Early flowers and a bit more :)

The 2019-2020 winter was mild and wet but spring has so far been very dry. The usual flowers are there but my feeling is that they are not as numerous or colorful as they used to be. That can be just an imagination or because the very bright sunshine took away the vibrant colors the day I took the photos. Here are some of them... no names or descriptions, just a walk through our little paradise :) If you can identify all flowers you will get a thumbs up in my next post !

 Our small homestead's proper name is Bäckalund which means the small grove by the stream. The stream is very small and it is only during spring it is filled with water.

 

Ash tree

Ash trees all over the northern hemisphere are dying due to the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) . There are a lot of ash trees in Svångemåla and although some are still looking OK, the one in the picture has not been well for some years. I informed the electric power company (EON) some time back but they did not take any action until it was too late and the tree and the power line had gone down.  I am very lucky that no one was sitting around the fire that we normally have exactly where it hit! It took four days until the power was back on :)

Wood nuthatch (Sitta europaea)

The nuthatch loves an old tree even when a storm took down most of it during the winter. Plenty of juicy worms to be found :)

Fly catcher

The fly catcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) couple must have had a terrible time when a wood pecker tried to get into their  nest. Imagine a big and aggressive intruder hacking on your door!

They are still here and have moved to a new bird house not far away from the one they used last year.

Must be a very special feeling...

to be able to fly like a common buzzard (Buteo buteo) !  A couple of them looked down on me for a few minutes before they decided to go hunting somewhere else. Not the largest of birds but still impressive even when they are high up in the sky.

New year, new posts and maybe a new world?

COVID19 has reached most parts of the world but so far Svångemåla seems to be free of the virus. Life goes on and it was great to be back for a few days to re-connect with nature and in particular with our resident wagtail couple. I spent a lot of time just studying them and marvel over their different poses. This, first post of the year, will therefore be a "wagtail special".  I hope you don't get tired of this lovely little bird :) I know I will not.

Social distancing a la our wagtail couple.

Autumn 2019

It has been a while since I posted any news from Svångemåla. The main reasons are a longer trip to the US and laziness :)  Anyway, it is getting dark and damp and therefore time to leave our paradise for this year. There are not many leaves left on the trees and the grass is always wet.

As always, click on the picture to see it full screen!

Compared to other times of the year, there are very few birds around. This one looked at me in an angry way and probably wondered why I was still around :)

So this is the end of this season. A new one is just around the corner and I hope I will see you then!

Butterflies

This year has been the year of the butterflies!  Many animals are here all the time in smaller or larger numbers and we don't think much about them. The wagtail, the wood pecker, the starlings, the mosquitoes and so on but every year there is either something new to watch or a regular species that show up in larger numbers than what is normal. This year we have had far more butterflies than before and, unfortunately, far more ticks than we normally have.

The butterflies have been a real joy to watch and even if they can be difficult to take photos of, here are some that I managed to document. Unfortunately I am not a butterfly expert so please help me identify them if you can!

Painted lady (Vanessa cardui)

European peacock (Aglais io )

Silver-washed fritillary  (Argynnis paphia) 

Small White (Pieris rapae)

Black-veined white (Aporia crataegi)

Poplar admiral (Limenitis populi) 

 Morning cloak or Camberwell Beauty (Nymphalis antiopa)

Common brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni )

The wagtail family has got kids :)

We have now seen the new members of the wagtail family. Just out of the nest the chickens cannot find their own food and have to rely on the parents. It is a very busy job to feed them and I feel for them.

Hunting mosquitoes and other insects is not easy but it is amazing how fast the wagtail can run and fly very short distances.

The chicken can be heard and the parents have no problems finding it.

 Mouth to mouth feeding!