Uncle Henry´s Universe.

From the
middle of Sweden and north, you can now see a gray-brown butterfly patrol
around the sunlit pine trunks in the mire landscape. It’s the Baltic Grayling (Oeneis jutta), a species in the subfamily
Satyrinae with a circumboreal distribution. It occurs in bogs and tundra in the
north of Europe, the Baltic States, the Urals, Siberia, Northern Kazakhstan,
the Russian Far East, Northern Mongolia, Northeastern China, North Korea and
North America. (In Canada it occurs from Newfoundland to British Columbia.)

In Sweden,
it flies from early June to mid-July every two years, so you could not see it
last year and will not be able to see it next. It flies only in even years, so
take the opportunity; the next time will be in 2018!

The
butterfly often starts at the root and then flits rapidly upwards along the
stem, sometimes up into the crown of the smaller pines before popping down to
the next pine and continues.

Flights
season varies in different places in the world. In Canada, for example, Baltic
Grayling flies from late May
to mid-June in eastern Ontario, from late June to late July at Churchill, and
into August in Newfoundland and Labrador. It is biennial, flying in even years
in southwest Manitoba and the west and mainly in odd years from southeastern
Manitoba eastward; at Churchill and in the Mer Bleue bog near Ottawa it flies
every year.

This year
seems to be a pretty bad year for the golden eagle, at least in the central
parts of Sweden. In Värmland, we have only found one successful breeding so
far, in which a fairly large and nice kid has been ringed.

In addition
to weighing and measuring, takes bird ringers now also blood sample for DNA
analysis. Here is the “Lord of the Rings” in place in the nest for sampling.

Big feet
and sharp claws, they have the resources, yet they are surprisingly calm and
kind while they are handled.

It has been
a varied week both in weather and tasks. Mostly overcast conditions, when it
has been tracked wolves and wolverines, but also fine sunshine with good
sightings of golden eagles. Only a few degrees below zero at night and a few
degrees above zero in the daytime. Spring is on its way.

One morning
we heard the raven crying outside our cabin, nothing unusual, but it was much
closer than it usually is. It turned out that two wolves during the night, had
killed and eaten, one of the roe deer that terrorize our garden. (I take care
of some small sallow trees grown especially given the bumblebees in the spring.
And who was munching on them last week, if not precisely these roe deer! But as
you all know, crime does not pay and this time got the bad guy to pay with
life!) If we had woken up and looked out the window, down the river, we had
been able to see what happened. But oooh no. We slept sooo well! (It would have
been interesting to see, but it was certainly too dark anyway.)

There is
not much left of a roe deer when two hungry wolves taking a midnight snack.

Some days
later, a moose cow with her two calves passed the place, (yes … we have a new
moose cow with calves discovered the charm of our garden!) she showed great
interest in the wolf tracks and tracked them for a short distance. I have seen
this behavior several times before during tracking, but this was the first time
I saw it happen. Maybe she tried to judge when the wolves passed and which
direction they took. She seemed very suspicious.

Now it is a
difficult time for me and my dear colleagues. Not yet finished with wolf
tracking when the golden eagle demands attention. Frustrating days comes before
us. When you track wolves, are you thinking about all the eagles who wishes to
be registered and when you are waiting for eagles that never turns out, are you
thinking about all the wolves that wish to be tracked. You are never quite
satisfied.

As we say
every year, it’s a crappy job, but someone has to do it!

Now, at last is
65 km of hiking trail through nature reserves adjusted for the summer season. It’s
been a hard job. A rainy spring and strong winds has turned over more trees
than usual.

Several hiking
trails passing through bear land, always a little more exciting, even if you do
not see the bear is always there, somewhere in the area.

A small snack for
a hungry bear becomes a gigantic reconstruction project for an ant community…

It goes
straight to my heart, this short film from two talented twin sisters in Russia.

Quagga was
awarded as Best Environmental film in Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Festival,
Ecotopfilm 2013.

The wife and I
did a chilly night outdoors last weekend. We thought about taking the
temperature in the spring and it proved to be hot, although it was slightly
more than 10 degrees below zero. About twenty black grouse held party on the
marsh and traces showed that even a capercaillie rooster had pulled the wings
in the snow. It’s almost time for the mightiest spectacle in the spring,
capercaillie games.

At dusk landed
two hawk owls next to us and mated. Soon after, it was time for two pygmy owls.
The day before, I had seen two golden eagles mate in the top of an old dry
pine, incredible wilderness feeling especially since a hawk owl right next
cried out for female company. The same morning woke a colleague with two
barking Ural owl who looked hungrily at him. Last but not least, my parents
have a horny eagle owl that just after twilight crying out for beautiful ladies
from their fire ladder … it’s a busy time in the woods for some time to come!

I worked on the
boundary of a new nature reserve yesterday and took the opportunity while
putting up some nesting boxes for Ural owl. The working machine worked great as
a platform. The absence of old trees with nesting holes nowadays doing nesting
boxes extra valuable. I hope that the owls notice which generous and nice
person I am and ends to hit me in the head when I pass forwards early summer.

Spring hesitates.
In the valley it is free of snow and the first Lapwings shivering in the cold
north wind. In the mountains it is winter, still around 75 cm deep snow and
minus 10 degrees some nights. In between is the spring thaw, infinite spring
thaw.

Wolf tracking
season is almost over, it became quite remarkable, at least for me personally.
The first part went very well, gave good tracking and interesting experiences.
Then it became tricky, neither the weather nor wolves wanted to cooperate. It
became in some way, neither nor…

The young wolf I
called lint brain (fluff brain) was a short acquaintance, it was shot along
with his five siblings and both parents during the hunting of wolves. A bad memory
I try to forget. There are some other wolf territories in the neighborhood so
hopefully it will soon be born new wolves that need to be loved.

Even the golden
eagle inventory season is coming to an end. Work has progressed quite well, two
old territories remains to get confirmed and some new to grasp. So it always
is. It is truly remarkable how such large birds can hide their nests and their
presence so well in the landscape.

Eagle
reconnaissance works best when the wind blows pretty hard, but when the wind
speed ports around 35 knots (18 m / s) shakes the binoculars so they become
unusable. The other week I had to fasten the binoculars with retaining straps
in the work vehicle.

We are soon
approaching a new era. Spring rush time. When all happening at the same time,
when it returns more and more birds that need to be looked at and listened to,
all nature awakens from hibernation and everything must be experienced again. Go
out and enjoy!

There seems to be
a short winter, spring birds reported from the southern part of the county and
the snow melts alarmingly. On Hemberget (Home Mountain) has the depth of snow
dropped from 100 cm to 80 cm in just a few days. Best to get wood for shelters
and huts in place before the spring thaw is upon us.

I am extremely
happy with my new colleague, Yamaha Grizzly 700, it reaches almost everywhere.
Big difference from formerly when we wore everything on the back, it was heavy
and took considerably more time. Okay, it sounds more, but my groaning and
panting was not silent either.

In fact, I sink
deeper in the snow or on wet mire than what the machine is doing; it has
significantly lower ground pressure. If it runs slowly and thoughtfully, it
leaves almost no trace behind on bare ground.

Yesterday’s work
was a temporary guest appearance with reserve’s work, there is still a time of
predator tracking. Furthermore, the spring like weather led to that the eagles
started to receive spring feeling. Work with them will probably start earlier
than usual this year.

Snow, frost and
thaw has created perfect tracking conditions. Now is the winter at its finest,
it’s just to enjoy. In the mountains the snow depth varies from 65 to 85 cm, it
is built over many obstacles and makes skiing a real pleasure.

In difficult
terrain, is usually snowshoes best choice, but if I expect that tracking also
will offer longer distances over flat bogs, I put on my old-fashioned wooden
skis. With hand-sewn beak shoes and leather straps that hold them in place,
they are quick to put on and off and perfect for tracking!

The snow depth
means that many moose leave the mountains and gather in the valleys and
lowlands, where there is less snow and easier to access food. A colleague saw
16 of them together at a feeding place.
Convenient for moose, but
also an additional offer for the wolves, there is much food in one place. These four joined together near
our farm today.

This week I
finally found the wolf pack that
eluded me this winter. I have not yet tracked them together for a long
distance, but I have accumulated quite a lot of urine and droppings for DNA
analysis. The young wolves lived around an old moose carcass while their
parents were in search of new prey. They had filled an ice-covered lake with traces
of fun and games. It must have been a lovely sight.

It is now
busy days. Only one week left before the rutting season puts a stop to track
lynx families, and I have not found one yet. And more wolves to trace. And
almost time for golden eagles. And a guilty conscience because I have not had
time with the birds home on the farm, missed this year’s bird count. A sign of
the times, the stressful lives we all live…