Tuesday 23rd of February 2022 and Singapore Airlines flight SQ 352 arrived to Copenhagen at 06:30 and I was on the train to Sweden 07:20. I had changed to winter pants before arrival and it was nothing but gloom and grey for long as I could see. I had checked the car company and they had an Audi A4 that I could rent, of course, when I should book the car in the lounge before departure the Audi was not available anymore.
So, I had to book a Skoda and I could not believe my luck, the Skoda was also gone so they gave me an Audi A6. I was happy, but also surprised. The only Audi they had on their web page was the A4 so this was a pleasant surprise.
I left Malmö with no wishes of ever to come back and I got on the highway # E22 towards NE. I have booked a cottage in Linderöd. My original plan was to stay at Marina Plaza in Helsingborg. But I will meet my Guide at 6 o'clock in the morning those days when I go to sit in the hide.
So, I will have to leave Helsingborg 4 o'clock in the morning, so I decided to rent a cottage in Linderöd, 20 minutes from the hide.
I made a stop at Ekerödsrasten for breakfast and as it turned out, this was just a few minutes away from Linderöd. The shrimp sandwich was very good and I was full when I left Ekerödsrasten.
Welcome to Ekerödsrasten!
We have meat from our own farm and sell this in our restaurant and meat shop.
Ekerödsrasten restaurant outside Hörby is beautifully situated in the middle of Skåne along E 22. So much nature yet separated from E22 with playground and animal garden for the children during the summer. Even big resting place for those who have their own food basket with them.
The complex is about 800 m2 and comprises a restaurant, café, conservatory, motel-conference facility, camping and meat shop.
I bought groceries in Kristianstad before going to check in to my cottage. I was pleasantly surprised, a very nice 2 room house. There was everything I will need for my stay here in Skåne before going to Go:teborg for my Chemical Course.
I booked a birding tour to USA and Canada 2 years ago, and then the Wuhan virus hit us and it was all cancelled. Now they require vaccine to enter USA. They also require vaccine to enter Rumania and I have booked a tour of the Danube Delta in April/ May. And of course, to go back home requires vaccination.
So, I had to go get a vaccine, looking for Astra Zeneca but this is not available in Sweden. I called around but no luck and I had to drive to Simrishamn to get my vaccination.
I will make a stop at Tomelilla as I read that there is a vaccination bus. I could not find any bus so I continued to Simrishamn. I have seen 20 ++ birds of prey while driving towards Simrishamn.
I could ID the Red Kite and the Common Buzzard and all the birds was most likely one of those two species as they are very common in Skåne.
There are also many Greylag Gooses and swans in the fields along the road.
I found the vaccination place in Simrishamn and I was on my way back to the cottage 5 minutes later. And I was very tired as I have been on the go since 3 o'clock in the morning when I woke up on the flight. So, I need to get some sleep.
Staged picture
I had two Common Cranes flying over the road driving back and this was the two first cranes for this year for me. Anyway, back in my cottage and I was in bed sleeping at 7 o'clock.
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Thursday 24th of February 2022 and waking up at one thirty gave me a lot of time to drink tea before taking off to Naturum Vattenriket to look for birds. I left my cottage and I passed the same area where I had seen all the swans yesterday.
I counted to about 70 Whooper Swans in the field and of course, they were too far away for any pictures. But it was good enough for ID.
Whooper Swans in the field
Naturum opens at 11 o'clock and I parked the car at 11 thirty and I spotted two Red Kites first thing coming out of the car.
I was surprised as there was much people visiting the area, but I found out that there was a school holiday in Sweden. So, all the children are home from school.
There is a feeding area and there was a lot of small birds eating from the bird feeders. It was fun watching the birds. I spotted one Goldfinch but the bird never came to the bird feeders so no pictures. The only thing missing was a bench to sit on so I had to hide behind a wood rail.
I called my friend and he was having lunch, he told me that they had a lunch buffe with Korv Stroganoff and I was on my way in 0,2. The Korv Stroganoff was not, well, not as good when I do it. We talked for 90 minutes before we left and I drove towards Helsingborg to pick up my new Garmini dash cam and my new Photo Hide Aquila Mark II.
I need a photo hide for when I go to Ethiopia to give the vultures another try. Last time we went was on a Sunday and there were plenty people. And I had no place to hide so I hope for a lot of luck with my new photo hide.
Photo Hide Aquila Mark II
Can you see the Crane?
There are 2 of them
Common Buzzard flying away when I stop the car
I spotted 2 more Common Cranes on my way to Helsingborg and I stopped to try to get some pictures, but they were a little bit too far away. I see a lot of Whooper Swans and I was surprised to discover 2 Mute Swans in the field close to the Cranes.
And there was a lot of Common Buzzards along the road. They don't bother with the cars passing by, but as soon as you slow down to take pictures they take off immediately.
I made a U-turn trying to get one of them but the bird took off as soon as my camera was ready.
I spotted four Common Buzzard in one field and I managed to come close to one of them. But by then it was getting dark so I needed a crazy ISO speed.
Common Buzzard / Ormvråk
Common Buzzard / Ormvråk
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Friday 25th of February 2022 and I woke up at 4 o'clock. I bought semlor yesterday and I had them for breakfast with a cup of tea. And as I have ordered 40 pancakes at Kalle på Spången yesterday and I will go to have my dinner there.
So today will go down as a very bad day for my diet.
Semlor
Semlor
I left for Kristianstad and it took me 20 to 30 minutes to reach Naturum. It was pretty much the same birds at the feeders as it had been yesterday. It was very cold and windy so I was not very enthusiastic about the bird watching.
Cold wind and did not stay so long. I decided to go pick up my nephews instead. We will be at Kalle på Spången around 4 o'clock, or at least around 4 as I have told the Manager that we would arrive by then when I ordered our Fläskpannkaka.
I left Vattenriket Naturum driving towards Helsingborg and today is the first day I use my dash cam so it will be interesting to see how this is working. I was hauling arse but we will not make it to 4 o'clock.
We left with my nephews and nice just after 4 o'clock and we reached Kalle på Spången around 4 thirty.
We took a table and the food was soon on the table, well, actually they had to extend our table in order to make room for the food. And it was a lot and I was shocked and I was sure that we would have to leave most of it behind.
Dinner at Kalle på Spången
Dinner at Kalle på Spången
Dinner at Kalle på Spången
Dinner at Kalle på Spången
Dinner at Kalle på Spången
Dinner at Kalle på Spången
Dinner at Kalle på Spången
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Saturday 26th of February 2022 and my alarm is going off at 4 o'clock in the morning. I had time for tea and my vitamin tablets before I left at 05:15. I want to be early as it is my first time there. And this time of the year you never know what weather you will have.
And I was lucky to leave early, the car was covered in ice and the road was frozen so I have to drive slowly. I was lucky to drive slowly as I had a deer passing one meter in front of my car. DARN! I had left my dash cam at home.
I reach the place 20 minutes before 6 o'clock and I was in the bird hide at 6 o'clock.
I left the hide at 2 o'clock and I spotted a Grey Heron flying over the area when I was walking back to the car. There was also a pair of Mute Swans in the swamp next to the road.
I spotted one Golden Eagle soaring high up in the sky. I discovered that it was two eagles when I stopped to pay for the bird hide.
And even more amazing, there was a sea gull soaring above the eagles.
Friskens Bird Hide, Skåne län [SE-12], SE Feb 26, 2022 07:12 - 13:39
Protocol: Stationary
14 species
Mute Swan 2
Common Pheasant 1
Herring Gull (European) 4
Grey Heron 1
Golden Eagle 2
Red Kite 3 Fighting or want to have babies?
Common Buzzard 6 All 6 at the same time. Ranging from grey to almost black. Also one very white
Common Magpie 5
Hooded Crow 5
Marsh Tit 1
Eurasian Blue Tit 3
Great Tit 2
European Robin 1
Eurasian Tree Sparrow 5
Sunday 27th of February 2022 and my alarm went off at 4 o'clock. One more day in the bird hide before going to Go:teborg tomorrow. I went out to the car and it was covered in ice. The mercery was down to 4° below zero.
I had to start by scraping the ice from the windows so I can see out. I had to drive slowly as I suspected the road to be covered in ice.
I had forgotten my ZOOM H5 Handy Recorder so recorded with my mobil phone
Whooper Swans flying over the bird hide
It was 5.5 °: below zero when I reached the hide, but it was not feeling as cold as it did yesterday. I started the gas heater before I opened one of the openings in front of the hide. Back in the hide and I set up my camera. Now it was just to wait for the day light.
I had hundreds of Greylag Gooses flying over the hide making a lot of noise. I had 39 Whooper Swans flying over the hide as well, and they made a lot of noise as well.
I did not have to wait for very long before the first Common Buzzard arrived. I discovered the bird sitting on a branch in front of the hide. It was gloomy and grey for long as I could see. This was a disappointment, the morning started with clear sky and the sun was coming up.
But it was soon overcast, but luckily enough, just for an hour or two and it was gorgeous weather again. The morning was good, gorgeous weather and a beautiful area.
I had forgotten my ZOOM H5 Handy Recorder so recorded with my mobil phone
Marsh Tit next to the hide
Pale Common Buzzard
Friskens Bird Hide, Skåne, Sweden - 27 February 2022
Börringevråk - Börringe Buzzard
In Sweden they have an unofficial name for the pale Common Buzzard. They call it Börringe after a place in Skåne, Sweden. Many years ago, a group of bird watchers spotted a very light coloured Common Buzzard and they called it Börringe Buzzard.
Common Buzzard / Ormvråk
Common Buzzard / Ormvråk
Common Buzzard / Ormvråk
Common Buzzard / Ormvråk
Common Buzzard / Ormvråk
Red Kite / Glada
Red Kite / Glada
Red Kite / Glada
I had 8 or 9 Common Buzzards in front of the hide but the Red Kites never landed and it was hard to get any pictures of the birds. The Red Kites dove down to pick up something from the ground but never landed so I could take pictures.
I had 2 black dots in the sky, the same two Golden Eagles as yesterday? I was a little disappointed as I had been hoping for the Golden Eagles to come to eat from the dead Wild Boar. But the Golden Eagles never landed.
Friskens Bird Hide in day light
The area in front of Friskens Bird Hide
eBird Report
Friskens Bird Hide, Skåne län [SE-12], SE Feb 27, 2022 06:53 - 13:16
Protocol: Stationary
15 species
Greylag Goose 100 100++ flying over in huge formations
Whooper Swan 39 In 6 formations. 6 + 4 +7 + 6 + 6 + 10
Herring Gull 30
Great Black-backed Gull 1
Golden Eagle 2 Soaring high
Red Kite 4
Common Buzzard 8
Common Magpie 4
Eurasian Jackdaw 2
Hooded Crow 4
Common Raven 1
Marsh Tit 1
Eurasian Blue Tit 2
Great Tit 1
Eurasian Tree Sparrow 2
I left the hide at 1 o'clock walking back to the car and as I was a wee bit hungry I went to have a pizza before returning to my cottage. My last night in the cottage, I will drive to Go:teborg tomorrow. So, no more bird watching in Skåne for this time.
Hmm, I might stop at Naturum Vattenriket tomorrow if the weather is nice.
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Monday 28th of February 2022 and I left my cottage just before 11 o'clock. I have spent the morning drinking tea and to apply for a visa to Thailand. I packed m bags and I brought the bags plus my new Photo Hide Aquila Mark II.
I had been really happy with the cottage but I suggested to the owner to put a walk way covered with ston to the cottage. Now I had to walk on the lawn and the cottage was full of grass.
Bed room
Sofa
Cooking area
My cottage
Bathroom
My cottage
I left Linderöd driving towards Naturum Vattenriket in Kristianstad. It is a gorgeous morning with sunshine and blue sky so I decided to go to have a look for birds before continuing to Go:teborg.
I spotted two Jackdaws just before I parked the car. Getting out of the car and I saw one male Pheasant. The Pheasant was between me and the sun so no pictures.
I came around the bushes at the feeding area and there was three female Pheasants.
I left Naturum Vattenriket to drive to Go:teborg and I had decided to stop at Lax Butiken on the way. Would be like breaking the law not to stop at Lax Butiken when passing the restaurant.
They have excellent food so I was really looking forward to the stop. And I was getting hungry as well. And I have also planned to buy some “TAKE AWAY” as well.
Lax Butiken
1st plate of salmon
2nd plate of salmon
Naturum Vattenriket to Go:teborg
Reaching my hotel in Go:teborg and I checked in before returning the car. Europcar have a return station at the gas stop just around the corner from the hotel so it was about 5 minutes to walk back to the hotel.
I was happy with my room and I was pondering the idea to extend my stay until Monday next week. Well, I will have to decide in a few days as I am also thinking about renting a cottage in Skåne. I will have to make a decision before Friday.
My room
My room
My room
My room
My three days at the course passed very quickly. I had been alone in class so we had been able to skip all the “beginer” subjects. And we had a lot of time for “Sailors Yarns” during the days.
Time passed very quickly until around 2 o'clock in the afternoon, then the last 2 hours was very slow. Alone in the class so we decided to skip lunch and we can go home at 4 o'clock instead of 5 o'clock in the afternoon.
I am alone in the class room
I am alone in the class room
MASSA SUSHI
I stop at MASSA SUSHI when I get off the tram on my way back to the hotel. They had very nice food so this was a good meal after the course. I had decided to go back to Skåne after the course so I had booked a cottage and a HERTZ rented car.
Never Europcar again. I got a letter with pictures on how I have destroyed the car. Scratches on the handle to the seat adjuster. I put back the seat MAXIMUM when I picked up the car and I never adjusted the seat again. And a scratch on the doormat, nothing but normal wear and tear!
Scratch on the doormat
Scratches on the handle
So, I have my car and cottage booked and confirmed. I also have my tourist visa to Thailand, took me 2 days to get it and no need to pay 350 ++ US Dollars for any stupid visa service. Thailand pass took 2 days to get, so everything ready in less than 4 days.
Going south again and if you want to know if I find any birds in Skåne you just have to click HERE.
OK, it has come to my knowledge that we have senior citizens visiting my web page. How hard can it be? So it's not very easy for them to see the blue coloured links to the next page.
Jiffy (also jiff)
noun [in SING.] informal a moment: we'll be back in a jiffy.
ORIGIN late 18th cent.: of unknown origin.
So as you understand, in a jiff pretty much depends on your internet.
So I put a “Next” button here and I hope that there isn't any problem to understand how to use that one. So just CLICK the “Next” button on your left hand side and you will be on the next page in a jiff!
Marunong ka mag-tagalog? Walang problema! Magpunta sa kabilang pahina pindutin ang “NEXT” button sa itaas
Faites vous parlez le français? Pas de problème! Pour arriver à la page suivante faites s'il vous plaît un déclic le bouton “Next” ci-dessus!
Haga usted dice el español? No hay problema! Ver la siguiente página sólo hacer clic el botón “Next” encima!
Farla parla l'italiano? Non problemi! Per vedere la prossima pagina lo scatto per favore giusto Il bottone “Next” sopra
Sprechen sie Deutsch! Kein problem! Wenn Sie die folgende Seite sehen wollen gerade klicken der Knopf “Next” oben!