Uncle Henry´s Universe.

A large part of the autumn will be devoted to work on the border of a fairly new nature reserve with the overall name; Gobackberget – Berttjärnhallen. 1170 hectares of pure wilderness.

It takes a lot of time to clear the 22.6 km border with a chainsaw, paint the nature reserve’s symbols on trees and carry out the poles needed to complete where suitable trees to paint on are missing.

The reserve is sometimes difficult to access. Bad gravel roads, sometimes very bad. Long distances to walk with heavy equipment over wet bogs or in steep and rocky terrain. Heavy working days but rewarding, often in the company of some talkative Siberian jay.

And the color palette is seductively beautiful …

It’s bear country. There are several examples of encounters with really big bears. We have not seen anyone here yet but are constantly finding signs of its presence. Exciting. A spice for the working day.

Today’s kayak trip, nine km on a mirror-shiny lake. A great loon cries desolately, one last greeting before heading south. It will be seven months before we meet again.

The forest is burning with color, an enchanting time. Hurry to enjoy before the autumn storm is upon us. It is usually ruthless, leaving the trees bare as a calligraphic message, the story of late autumn or early winter.

Yesterday was the autumn equinox, now it will be shorter days and longer nights all the way to Christmas time! Isn’t that lovely, so say…

Strong wind gusts are not suitable for paragliding, took the kayak for a ride instead. The color palette is increasing every day, autumn is a fantastic season in its own way.

In the garden, most flowers have withered, but in our spice garden, there are urgent times for the insects that are still left. The bumblebees that live in the wall of our cabin still collect pollen and even some butterfly as soon as the sun appears for a while.

It has been a nice summer with lush greenery and lots of flowers. All sorts of insects, birds and animals have lived in our garden and in our outbuildings. I have been forced to round two large bumblebee nests with the lawnmower and talk gently with a gray flycatcher on top of the kitchen window.

And the taste from a good berry season will be there until next summer.

…time for this year’s edition of Coupe Icare, but the pandemic continues to quarrel with us! The festival will be canceled like so much else this year. It hurts! I do not know if it relieves or even makes things worse, but below are some teasers about how it was meant to be.

70 km of hiking trails are prepared for visitors, most birdhouses are in place, only one habitat with long-bearded lichen left to inventory and the work with mowing and haymaking has just begun. The work is going according to plan, the only thing missing now is inspiration for the blog …

I slip away for a few more days and let Greta say a few wise words instead. For those of you who are not Swedish-speaking and who missed her summer talk on the radio, it is now also available in an English-language version. Sit back, listen, and contemplate.

…I apparently fail to embed Greta, try this link instead: https://sverigesradio.se/avsnitt/1535269

My internet service provider decided to turn off the copper wire network at the end of the month before they had completed the fiber connection … so now we are many loyal customers who are slightly irritated. (The fiber connection should be ready this autumn, but we have heard that for several years now!) After some calls to the support and some less successful solutions, I have now switched to another company. And a few seconds later – woops, a well-functioning internet via 4G.

Summer is here, great! First kayaking trip completed. If paragliding is freedom in the sky, then kayaking is freedom at sea. Both are refined nature experiences, subtle silence, and freedom to be where rarely others are. You move quietly and show up unexpectedly, which is why it is important to respect the home peace zone for both humans, animals, and breeding birds.

When we are free from our work with nature reserves, we like to visit other nature reserves … Okay, a little geeky maybe, but it is relaxing and interesting to visit other types of nature than the ones we find on a daily basis. Last time we visited Gullrosas Berg (Mountain). Gullrosa is a traditional name for a cow, and according to legend, a cow of that name should have crashed and died in the ravines that run across the mountain plateau and the reserve. Nowadays there are no grazing cows in the area, it is exclusively a nature reserve and outdoor area.

Cloudberry flowers and common cottongrass shone white on the marshes. Atmospheric, hope for good berry season this year.

The varied forest and beautiful views made the visit pleasant. A nice reserve that we would love to visit again. We walked the “tough” trail with a little steeper section, the family trail may be next time.

In conclusion, I would like to tell you that we were ringing this year’s new golden eagle kids this week. In one of the nests, which I could not see into but had only heard one kid, there turned out to be two. Both in good health. Lovely! Three kids ringed total.

We saw, we nail, we carry, and we lift. We have a very varied job; it will never be boring!

The work on maintaining hiking trails continues, a lot of chainsaw for us but it makes it easier for the visitors. Enjoying the same view during lunch as the lynx did last winter.

New picnic table to the nature reserve Abborrtjärnsberg. Rough lumber and heavy to handle, lucky that we have tools and machines to our aid.

Up in the mountains, the vipers are rarely gray (male), they are usually very dark, almost black and the zigzag line on their back is barely visible. The females, on the other hand, are brown. This charming lady we found because she was hissing so loudly as we passed her resting place.

The work with the golden eagle has now gone over to the control of known nest to see if there are youngsters. So far, we have found two successful breeding’s, with one kid in each nest.

Unfortunately, our biggest golden eagle nest had fallen during the recent storm. Lots of fresh twigs, grass and other tree material indicate that nesting was in progress when it happened. We found neither eggs nor chicks in the remains of the nest, perhaps a marten or fox had cleaned up after the accident.

If you know how big the key is for a Toyota Hilux, then you also understand how big a feather from an adult gold eagle is.

The hot and dry summer 2018 gave rise to drying stress on many spruces, they became weakened and an easy replacement for the bark beetle. They have become very numerous and if the summer gets hot and dry this year, we fear an unusually large attack from bark beetles.

Small piles of brown powder show where the larvae are. The only way to prevent them from becoming adult bark beetles that swarm and create even more bark beetles… is to remove the bark.

First, twig the trees and cut it at the root. Then remove the bark using tools from the beginning of the century. It is a heavy and hot work in the summer heat.

Usually we do not care about bark beetles in protected areas, they are part of the ecology. This year, however, the government has asked us to look at it a little extra, if there is a major attack, we do not want it to hit surrounding forests.

One early morning in Kovalam, just south of Thiruvananthapuram in southern India, when I strolled around in a wetland area and tried to photograph some Bee Eaters, I suddenly got an assistant by my side. A young lad with great curiosity and a thousand questions.

We talked about a little bit of each and I tried to answer his questions as best I could, the digital camera technology was new, and I did not understand it enough to answer his questions adequately. However, he seemed satisfied with the answers he received.

Over time, the interest in bird photography cooled and he wondered if I didn’t want to take a picture of him instead. Of course, I gladly did. We studied the results on the small screen on the back of the camera, the portrait was not a masterpiece but still seemed to delight him.

It took a while before he dared to ask, but finally came the question that hung in the air for a while. Could it be possible for him to borrow the camera and give it a try. Of course, I answered, and after a short lesson on how to hold the newly purchased Nikon D70 with 300mm telephoto lens, he set off with a jolt of joy through the woods.

I saw from a distance how he rushed up to his grandfather, shot some pictures and then returned to show the result. Gosh, I was overwhelmed! Of the hundreds of pictures, I took home with me after the trip, only one was really good, and it wasn’t mine. The guy was a gift of nature. I sometimes wonder what he does today, twelve years later, hopefully he got the opportunity to become a photographer.

Peter, the instructor, yelled run-run-run! And I ran like a devil with fire in the back, and Peter screamed – RUN! and I ran even faster … then everything became quiet. Only the suggestive sound of a paraglider on its way through the air – I flew and it was wonderful!

At the end of April, I was back where everything started. I got my first paraglider license in Sälen’s winter sports area in 1991. We trained and flew from Tandådalen’s ski piste and from Hundfjället. Now I was back for some nostalgic flights. Winter sports facilities had grown somewhat since the nineties, but on the whole, the experience was similar.

The Wall – Hundfjället, is a famous piste for speed skiing. In the north wind it is also a good place for ridge soaring. With my first paraglider I made some unsuccessful attempts during the nineties to ridge soaring but with a glide ratio (L/D) of 5: 1 at best, it needed to blow out of hell to work. Which did not suit a beginner, but I did my best, which usually resulted in me rushing down the wall in something more like parachuting than paragliding.

A lot has happened to the equipment since the 1990s, both in terms of performance and safety. My first glider, an Apco Speed Star, had 10 double cells, 2 risers, cords thick as tow lines and a sink rate of 1.7 m / sec. (at least) It was similar in many ways to today’s speed wings, but without most of the performance. It felt more like flying something between a water-filled balloon and a fluffy cloud, not directly controlled. (At least that’s how I remember it)

Today I have a paraglider (a few years old) that has 45 cells, about double the glide ratio, and cords thin as grass. It has high passive security and feels safe in all situations.

Today’s harness is reversible, so it also acts as a backpack. It has airbag, speed system, reserve parachute and is comfortable as an armchair. My first harness consisted of fabric and a plank to sit on. They have been developed so to speak.

My second harness had a little more padding on the board and a reserve parachute. You sat almost well for a while; it was of the latest model. High-tech and cool. Colorful …

One thing that is exactly the same today as when the sport started, Parawaiting! Instructor Peter Ahlbin, and a collection of expectant students in 1991. I sent Peter many grateful thoughts as I soar over Hundfjället again.