The Goldcrest is the smallest of all birds in Sweden. It got its name from its golden stripe on the head. In Sweden it is called Kungsfågel ( the King of the birds) . Despite its bright colors it is not easy to spot due to its size. I saw this one high up in a tree and due to lack of light it was not possible to get sharper pictures than these :(
Click on the picture to enlarge it !
October is not my favourite month of the year. It is not so much the cooler weather as the darkness that comes down over Sweden. When the sun shines it has not enough warmth to dry the grass so the ground is wet all the time. I took a stroll down the road today and this is what I saw.
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" :)
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 !
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.
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.
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.
The Black caps are still around and seem full of energy. This little fellow had some fun in a pine tree.
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 !
