Proof that swifts (tårnseiler) can stay in the air without landing for 10 months at a time has been announced and they can live for 20 years which means a single bird can fly 4 million miles in its lifetime! Astonishing! Below the link, a short video of birds divebombing my house responding to me playing swift calls to attract them to my nestbox!
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2110650-swifts-break-record-by-staying-aloft-for-10-months-at-a-time/
Today there were around 200 waxwings / sidensvans in the garden most of the afternoon and I saw them eating berries on Sambucus nigra, Viburnum opulus, Berberis, Crataegus and, in this video, a white berried rowan, received as Sorbus fruticosa! I’d planted this tree right outside my front door to try to attract waxwings….I was able to sit right outside the front door in full view of the birds and make this little film only about 2-3m away:
In this video we see a bird feeding on a rotten apple still hanging in the tree, a second bird, presumably this year’s young, is seen begging for food, and when a second bird turns up it actually feeds it…a bit late in the year for this!
…and waxwings on hawthorn and Berberis before they are scared up by a passing bus!
…and waxwings on Viburnum opulus (guelder rose / krossved)
Waxwing on Viburnum opulus (Guelder Rose / Krossved)
Waxwing on Viburnum opulus (Guelder Rose / Krossved)
Scandic Nidelven hotel (background in these pictures) Trondheim has won an award for Norway’s best breakfast 10 years in a row…no wonder when the guests have this bird’s eye view at breakfast over the river ;)14th November, view from Scandic Nidelven hotel and a flock of around 520 Eider duck
14th November 2016: Scandic Nidelven in the background with a smaller flock of 380 eider!14th November 2016: Scandic Nidelven in the background with a smaller flock of 380 eider!
Jackdaws (kaie) fly every morning to breakfast which is served in the fields to the east of here…standing on my bedroom balcony, there’s suddenly a pressure wave as a small group of birds fly at breakneck speed right over the roof above my head…must try to film it one day…but this morning they and I also had a glorious view too…dreaming of coming back as a jackdaw…they have so much fun it seems!
Two flocks of pink-footed geese (kortnebbgjess) passed over the house today…on the way south from the stopover area just north of here…this morning it was -8C and the same is forecast for the next two nights…
Beautiful morning, cold at about -8C…the sun doesn’t now get very high in the sky and the shadows are long all day long like this Betula pendula (Silver birch) shadow in the field below the houseFlock of pinkfeet arriving from the north…they swung round to the west and passed directly over the house. See the videoThe second and largest flock of around 130 birds also passed directly over flying westwardsThe flight speed is impressive and turning round this was the only shot I managed as they disappeared westwards
As I was working from home yesterday and not doing my normal bike ride, I decided to do a longer ride over the hills to the post office to pick up the Japanese seeds (different post)…I arrived home 3 hours later with a haul of, mostly, winter chantarelles / traktkantarell….I just couldn’t not pick them when I saw them :( Guess what I’ll be doing tonight :)
Map of the area: I was mostly in the woods between Pedersborg and the bridge over the motorway where it says Øvre…
Woodpigeons / ringdue at Årli
Woodpigeons / ringdue at Årli
Woodpigeons / ringdue at Årli
Pedersborg and Forbordfjellet
Viewpoint over Malvikodden
Viewpoint over Malvikodden
Viewpoint over Malvikodden and Malvik cemetery
Narrow path
A lot of walking…
1 minute into the woods and a champignon (Agaricus spp.)
2 mins. into the woods and I had to pick these winter chantarelles / traktkantarell…I’d heard rumours of large amounts, but hadn’t planned to pick until later…
Winter chantarelles / traktkantarell
Winter chantarelles / traktkantarell can be almost black coloured and difficult to spot…
Lactarius scrobiculatus (svovelriske) can be large. This milkcap is considered inedible here and is very acrid..
Lactarius scrobiculatus (svovelriske) with the white juice that turns yellow when exposed to the air.
Lactarius scrobiculatus (svovelriske) – its white juice turns yellow when exposed to the air.
Bispelue / hooded false morel or the elfin saddle
Stor kragesopp / luxuriant ringstalk or lacerated stropharia
I’ve never been able to get as close to a snipe / enkeltbekkasin before. Rather than flying off it just ducked down into the water :) Taken with my small hand held Lumix DMC-TZ60 camera.
Perennial vegetables, Edimentals (plants that are edible and ornamental) and other goings on in The Edible Garden
