Tag Archives: Malvik

My Permaculture Design Certificate project report

I received my PDC after completing the course mainly taught by Jan Bang at my house in Malvik during 3 long weekends in 2017.  My project report was about how I designed my own garden using permaculture design principles (without having read about them). The report can be downloaded below:

Download (PDF, 6.78MB)

Goldfinches back on their winter holiday

A small number of goldfinches spend their winter holiday in the lowlands around Trondheimsfjord, a very good choice I would say! I’ve never seen them in summer here .  I heard the characteristic twittering flight call this morning for the first time this winter and then saw 4 of them this afternoon on burdock (borre) seed heads next to my outhouse (see the two videos below). Goldfinches have long and thin bills allowing them to extract seeds from burdock, other thistles, sunflowers and teasel /kardeborre (Dipsacus), although they have never shown any interest in the teasel I’ve grown for them.
You can read how my growing burdock as a vegetable attracted them to my garden , at that time a rare bird in this area:
http://www.edimentals.com/blog/?p=8810
T
he map below shows the concentration of sightings of flocks of goldfinches in Malvik in my garden and elsewhere nearby from Malvik to Midtsandan, on the southern shores of the fjord (only flocks of more than 20 birds are plotted).

Goldf_map_over_20

Forbord to Malvik bike push!

Pushed the bike along a path through the woods with protrubing tree roots looking for some late edible fungi…

Malvik walk

Yesterday I had a walk in the steep north facing woods east of Malvikbakk only 5 minutes by bike from home. I’d found a lot of edible fungi here on my last visit a month ago when we had a mini-drought (north slopes dry up last). It’s still very dry in the fungisphere despite recent rains and there’s not much winter chanterelle (traktkantarell) in the woods… No luck this time, but good to be in the woods for 2-3 hours….