Trip to Sweden
12-26 April 2003

Dave Grant

Elder statesmen:	Dick Vernon and Angus Hogg
Supported by:	Julie Grant, Dave Grant and Andrew Stevenson

itting in the sun chairs outside the stugby, while indulging in a cool drink after a long day's birding, we looked up at the sky through sunglasses to note a small passage of Cranes (Grus grus) slowly circling in a rapidly warming thermal over the town of Uppsala. After watching them gain considerable height, making them barely visible to the eye, they glided onwards in search of their next thermal. The blue sky and warm sun was taking it's toll upon the elder statesmen of the trip as they saught solice in the shade. The lack of shorts or any clothes suitable for this warm weather was surely an oversight on our behalf, so how did we get into such a predicament. Three weeks earlier in a conversation about what to take someone had said "Sweden at Easter, weather shouldn't be too cold should it?" However, after a visit to Estonia a few weeks earlier it was pointed out by Dave that the Baltic was still frozen to a metre thick for as far as the eye could see. And so it was that we discarded the shorts in favour of extra thermals.

We arrived courtesy of Ryanair at Nykoing via Stanstead on Saturday 12th April. The Stanstead diversion was a necessary route at the time of booking, however two weeks after paying up Ryanair announced that a 'new exciting route' was opening from Prestwick direct to Nykoping. Despite valient attempts to alter the booking without having to pay extra, the unforgiving administrative monster, that is Ryanair, finally won and we had to accept the longer and potentially more risky route via Stanstead.

We were met at the airport by Lars, a young (by SOC standards) birder who knew the Nykoping area as it was his local patch. He was to be our guide over the next few days and whilst certain birds remained elusive he did start the trip with sightings of Rough-legged Buzzard (Buteo lagopus) and Crane (Grus grus) within 10 minutes of leaving the airport. A visit to a local supermarket to stock up on food and other necessities saw us dispel the myth that it is expensive in Sweden — prices were on a par with those in the UK, including beer, of course the UK's not really the cheap country it used to be.

On route to our hostel accommodation we were fortunate to get some road side views of some Moose or Elk (Alces alces). To say that these animals have long legs would be an understatement — they look like huge lumps of meat on stilts. With night rapidly falling our Moose experience was added to by a roding Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) over head.

The hostel accommodation was more than acceptable and very comfortable with ample facilities for cooking in each en suite room. This type of accommodation is very popular, therefore it's worth booking ahead especially over Easter as there are numerous holidays in which the urban population migrates into the countryside.

The Nykoping area was very productive and provided excellent birding opportunities around the numerous lakes and fjords surrounding the town of Nykoping. One such place visited was Skara which as well as having abundant wildfowl, including Bean Geese (Anser fabilis fabilis), provided us with views of six species of raptor. The most magnificent of all of the raptors was the White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) with its barn door like wings soaring overhead. Usually the first sign that one of these eagles was around was a panic stricken eruption of the waterfowl.

One of the benefits of visiting Sweden over the Easter period is the newly arriving summer migrants mingling with the still present winter visitors. Newly arrived Common Terns (Sterna hirundo) were busily replenishing their body mass alongside their larger cousins, the Caspian Tern (Sterna caspia). Of note from a phenological point of view was the sound of the first Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita), which was interesting as they had been singing in Ayrshire for at least three weeks previous to our departure.

A visit to Stockholm on route to Uppsala provided the opportunity to see the 'Baltic' Gull a sub species of Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus fuscus). This primarily pelagic gull is the colour of a Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus) yet smaller than the more common Herring Gull (Larus argentatus). This proved to be a highlight of the trip for those with a gull bent.

Uppsala is an attractive university town famous for its links with Carl Linnaeus, the father of modern taxonomy. The forested areas surrounding the town are rich in birdlife, with many of the Swedish specialities to be found. Our guide for this part of the country was Ulrik Lotberg. His arrival in an Audi Quattro 4 x 4 gave us our first hint that we would be doing some serious off-road travelling in search of the woodpeckers and owls that we had come to Sweden for. Our second hint was his suggestion that over the next week or so we should expect to leave at 0300hrs everyday in order to give ourselves the best opportunity to hear and see these birds. As a testimony to his knowledge and commitment he delivered the goods and then some.

One of the great things about travelling in a foreign country is the chance to get good views of birds that are harder to find at home. The sight of the top heavy Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes) is enough to give any ringer the shakes at the thought of its huge silver bill getting hold of the soft skin between the fingers. Whilst a real gem was the Scandinavian Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus caudatus) with its snow white head and breast, surely as good a candidate as any for splitting as a full species from the darker British (rosaceus) and Continental (europaeus) races.

We had booked into a stugby, at a campsite, which is self contained log cabin of a compact and bijou nature. In contrast to the later starting Brits the Swedish philosophy to birding is the earlier the better. This philosophy became our mantra as we dragged ourselves out of pits at ungodly hours of the morning, so early that we met home coming Swedes returning from an evening of partying. We quickly became the talk of the campsite, as those strange British folk who walk around with binoculars at night. Even the average Swede knows that you won't see many birds with binoculars when it was dark so they must have thought that either we were very bad at birdwatching or we were up to some other more nefarious buisness.

Once out of town we quickly entered forested areas that you could drive around for days without realising that you were on the same road and probably only a mile or so from the nearest town. To venture into the deep forests requires a good map, compass and a sound sense of direction. It's all too easy to loose your bearings. Angus, ever the teacher, demonstrated just how easy it was to get lost when he wandered off in the small forest of Fiby. He claimed that he was following the call of a Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium passerinum) but we knew better.

With all of the trees around it must have been woodpecker heaven, however seeing them was not an easy prospect. The early morning starts paid dividends with great views. As with other birds woodpeckers are more active earlier in the day. Ulrik used bird song recordings though emphasised the need to use such mechanical methods conservatively as the rarer the bird the more likely they are to be displaced by such arteficial competition. Both male and female Grey-headed Woodpecker (Picus Canus) responded to our tape lure. The male, whilst easy to identify in a book due to its red forehead, was considerably harder to distinguish from the female in the field. This is due to the flat forehead which only allows for views when the bird dips its head. By contrast the red on the male Black Woodpecker's (Dryocopus martius) head was easily viewed especially when gripping the side of a tree feeding on tree-dwelling insects with its elongated tongue.

Lassa, a ringer and friend of Ulrik's, kindly allowed us to visit and see one of his nest boxes with a Ural Owl (Strix uralensis) in it. The bill clapping of the owl is the first stage in its warning strategy and can be very intimidating, especially if you are close to it. On deciding that discretion was the better part of valour we did not not hang around long enough to experience the second stage of its warning strategy.

Our experience with Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) was less up close and personal, which on seeing the birds was probably a good thing. Quarries seem to be a prime location for Eagle Owl nests, though locating them is not easy. The ear tufts blend into the grass and the camouflage given by the birds' plumage make them near cryptic until they make a movement. Once this happens you take a sharp intake of breath, firstly, at the fact that you scanned the site where the bird was numerous times and failed to see it and, secondly, at the immense size of these birds.

Most of the times we could bird from the car or within a short distnace from it, the exception was the day we set out to find a White-backed Woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos). When I refer to 'a' I am actually referring to a single bird and not the species. The population of White-backed Woodpecker in Sweden is down to approximately 25 birds. This makes this a very rare and endangered species for Sweden. We walked for a considerable time through dense, damp forest with numerous twists and turns in the path. We found Moose tracks and droppings dispersed everywhere and even found an old skeleton of a Moose partially buried, probably the work of a Lynx (Lynx lynx). The destructive tree boring evidence of Black Woodpecker could be found at the base of many trees in their search for insects. Lady luck must have been smiling upon us, or maybe she just took pity on us after the numerous branches in the face and tripped over tree roots, because our quarry the single male White- backed Woodpecker laden with colour rings appeared as if from nowhere and proceeded to call and fly about between the tree tops above our heads. Was it worth the 0230hrs start and the long walk in? Absolutely!

Whilst the weather generally saw us lapping up the sun in the afternoons, the temperature in the early mornings was still cool enough to remind us that winter had only just decided to depart. During one of the mornings we found ourselves in yet another forest. The sun had yet to rise and there were very cold pockets of air in every dip and hollow. The sub-zero temperatures encountered put the best of our thermal socks to the test. Black Grouse (Tetrao tetrix) and Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) were displaying from the tree tops welcoming in the first warming rays of the rising sun. Having eluded us for the past week, resulting in some very twitchy behaviour from the elder statesmen within the group, Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium passerinum) was a major target for the day. Our patience (or was that frustration) was rewarded with some amazing views of a Pygmy Owl as it flew out of the forest in response to our tape lure. It's entourage of scolding finches and tits bravely followed it about as it flew from one perch to another while looking down upon us. The power and fear that such a small bird instills amongst the other birds, often of a larger size, is truly amazing. Despite its small size this owl has a ferocious reputation as a killer.

As if the Pygmy Owl view was not enough for one day we were also lucky enough to get an exceptional look at both a male and female Hazel Hen (Bonasa bonasia) as they walked amongst the branches of a spruce tree. The male, in full breeding plumage, was strutting about on the branch doing its best to win the dowdier female over. It's grey leggings, black chin, dark barring on the throat, chestnut on the sides of the chest and its red eyebrow made this a most attractive bird. This was totally unexpected as usually Hazel Hen only gives a glimpse of its rear as it explodes away and dives down into cover. That is why for me this was a real highlight of the trip.

The lakes of the Uppsala area, Hjalstaviken and Ledskar, and the coastal peninsula of Fagelstundart gave us a change of scenery from the forests with their haunting calls of Crane. As would be expected such areas offer good opportunities to study wildfowl in their hundreds. A trip out to Bjorn Island gave us the chance to see migration in action, and whilst the winds were not in our favour we did get a taste of what the island could offer under the right conditions.

The debate about whether angled scopes or straight scopes were the better chioce was a topic of conversation. The Swedes regarded straight scopes as being for the older generation, a fact reinforced by the elder statesmen of the group having such scopes. However, they were to get the last laugh one settled evening, as a Great Grey Owl flew out of the trees and landed on one of the straight scopes — the only comment to be made was "it was probably an old bird".

Towards the end of our trip a tantalizing promise of Hawk Owl (Surnia ulula) and Tengmalm's Owl (Aegolius funereus) saw us heading north for 300km at midnight to the still frozen land around Malung. Our two guides led us through rapidly thawing bog and near freezing streams along a path which was like Jeckle and Hyde in character. One moment you'd find yourself slipping on the shade protected ice while in another moment you'd be ankle deep in ice cold water. After a couple of kilometres we found ourselves in a clearing with a few isolated trees punctuating the landscape. Read any good guide book and it tells you that Hawk Owl often sit perched atop a tall tree.

Our sighting was no less dissapointing as a male Hawk Owl was sitting on the tallest tree displaying and calling in the early morning light. It was remarkably tolerant of us as we moved closer with the rising sun at our backs. After what seemed like an age to us but in reality was only a few minutes we headed back to a spot in the trees to watch the display in all its glory. When a Hawk Owl gives its display call its whole body vibrates culminating with it shaking its wings and tail feather — now I'm sure there's a dance that goes like that.

To our relief the Tengmalm's Owl nest box was in a more accesible place. We approached cautiously while our guide gently tapped the lower part of the tree. With a somewhat bemused and yet surprised look the owl stuck its head out of the box and looked around somewhat disdainfully at those who had interupted its sleep. Realising that we posed no threat it stayed visible just long enough for the whir of autowind cameras to record the moment for posterity — a true Kodak moment.

Lunch time beckoned and we wearily headed down to the Sandbacks Café in downtown Malung for a celebratory hot cup of java and slice of homemade cake. A fine end to an exceptional trip.

Due to the fact that most of the rarer birds were seen at or near their nest sites we have been purposely vague as to their whereabouts. We recommend contacting a local as we did as they will know where the sites are and which sites you could visit.

Below is a systematic list of the birds seen on the trip with an indication as to how often we saw them:

A	Abundant - seen more than three times in a number of places
R	Rare - only seen in small numbers on one or two occassions

No.	Common Name	Latin Name	A	R
1	Red-throated Diver	Gavia stellata	•
2	Black-throated Diver	Gavia arctica	•
3	Great Crested Grebe	Podiceps cristatus	•
4	Little Grebe	Podiceps nigricollis	•
5	Cormorant	Phalacrocorax carbo	•
6	Bittern	Botaurus stellaris		•
7	Grey Heron	Ardea cinera	•
8	Whooper Swan	Cygnus cygnus	•
9	Mute Swan	Cygnus olor	•
10	Pink-footed Goose	Anser brachyrhynchus		•
11	Bean Goose	Anser fabalis fabalis	•
12	Lesser White-fronted Goose	Anser erythropus		•
13	White-fronted Goose	Anser albifrons	•
14	Greylag Goose	Anser anser	•
15	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	•
16	Barnacle Goose	Branta leucopsis	•
17	Shelduck	Tadorna tadorna	•
18	Wigeon	Anas penelope	•
19	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	•
20	Gadwall	Anas strepera	•
21	Pintail	Anas acuta	•
22	Shoveler	Anas clypeata	•
23	Teal	Anas crecca	•
24	Garganey	Anas querquedula		•
25	Pochard	Aythya ferina		•
26	Tufted Duck	Aythya fuligula	•
27	Scaup	Aythya marila		•
28	Eider	Someteria mollissima	•
29	Long-tailed Duck	Clangula hyemalis		•
30	Common Scoter	Melanitta nigra		•
31	Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	•
32	Smew	Mergus albellus	•
33	Red-breasted Merganser	Mergus serrator		•
34	Goosander	Mergus merganser	•
35	Hen Harrier	Circus cyaneus		•
36	Marsh Harrier	Circus aeruginosus	•
37	Sparrowhawk	Accipiter nisus	•
38	Goshawk	Accipiter gentilis	•
39	Buzzard	Buteo buteo	•
40	Rough-legged Buzzard	Buteo lagopus	•
41	White-tailed Eagle	Haliaeetus albicilla	•
42	Golden Eagle	Aquila chrysaetos		•
43	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	•
44	Kestrel	Falco tinnunculus	•
45	Merlin	Falco columbarius		•
46	Capercaille	Tetrao urogallus		•
47	Black Grouse	Tetrao tetrix	•
48	Hazel Grouse	Bonasa bonasia		•
49	Pheasant	Phasianus colchicus	•
50	Water Rail	Rallus aquaticus		•
51	Moorhen	Gallinula chloropus		•
52	Coot	Fulica atra	•
53	Crane	Grus grus	•
54	Oystercatcher	Haematopus ostralegus	•
55	Ringed Plover	Charadrius hiaticula	•
56	Little Ringed Plover	Charadrius dubius	•
57	Lapwing	Vanellus vanellus	•
58	Turnstone	Arenaria interpres	•
59	Curlew	Numenius arquata	•
60	Whimbrel	Numenius phaeopus		•
61	Bar-tailed Godwit	Limosa lapponica		•
62	Redshank	Tringa totanus	•
63	Common Sandpiper	Actitis hypoleucos	•
64	Green Sandpiper	Tringa ochropus	•
65	Woodcock	Scolopax rusticola	•
66	Snipe	Gallinago gallinago	•
67	Arctic Skua	Stercorarius parasiticus		•
68	Black-headed Gull	Larus ridibundus	•
69	Mew Gull	Larus canus	•
70	Herring Gull	Larus argentatus	•
71	Great Black-backed Gull	Larus marinus	•
72	Lesser Black-backed Gull	Larus fuscus fuscus		•
73	Common Tern	Sterna hirundo	•
74	Caspian Tern	Sterna caspia	•
75	Black Guillemot	Cepphus grylle		•
76	Wood Pigeon	Columba palumbus	•
77	Stock Dove	Columba oenas	•
78	Collared Dove	Streptopelia decaocto		•
79	Short-eared Owl	Asio flammeus		•
80	Eagle Owl	Bubo bubo		•
81	Hawk Owl	Surnia ulula		•
82	Ural Owl	Strix uralensis		•
83	Great Grey Owl	Strix nebulosa		•
84	Pygmy Owl	Glaucidium passerinum		•
85	Tengmalm's Owl	Aegolius funereus		•
86	Black Woodpecker	Dryocopus martius	•
87	Grey-headed Woodpecker	Picus canus		•
88	Green Woodpecker	Picus viridis	•
89	Great Spotted Woodpecker	Dendrocopos major	•
90	White-backed Woodpecker	Dendrocopos leucotos		•
91	Lesser Spotted Woodpecker	Dendrocopos minor	•
92	Skylark	Alauda arvensis	•
93	Woodlark	Lullula arborea		•
94	Meadow Pipit	Anthus pratensis	•
95	White Wagtail	Motacilla alba alba	•
96	Waxwing	Bombycilla garrulus	•
97	Wren	Troglodytes troglodytes	•
98	Dunnock	Prunella modularis	•
99	Robin	Erithacus rubecula	•
100	Northern Wheatear	Oenanthe oenanthe		•
101	Blackbird	Turdus merula	•
102	Fieldfare	Turdus pilaris	•
103	Redwing	Turdus iliacus	•
104	Song Thrush	Turdus philomelos	•
105	Mistle Thrush	Turdus viscivorus	•
106	Chiffchaff	Phylloscopus collybita	•
107	Goldcrest	Regulus regulus	•
108	Bearded Tit	Panurus biarmicus		•
109	Willow Tit	Parus montanus borealis	•
110	Crested Tit	Parus cristatus	•
111	Blue Tit	Parus caeruleus	•
112	Great Tit	Parus major	•
113	Coal Tit	Parus ater	•
114	Long-tailed Tit	Aegithalos caudatus caudatus	•
115	Nuthatch	Sitta europaea europaea	•
116	Treecreeper	Certhia familiaris	•
117	Great Grey Shrike	Lanius excubitor		•
118	Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	•
119	Jay	Garrulus glandarius	•
120	Magpie	Pica pica	•
121	Jackdaw	Corvus monedula	•
122	Raven	Corvus corax	•
123	Hooded Crow	Corvus corone cornix	•
124	Rook	Corvus frugilegus	•
125	Tree Sparrow	Passer montanus	•
126	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	•
127	Chaffinch	Fringilla coelebs	•
128	Brambling	Fringilla montifringilla	•
129	Hawfinch	Coccothraustes coccothraustes	•
130	Siskin	Carduelis spinus	•
131	Greenfinch	Carduelis chloris	•
132	Goldfinch	Carduelis carduelis	•
133	Bullfinch	Pyrrhula pyrrhula	•
134	Twite	Carduelis flavirostris	•
135	Linnet	Carduelis cannabina	•
136	Crossbill	Loxia curvirostra	•
137	Yellowhammer	Emberiza citrinella	•
138	Reed Bunting	Emberiza schoeniclus	•
139	Lapland Bunting	Calcarius lapponicus		•

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