Kallerö and Oxelösund on the Eastern coast of Sweden

Before arriving at Oxelösund, we made a long trip down the eastern coast of Sweden, passing Stockholm. We enjoyed the peace of the countryside and the change in weather conditions.
Hooper swans follow the melting snow north in search of food as the previously ploughed fields clear of the winter snow. The time will soon be right for them to return to their breeding grounds in Iceland.

This is a good sign; we have passed into better weather.

North of Stockholm, keeping close to the coast, we passed through small villages and enjoyed the spring sunshine, although it was still cold!
We broke our journey to spend a couple of days at the small and tranquil natural harbour of Kallerö. We had to leave the macadam road and drive on gravel tracks for some kilometres to arrive there.

We drove deeper into the forest; the snow lingers in the shadow of trees. Common Cranes, now in nesting pairs, feed on the forest fringe.

A glimpse over the trees of White-tailed Eagles.

This was our first sighting of them, so we stopped to try to photograph them, but the weather and light were against us.

A third bird flies over the track; we will have seen eight magnificent birds by early evening.

In the little grass harbour of Kallerö, in the late afternoon, sleet and rain showers move north.

Darkness had fallen, and it was freezing cold, the stars the only lights to be seen; we stood outside in total silence, looking for the elusive Aurora Borealis.

The morning brought more showers, and the water calmed down.

We watched Geese glide across the still water in silence and calm.

These geese are a first for us as they are hybrids: greylag x Canada Goose and anser anser/Branta canadensis.

The only sound coming from the passing birds and their calls.

Far out across the water, we watched a White-tailed Eagle poach food from the gulls.

As we continued our journey, we retraced our steps through the forest and saw our first Rough-legged Buzzard making a hasty exit from our camera.

Easter is nearly upon us as we arrive at our destination, the port at Oxelösund, Sverige. Here, cargo ships, sailing yachts, and fishing boats are all encompassed in a beautiful natural area.
We will spend the Easter holiday here walking in the stunning countryside and watching Eider Ducks migrate back to their breeding grounds. Here in the harbour at Oxelösund, we counted nearly six hundred feeding and resting Eiders late in the evening.

To the left is the industrial port, and to our right, the Moon is reflected on the sea. This will be our destination for walking tomorrow.

We stroll through the natural park and follow the coast. The water is crystal clear, and the weather is quite warm—actually balmy. Aromas of sea and pine fill the air.

Sitting high on the Femöre battery, we sea-watch into the welcome sun. The obsolete guns are at peace, having been used as a deterrent against a Soviet invasion. Today, we only observe groups of Eider ducks heading into the harbour as they migrate north.
Later, we watch Air Force jets fly low across the sea and hear the news that a modern-day incursion into Swedish air space had occurred —history repeating itself!

All at sea, these are the fellows we have come to see. Male Eider ducks with their striking appearance.

A single female was escorted by the courting males.

We have a winter visitor in France, and seeing it is always a joy. This is the first time we have observed this behaviour with Fieldfares; this male is just starting his courtship display.

The end of a fabulous day walking in Oxelösund.
Our journey continues, taking us further south to the Island of Öland. 

To be continued.

Happy Days!

ARCTIC CIRCLE ROAD TRIP to 66º North.

On Friday, the 20th of March, we watched the partial eclipse of the sun through swirling grey clouds. Three days later, we are in Denmark with five countries behind us. First, we travelled North East across France, passing by Reims and the ancient battlefields and on to Sedan; on a wet Sunday morning, we passed into Belgium, travelling north. A little while later, the city of Liege was quickly followed by another country, the Netherlands,  through Maastricht; now we are headed for Venlo, here another change of direction as we head east for Münster in Germany and North again through Germany to Denmark.
We are driving around Copenhagen's ring road after a night at the pretty harbour at Klintholme Haven. The road takes us alongside Copenhagen's international airport with its high-rise hotels and terminal buildings; in front of us, we can see the Baltic Sea and the massive bridge that will take us into Sweden. We sink deep into the tunnel and under the shipping lanes, rising again on an island out at sea, directly in front, the bridge towers up, the top disappearing into the low cloud; a train races past, heading for Sweden, and we climb steeply upwards like a departing aircraft, buffeted by the wind and rain and then descend into Sweden and the Province of Skåne.
Malmö is to the left, but we are turning right, headed for Karlskrona and Sweden's eastern coast. The journey before us is vast. Haparanda is five days north, provided the weather is kind to us. We will cross into Finland and join the Arctic highway at this border town, heading north again for Norway and the Barents Sea.

The scenery is stunning. Driving, we are oblivious to the outside temperature—that is, until we end our day's drive, take on fuel, or fill our water tank from the heated water closets at most garages. We make our night stops in the Fjords, at one with nature; this wild country has a massive feeling of solitude and peace.

As we progress north, hail and snow showers are becoming more frequent.

Although the sky became blue, the temperature dropped, and we saw the lakes and rivers frozen.

The landscape is beautiful in the freezing sunshine.

On day five of our journey, the weather turns to rain and sleet and quickly into heavy snow. We are forced to turn back to seek refuge. We follow the snowploughs back south and wait until it is safe to continue.

The roads, as is the sky, have been cleared, and we continue.
We hope to see a Moose or Elk in the English language and the name given to them in Eurasia. An Elk in the American language is a different species; it's a little confusing!

The further North we travel, the colder it gets. The Bothnian Sea is also frozen. Due to the snow, finding parking places to stop and take photographs has become challenging. We see fishermen sitting around holes cut through the ice and cars racing on frozen lakes. This really is another World!

The weather has really deteriorated; thank goodness for snowploughs!

On the journey, we have seen hundreds of migrating birds, especially Goosanders, Tufted, and Goldeneye ducks, all heading Northward to their breeding grounds.

We stopped to photograph the ice flows and found  Goosanders catching a lift!

There is stillness and silence, with just the birds calling out on the water. It has turned slushy but is starting to freeze over again.

Sunday morning, there was heavy snow during the night, and we saw other camping cars half buried in the snow drifts. There is a lack of parishioners at the local church, but the road has been cleared, and we can continue.

We have a distant view over a frozen lake of snow buntings heading back north, always mobile and on their restless flight.

At Umeå, the city of Birch trees, the mighty Ume River is frozen and covered with deep snow.

We will cross the 66º North into the Arctic Circle.

Next stop, Finland.



By lunchtime, we are within one hundred kilometres of the Arctic Circle.

The snow is getting worse, but we are determined to reach that imaginary line drawn around the Earth at 66º North. Then we will have to decide what to do!

Only the main road is now passable for us, which has become difficult. All the minor roads are choked with snow.

We made it! We parked up somewhere North of 66º high in the Arctic Circle. For now, the snow has relented.
We have decided that it is not worth continuing as more heavy snow is forecast, we would not be able to photograph the birds and landscape that we had come for, and we are trapped on the main road between two snow walls. It is back to Sweden for us.

This may look pretty, but we had to battle South for two days to escape the worst blizzards we had ever experienced.
Cannot wait to see the blue sky and sun!
Our trip continues.

Happy days!