side branches. It is considered the longest
lichen in the world, (up to 10 meters long!) It is found in boreal forests and
coastal woodland in Europe, Asia, and North America. Methuselah is very rare in
Scandinavian forests nowadays. It requires old-growth forest, which is a rare
commodity in today’s production landscape. Our only protected lichen.

Many
lichens I have followed for 10 years now, they have become personal friends. They
are cozy patting on and are growing upwards 10 cm in length during a good year.

The border
between Sweden and Norway is marked by a wide street. At regular intervals, are boundary cairns of stone, painted yellow on the top. This is the cairn #
94, Älgklinten, erected in 1755. Älgklinten is one of our smallest lichen
premises.

Border
south!

Sometimes
provides the working day something extra, like yesterday, when I came across
some fox pups. Siblings who was exploring a bit from the lair! It´s Always entertaining,
always wonderful to enjoy. Life is good!

Two new
golden eagle chicks were ringed today, will be interesting to follow them over
the next few years. The kid in the picture is about 35 days old. Think it looks
adorable on the baby blue blanket.

It’s hard
to keep blogging when spring and early summer rush by! Here is a summary of the
month May.

May 7, It´s
snowing profusely over our cottage, for the final time this spring.

For many
years we have passed the signs to nature reserves we would like to visit. This
year, it was finally off.

Surö
bokskog is a small sanctuary at the east shore of Lake Vänern, just south of
Sjövik. A fantastic beech forest where forest doves and songbirds competed for
the sound space.

Yttre
Bodane is another sanctuary, located on the western shore of Lake Vänern. An
entirely different habitat than Surö. Vänern is our country’s largest lake, an
inland sea, and here you will truly experience the sea feeling.

When we 14
May built fireplaces in the nature reserve Knappnäs, at river Klarälven, had
almost all the snow melted from the ski pistes in Branäs.

Winter was
hard for the reserve located in height, it has meant a lot of extra work this
spring when the trails will be cleared. The chainsaw has been hot!

Sure, it
was better like this!

A small
inspector followed with interest my wife’s work with painting orange Trail
Markings. (Mom hawk owl was not as thrilled, but she attacked luckily not)

Now we have
the winter season behind us and the management of nature reserves take over. Busy days are coming.

I have
helped a colleague with driving up timber for footbridges in Gillertjärn nature
reserve. It is one of
the northernmost occurrences of yew in our country.

I have also fired grass
on Erola (with two other colleagues). Erola is a aspiring nature reserve, where haymaking ground requires help to be
improved.

And today I
have cleared the trails in the Ginbergsängens nature reserve. Birdsong is euphoric;
it’s a great time right now.