TRIP REPORT VASTMANLAND, SWEDEN 22 TO 26 FEBRUARY 2016 PYGMY OWL GLYN & CHRIS SELLORS

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Kerry Cain
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1 TRIP REPORT VASTMANLAND, SWEDEN 22 TO 26 FEBRUARY 2016 GLYN & CHRIS SELLORS PYGMY OWL

2 FACTS & FIGURES ACCOMMODATION & CAR PARKING AT STANSTED HILTON AIRPORT HOTEL 95 RYANAIR FLIGHTS STANSTED TO VASTERAS EACH ACCOMMODATION IN SKULTUNA SKULTUNA BRUKSHOTELL B & B, PACKED LUNCH & EVENING MEAL EACH FOR 4 NIGHTS ( ASK FOR LENA ) CAR HIRE WITH RYANAIR ( BUDGET ) FOR 5 DAYS ITINERARY FLIGHT FROM STANSTED TO VASTERAS, SWEDEN 2 HOURS WE COLLECTED OUR CAR & DROVE TO OUR HOTEL IN SKULTUNA. WE COULDN T DO MUCH ON OUR FIRST DAY BECAUSE WE ARRIVED MID-AFTERNOON. AFTER WE D DROPPED OFF OUR LUGGAGE & HAD A CUP OF TEA IN OUR ROOM, WE DROVE TO FLACKEBO ( I HAVE STAYED HERE IN THE PAST ) I REALLY ENJOY DRIVING IN SWEDEN IN WINTER, LOTS OF SNOW & CRACKING SCENERY. THE NEXT MORNING I HAD ARRANGED FOR DANIEL GREEN TO COLLECT US & TAKE US OUT FOR THE DAY OUR FIRST STOP WAS AT DANIEL S WINTER FEEDING STATION IN THE FOREST C. 8 NUTCRACKERS WERE SHOWING VERY WELL & EVENTUALLY AN ENORMOUS FEMALE BLACK WOODPECKER APPEARED THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I VE TAKEN DECENT IMAGES OF THIS ENORMOUS WOODPECKER ( THE SIZE OF A CROW ) WITH A MASSIVE BILL. A MALE GREY-HEADED WOODPECKER ALSO SHOWED BRIEFLY + THE COMMON TITS & NUTHATCHES ETC. ON OUR WALK UP TO THE FEEDING STATION A WHITE-TAILED EAGLE FLEW OVER ( LIKE A BARN DOOR IN FLIGHT ) FROM THE FOREST FEEDING STATION DANIEL DROVE TO UPPSALA ( JUST OVER AN HOUR S DRIVE ) TO SEE A WINTERING HAWK OWL EN ROUTE WE SAW A ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARD - WE WEREN T DISAPPOINTED & THE WEATHER WAS SUPERB. WE WATCHED THE HAWK OWL FOR 3 HOURS ( IT CAUGHT A VOLE & WE WATCHED IT DEVOUR IT ABOUT 30 FEET AWAY ) THE LIGHT WAS FADING, SO WE MADE OUR WAY BACK TO OUR HOTEL IN SKULTUNA.

3 ON OUR SECOND DAY CHRIS & I VISITED ANOTHER FEEDING STATION JUST OUTSIDE VASTERAS C. 10 HAWFINCHES, COMMON REDPOLLS & 2 CRACKING NORTHERN LONG-TAILED TITS ( THEY HAVE COMPLETELY WHITE HEADS ). THERE WERE ALSO YELLOWHAMMERS, BULLFINCHES, NUTHATCHES, TREECREEPER, WILLOW & MARSH TITS. WE THEN VISITED THE FOREST FEEDING STATION AGAIN MALE & FEMALE GREY-HEADED WOODPECKERS SHOWED WELL TODAY & THE NUTCRACKERS WERE PERFORMING FLYING IN TO GRAB HAZEL NUTS. THE BLACK WOODPECKER DIDN T SHOW TODAY, ALTHOUGH WE SAW 3 BIRDS FLYING AROUND & CALLING. MID-AFTERNOON WE TRIED FOR GREAT GREY OWL ( I VE NEVER HAD MUCH LUCK IN WINTER ) & IT DIDN T SHOW SPRING IS MUCH BETTER, WHEN THEY ARE FEEDING YOUNG ( APRIL/MAY ) DANIEL TURNED UP WITH FREDERICK FROM MALMO, HE HAD SPENT A WEEK WITH DANIEL PHOTOGRAPHING A VARIETY OF BIRDS, INCLUDING SPENDING A LOT OF TIME IN THE EAGLE HIDE ( I VE NEVER FANCIED THE EAGLE HIDE YOU HAVE TO BE IN BEFORE FIRST LIGHT & LEAVE AT DUSK ) ONE OF THE LOCAL BIRDERS WAS CHATTING WITH DANIEL & SAID HE D PHOTOGRAPHED A PYGMY OWL NEAR SVANA HE GAVE US DETAILS & WE TRIED THE NEXT MORNING. THIS WAS OUR LAST FULL DAY, SO WE HEADED TO SVANA TO TRY FOR THE PYGMY OWL AFTER ABOUT TEN MINUTES I COULD HEAR BIRDS MOBBING & WHEN I TURNED AROUND THE TINY PYGMY OWL WAS SITTING AT THE TOP OF A PINE TREE. I MIMICKED ITS CALL & IT FLEW & LANDED IN A SMALL BIRCH TREE. I WAS PANICKING BECAUSE I VE ALWAYS WANTED TO PHOTOGRAPH THIS TINY OWL, BUT IT WAS VERY CONFIDING & LET US APPROACH TO WITHIN 20 FEET AFTER ABOUT 15 MINUTES IT FLEW BACK INTO THE FOREST WHAT A SUPER BIRD! DANIEL TOLD US ABOUT A SITE FOR THREE-TOED WOODPECKER, BUT THE ROAD WAS IMPASSABLE WITH OUR CAR LOTS OF SNOW WE NEEDED A FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLE. WE DID TRY ANOTHER TRACK, BUT THAT WAS COVERED IN DEEP SNOW. AFTER PARKING THE CAR WE WALKED DOWN THE TRACK FOR ABOUT 1KM A FEW CRESTED TITS & A BLACK WOODPECKER CALLING APPARENTLY IT WAS ANOTHER KM TO THE THREE-TOED WOODPECKER SITE I LL TRY AGAIN NEXT TIME. IN THE LATE AFTERNOON WE TRIED THE GREAT GREY OWL SITE AGAIN, I SOON GOT BORED, SO BACK TO THE HOTEL FOR EVENING MEAL. ON OUR LAST MORNING WE CHECKED THE HAWFINCH FEEDING STATION ON OUR WAY TO THE AIRPORT A FEW HAWFINCHES WERE SHOWING WELL, FEEDING ON THE SUNFLOWER SEEDS.

4 A WHITE-TAILED EAGLE FLEW OVER & NEAR THE AIRPORT WE SAW ANOTHER ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARD. JUST BEFORE WE ARRIVED AT THE AIRPORT WE WATCHED THE LOCALS SKATING ON A FROZEN LAKE WHY DON T WE GET MORE SNOW IN BRITAIN IT S GREAT FUN. I THINK THIS IS MY SIXTH WINTER TRIP TO SWEDEN & I CAN T WAIT TO GO BACK THE PYGMY OWL STOLE THE SHOW. SYSTEMATIC LIST WHOOPER SWANS 9 GOLDENEYES WHITE-TAILED EAGLES 3 ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARDS 2 WOOD PIGEONS HAWK OWL 1 UPPSALA ( STUNNING ) PYGMY OWL 1 NEAR SVANA ( PROBABLY BIRD OF THE TRIP ) BLACK WOODPECKERS 3 ( AT LAST, SOME NICE IMAGES ) GREY-HEADED WODPECKERS MALE & FEMALE GRET SPOTTED WOODPECKERS FIELDFARES BLACKBIRDS GREAT TITS COAL TITS BLUE TITS CRESTED TITS WILLOW TITS

5 MARSH TITS NORTHERN LONG-TAILED TITS - 2 ( NORTHERN BIRDS HAVE WHITE HEADS VERY SMART ) NUTHATCHES TREECREEPERS MAGPIES JAYS NUTCRACKERS C. 8 ( STILL ONE OF MY FAVOURITE BIRDS ) JACKDAWS HOODED CROWS RAVENS TREE SPARROWS CHAFFINCHES COMMON REDPOLLS GREENFINCHES BULLFINCHES HAWFINCHES C. 10 CROSSBILLS ONLY HEARD REED BUNTINGS YELLOWHAMMERS MAMMALS ROE DEERS WEASEL 1 UPPSALA RED SQUIRRELS 3

6 ( Daniel Green ) ( Lena ) IMAGES BELOW

7 NUTCRACKER BULLFINCH

8 FEMALE BLACK WOODPECKER FEMALE BLACK WOODPECKER

9 FEMALE BLACK WOODPECKER

10 NUTCRACKER NUTCRACKER

11 NUTCRACKER

12 HAWK OWL

13 HAWK OWL

14 HAWK OWL

15 HAWK OWL

16 HAWK OWL WITH VOLE

17 HAWK OWL SWALLOWING VOLE

18 NORTHERN LONG-TAILED TIT COMMON REDPOLL ( MEALY )

19 BULLFINCH NUTHATCH

20 NUTCRACKER

21 NUTCRACKER NUTCRACKER

22 BLUE TIT

23 CRESTED TIT PYGMY OWL

24 PYGMY OWL

25 PYGMY OWL

26 MALE GREY-HEADED WOODPECKER

27 GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER

28 FEMALE GREY-HEADED WOODPECKER

29 NUTHATCH WHOOPER SWAN

30 CRESTED TIT

31 NUTCRACKER NUTCRACKER

32 NUTCRACKER FOREST FEEDING STATION FROZEN ROAD

33 IMPASSABLE TRACK BLACK RIVER

34 BIRCHES

35 PYGMY OWL HABITAT HUMAN HABITAT

36 RENTAL CAR & CHRIS

TRIP REPORT BIEBRZA & BIALOWIEZA, POLAND 16 TO 23 MAY 2015 WHITE- WINGED BLACK TERN, BIEBRZA

TRIP REPORT BIEBRZA & BIALOWIEZA, POLAND 16 TO 23 MAY 2015 RICHARD PITTAM, MIKE RICHARDSON, GLYN SELLORS & STEVE WHITELEY WHITE- WINGED BLACK TERN, BIEBRZA FACTS & FIGURES RYANAIR FLIGHTS - 140 EACH (