Blackcap

It looked like this blackcap did not see the huge, red apple just above it but spotted one just a few centimeters below. I prefer when they get their food from the elder bushes since we pick the apples ourselves but at the same time it is fun to see how the blackbirds, great tits, blackcaps and many more gather in the apple trees to feast.

Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla)

 

Pumpkins

 We don't grow any pumpkins but whereever you go farmers sell them by the wayside. This one was a special offer of "two for one"  :)

One out and one in...

 When the blueberries are on their way out, the lingonberries are just perfect ! Our freezer is almost full of apple sauce, blue- and lingon berries so we are glad that there are no more fruits or berries to take care of :)  Winter can come !

Kejsarberget / the King's mountain

 One of our favourite places close to Svångemåla is Torsjö. It used to be a whole village but during the emigration everyone left and one can now only see the remains of the immigrants'  houses and farm buildings. 

It is also the starting point for a very nice trail that takes you around several small lakes in a very old forest. 

What really makes it a very special place is a cliff called Kejsarberget. It is, as you can see, a very steep cliff and as a kid I was always told to not go too close to the edge. 

Long-Tail Tit

 The probably cutest bird in Svångemåla is the Long-tailed Tit. I don't see it very often and was therefore happy when this one suddenly landed in a Rowan tree. 

Cranes

 This is the time of the year when we can see large groups of migrating birds flying over Svångemåla.  This flock of cranes came in their usual V shape when they suddenly started to fly in a circle.  They did so for a few minutes before they once again regrouped and continued south.

Black cap doing gymnastics

 The Black caps are still around and seem full of energy.  This little fellow had some fun in a pine tree.

Öland

 Öland is just about 45 minutes from Svångemåla. Its southern tip is a UNESCO World Heritage site and famous for its bird life. As always, click on the pictures to enlarge them !

The place we visited is called Ottenby and thanks to the warm weather we could go there with the roof down :)

Common kestrel

 A Common kestrel sat down at the top of a dead tree about a hundred meters away. Even if the pictures are not razor sharp I wanted to share them since my first sightings. 

Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)

Plenty of food in Svångemåla

 The name Svångemåla has something to do with the Swedish word for starvation or to starve. That is something the birds are not doing right now :)

Our plot is surrounded by elder bushes. We enjoy them in several ways. First when they are in bloom and we can enjoy their fragrance, secondly when the berries are ripe and the birds come to feast on them. 

This afternoon I could see and take pictures of both a Robin and a Black cap having a meal of elder berries. 

Just a few meters away from the elder bush a Great tit found an apple to eat.

Under attack again !

The pigs have started to come closer again! Luckily they still stay outside the electric fence but I have heard them late in the evening and a couple of days ago they had been just a few meters away from our gate.

Stink bug

Good looking but foul smelling. It is called a stink bug in English and bärfis in Swedish. It actually means berry fart :)

Some more pictures from the really deep forest.

It is a special feeling to be in a forest where there are no people, buildings or cars for miles and miles. The sound of the wind gently going through the tree tops is so soothing and it is no wonder some medical doctors would like to prescribe a visit to a forest to stressed out city dwellers.

Mother and daughter

Many of our wild flowers have withered but the ones that were sowed are now in full bloom. Many have incredible colors and lighten up the darker and gloomier days we are approaching.