Uncle Henry´s Universe.

This year’s
inventory of golden eagles has started in a fantastic weather. Sunshine, fresh
winds and temperatures above freezing. The very first day I managed to see two
adult eagles dive over the nest they usually use in the rough pine at the foot
of the mountain. This territory is occupied, five remain. I’ve said it before
but it is worth repeating. It’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it!

I got today
that tickling feeling of discomfort, it felt like someone was staring at me …
Discovered eventually the Hawk Owl that had sneaked up behind me. What a lovely
buddy, he kept me company all day long. It came closer and closer, hunted to
the end only a few dozen meters away from me, but then had the batteries in the
camera run out a long time ago …

Suddenly
draws snow showers in and it becomes gray and chilly, is considering breaking
today’s work but soon after, the clouds passed and the sun is shining again.
Spring weather! The forecast looks good for the next week, I hope that the work
continues as well as it started. Would be fun to find some new territory this
year as well.

The days
are getting longer and the light changes, we begin to hope for an approaching
spring. Although sound changes. You hear woodpeckers drumming, birds singing
and it ripples from melting snow. Everything is still quite tentative, we will
experience many setbacks yet, but you start to actually believe that it will be
a spring and summer also this year.

It is
sometimes discussed whether nature has an economic value, if one can put a
price tag on everything that we have free around us … I have previously
hesitated but now realize that it is actually true! Pygmy Owl has patrolled at
the bird table most every day last week and thus succeeded in reducing the
consumption of sunflower seed very significantly, has probably earned several
hundred crowns. Would not be surprised if the market value lands on a sack of
sunflower seeds per owl and winter

Silence has
become a scarce commodity, something that is considered worthy of protection in
several of our nature reserves. An opportunity to experience the outdoor
recreation without bellowing engines around. Sound Image has changed radically
in recent years, we know, we who are dealing with audio recording. Hardly has a
jet passed until the next is on time, or snowmobile, or car, or … Tried to
record a whistling pygmy owl, it did not get better than this! (Sorry for all
the crappy sound in the background)

https://soundcloud.com/uncle-henry/2013-02-27/s-KQJFr

Wolftracking 22 february 2013. Viggälven.

This
winter’s tracking have among others resulted in that we found a new territory
right here that I live. It’s called Kläggen and consists of a male originally
from Acksjö territory, a female from Aamäkk territory and their common female
puppy. An impressive result of DNA analysis conducted on the wolf droppings I
submitted this winter.

Alpha male
is a grumpy and rude type, and with one of the world’s most impressive urinary
bladders! I have never tracked any wolf who have pee so often, so much and with
such frenzy! I tremble for snowmelt in spring when the entire district will be stinking
of his urine selections. I did a tracking at the end of the week, about 18 km
long. Along the route there were 36 urinary selections! Furthermore, the bastard
sprays our mailbox almost every time the wolf pack passes.

I have also
seen samples of rudeness by wolfs, that makes many people in rural areas to be
wolf haters. Vandalism of recreational facilities! Although there is plenty of
untouched snow everywhere to walk in, they choose right away a well-made ski
trails. Hours of heavy skiing, satisfaction and enjoyment of a job well done
will be completely destroyed when the wolf pack enters the arena. Purposefully
they trampled km after km of ski trails until they are systematically destroyed.
Wolves can be almost as conniving as moose, but only almost, moose are always
the worst. Nature’s hooligans, not liked by anyone…

Wolves are
not just bad, they are nice too. Howls cosy at night and kill moose. It’s
good, it makes me happy!

Wolves that
probably destroy ski trails…

If you ever felt on a lynx claw, the word sharpness get a
new meaning! They are really sharp, and they have 20 of them. At one point in
the early nineties, I got acquainted with a young male lynx that would be
anesthetized and be provided with a radio transmitter. It was the first time a
wild lynx would be radiolabeled in Sweden.

The idea was that I should keep the cat while the researcher
gave it a syringe in the ass … Good thinking! Problem was simply that the
lynx would not allow itself to be caught! It WAS a mistake that we forgot to
secure one of the snares. (Of course, the snare he got stuck in) It gave the
animal a operating radius of 20 meters instead of the intended 2 meters.

After a number of more or less unsuccessful hunting leap
(which probably would have got all the predators in the world being ashamed to
death, if they have seen it!) We finally met head to head under a granary,
that’s when he showed me his sharp claws. Eight of them stroked quite next to
my nose. It was thrilling! All too exciting for my taste …

As most of you probably know, is a kitten relaxed and
passive when the mother lift it by the scruff … Do not do that with a lynx!
It does not work. I expected to grab a relaxed woolly cuddly toy but met a guy
in full battle mode and I can promise you, that hurt!

Everything finally worked. The lynx got its transmitter, the
scientist (yes, the lynx got him, too) and I got a tetanus shot at the local hospital,
and then we all got a very exciting summer together. But that’s another story.

During the past four days have a pygmy owl been chasing around our bird feeding, much to the chagrin of the other dinner guests, but to the delight of me. Perfect to mix editing with nature photo. I think the result became really good, especially considering that the image is taken through two panes of glass!

Also this year, the number of squirrels at the bird feeder
gradually increased. In december it was only one, at the end of January they
had become three and today showed the fourth up. We’ll see if even a fifth show
up before the season is over, as it did last year.

Grayish, misty and a little snowfall currently give scope for other things than
tracing, no point searching for lynx tracks on profit and loss, better wait a
few snow-free days.

Has spent the last few days editing. Tested new
equipment at some videos from paragliding in Åre from september last year.
Wonderful to relive the great days of autumn and powerful flights. If you’re
wondering how it feels to be a paragliding pilot, start the video and join …

This year Lynx inventory is approaching its end, even if all
family groups in the county have not been found and documented. In early March
starts the rut and then it becomes more likely that the two tracks together is
all about a pair of lovers, than it would be a female with a cub.

Early in the season, and if the snow is wet, which give
clear footprints, you can often tell the difference between the adult female’s
paw prints compared to cubs, which is slightly smaller. The picture shows
tracks from a lynx female and cub. ( cub was submitted at the prey while the
female walked away for a moment.) Unlike dog feets, cat’s feets are asymmetric
(like humans feets), so it is easy to distinguish between right and left
footprints.

One winter night in the late eighties, I was privileged to
study a female lynx and her cub. Under cover of darkness, they visited a roe
deer, the female killed a few days earlier. It was an amazing experience to see
the shy cats, only a few feet away and in a few hours time. Although I clearly
saw their big soft feet trampling the snow-covered ground I did not hear the
slightest sound, they moved silently. However, I was very surprised by how loud
conversation was between mother and baby, the contact call was a very sharp and
crisp sound.

This
weekend it’s time for the annual counting of birds at the bird feeder in the
country. As usual, the great tit is expected to be the most common species, so
it has been since the survey began in 2006. Last year was recorded 146,932
great tits on bird feeders in Sweden.

Crested
Tit, my personal favorite, ended up first on the 31 spot, it was recorded only
3123 of them.

We have at
our feeders about 20 great tits and equal number bullfinches. Other species are
blue tit, coal tit, willow tit, nuthatch, crested tit, common redpoll, great
spotted woodpecker, a male and female of the gray-headed woodpecker, magpie and
jay. Some days hunt both sparrow hawk and pygmy owl around the bird table.

Other
guests are field mouse, squirrels, roe deer, red fox and the occasional pine
marten. A wilderness kingdom outside the kitchen window.

Hi folks!

Long time
since I last wrote, sorry, but it came a little in between. Some house
renovation, a little Christmas holiday, New Year’s weekend, a lot of lynx and
wolf tracking and more home improvement!

After we
repaired our leaking water we proceeded with the renovation of our little
cottage. We completed the second floor and got a cozy office, a small nature
library and a new video editing. Finally! Have lots of unedited pictures and
video from the last six years, now I just need some time off…

We’ve had
an unusually wet summer and a relatively wet autumn, 2012. There is still a lot
of moisture left in the buildings and our doors has swelled so much that they
not gone to close for a long time. When the cold weather arrived, it was even
worse. After a week that fluctuated between 25 and 30 degrees below zero, they
were completely covered by ice. Therefore, I suddenly had to deal with the
renovation of exterior doors. Now! In the middle of winter! That is why we have
flowery exterior doors, made of fabric, even though it is 25 degrees below
zero.

If you’re
wondering?

Greetings
from a cool (cold) Crofter.

The mole has not an easy life! It lives in a world that is dark, damp and generally uninspiring. The view is limited to non-existent. Moreover, it has always soil or sand in the mouth, in the hair, in the pockets or in the underwear. In short, everywhere where you don´t want such things should exist!

On Monday, we discovered that our water pump lived his own life and realized that there was a water leak on our property, about 2 meters into the ground, somewhere along a stretch of a few hundred meters. Wonderful! That is just what you want to know when a long winter is at the door, with snow, frost and many degrees below zero.

For a week we have dug ourselves down in all places where we suspect that the fault can be found. Dug, examined and shoveled again. Many pits it becomes…

Last night we finally got the reward. A few meters in under the barn concrete floor, we found a small fountain that would not be there! Now it´s fixed. Just shoveling back the last holes then everything is back to normal again, for us… but for the mole life goes on as before. Poor devil!