Farewell to Sweden, hello Denmark.

We had come to the end of our journey through Sweden. We decided to visit  Ale's Ale'sat Kåsehuvud, high above the tiny fishing harbour of Kåseberga. A piercing ice-cold wind greeted us, like pins hitting the face; it had not been the best day for a visit. Scarfs wrapped around our faces, offering a little relief from the cold; we had joined the few stalwart visitors trekking upwards along the cliff. Strands of Eider ducks, flying below us, still passing North, ever following the coast,
 to their nesting habitats, Hooded crows blew past on the wind,
like tattered black paper!  

Ale's St. (Ales stenar) in Swedish is the site of Sweden's stone ship a mass of 59 massive boulders, 1.8 tonnes each in weight, forming the shape of a boat some 67 metres long and 19 metres wide.

Looking towards the bow of this ship of stones and the Baltic Sea, it was mentioned in land reports as early as 1515 and drawn on coastal charts as a bearing from 1684. It was plainly a landmark even back then.
The charcoal found around the ship has been dated, which gives a clue as to when it was erected, probably around 1400 years ago, at the end of the Nordic Iron Age.

A Hooded crow attempting to fly.

Spring has been approaching, and wildflowers enjoy sheltered positions and dappled sunlight along the coastal path—although it has not felt like it!

Coltsfoot peeping through.

Further along the coast, Greylag Geese head North.

The Tufted duck rested awhile, but then they were off again!

Goldeneye ducks passed over; everybody was heading North whilst we were going South again.

The last night stop in Sweden was Skanör Falsterbo.

The Øresund Bridge linking Sweden to Denmark is just visible across the sea. We returned over it the following morning.

A welcome sight as we walked around the small harbour was a Velvet Scooter.

We have seen thousands of Eider ducks on this journey; they are so photogenic!

At Odense in Denmark, we turned South, heading across Fyn and onto the Island of Langeland. It sits between the Great Belt, Denmark'Denmark's strait connecting the Baltic Sea, and the bay of Keil.

By mid-afternoon, we were looking out over the splendid Tranekær Slot, a Royal residence on Langeland since 1231.

Growing on a roadside, Butterbur, also known as bog Rhubarb or Devil's hat.

Driving to our night stop along the coast at Emmerbølle Strand, we watched this male Marsh Harrier skimming the reeds while hunting for prey.
We visited the nature reserve at Botofte, close to Tranekær Slot, the following day.

Sadly, the weather turned bad during the night, and the morning brought more heavy rain. The first sighting at the reserve was a beautiful Red-Necked Grebe.

Later, in awful weather, we could watch three pairs of the Red Necked Grebes building their nests.

We left the Grebe's Grebe'seir nest building for better weather.

Klintholm Haven is a small fishing harbour on Denmark's South coast of Møn. The harbour was constructed in 1878 by the owner of the nearby Klintholme estate and used for exporting the local chalk.

Taking a walk along the wild beach, which we had all to ourselves, we were lucky to see three Roe deer. The reeds told the time of day as the sun started to set.

The sun setting over the Møns coastline.

Two Shelduck fly along the coast as we did the following day, passing into Germany.

Barnacle Geese, their migration on Öland.

From our night stop at Grüsgard harbour, we are close to the roosting site of thousands of Barnacle Geese.

As the evening light fades, they start to arrive.

We have seen huge flocks of these Geese all day. The wind has been vicious; many just wanted to rest along the coast.

They come into view first in their tens, then hundreds, then thousands,
their calls filling the air.

Early in the morning, the church was across the stonewalled fields of Gräsgård, evident in the early sunshine. The sight and sound of so many Barnacle Geese rising was just amazing.

Only after they had passed did we walk across the fields to find that only a few were left resting.

For millennia, the birds have passed over or settled for a few weeks to brood their young on the island of Öland. Let us hope this continues out there in this Baltic haven.

Happy Days!

Öland the charming Swedish Island

It was another glorious morning out on the Island of Öland. The road takes us north through avenues of Birch trees. The route kept us close to the shoreline. Öland has the best bathing beaches in Sweden, but it is far too cold for us, so we are heading for Långe Erik in search of nature at its finest.

A stop on our journey for coffee brought us to Neptune Ãkar.
 Across the Kalmar strait, we could just make out the island of Blä Jungfrun, also known as the Blue Maiden. This island is a haven for birds that migrate North through the Baltic Sea.

This may well be one of the many Ringed Plovers we had observed heading North a few days earlier, a wealth of them here resting on the rocks.

Långe Erik, early April, the peace and solitude so powerful, the light vibrant, is the Northeastern corner of Öland. The lighthouse is affectionally known as "Tall Erik" beyond the former keeper's cottage.

Across the water, the peninsular of Trollskogen, the Enchanted Forest, is between us, one of the most mystical areas of water we have visited.

A walk around the shore edge, across the water, the Baltic Sea, deep and blue, the far sound of the waves just audible. The Canada Geese glide in silence; even the Gulls seemed silent. 

Greylag and Canada Geese drift through the still waters.

The last house on the Långe Erik peninsular, what an enviable position.

Our peaceful idle is broken as a skirmish between two Male Greylag Geese.

Inside the Enchanted forest, the trees stand twisted and windblown; the weather is never far from one's mind in Sweden.

That said, this Oak tree has stood for 900 years.

We found our first Brimstone butterfly of the year in mixed trees.

A large Tortoiseshell butterfly is always a joy to find.

A sad wreck! It was the "Swiks", a former three-masted schooner, washed up on the Trollskogen coast in December 1926. The crew of seven all escaped safely.

The huge nails are rusted, and the timbers are rotting on the lonely skeleton of the once proud schooner, but she is still there after so many years! 

The Baltic Sea and My Little Mermaid.

Long-tailed ducks are just bobbing around out there on the Baltic Sea. How absolutely fantastic! These very pretty little ducks were a significant sighting for us. 

Along the shoreline, Goosanders hunt for food in the breaking waves.

This is the Male bird.

The Female follows the Male into the surf.

The Enchanted Forest and silver sand beach attract Huge numbers of Mute Swan.

So many birds are now in the process of returning to Scandinavia after the long Winter.
They have been searching for food further south in Europe during the harsh Winter in the Northern region.

It turns out this is a fall of Goldcrests; they fill the trees for food and some hunt in the long grasses below them.

They feed frantically for an hour or more, then they move on.

Most seem female birds, but here, we can see a male with a little crest showing orange feathers along the crest. Females only have a yellow crest.

The peaceful life of Öland, shoreline, boats and a fisherman's hut painted in the typical colours of Sweden.

Hundreds of Shelduck make their landings on Öland's shore.

At Böda Hamn, we settle down for the night.

As the sun disappears over the horizon, a White Tailed Eagle arrives, searching for supper.

A burning sunset.

Farewell to the windmills of Öland.

Happy Days!