Wildlife in my local patch

Hampshire UK

Wild Sweden by Canoe

September 9, 2016 by Charlie Hellewell | Comments Off on Wild Sweden by Canoe

canoe-svartalven2If your idea of getting away from it all is to immerse yourself in total wilderness for a few days, then look no further than a spot of self-guided Canoeing in Varmland, central Sweden.

This summer I joined my husband and two adventurous teenage sons on a 4 day / 3 night canoeing safari on the Svartälven (Black river) in Varmland. We drove to Gunnerud from Stockholm in just over 5 hours and a short while later we left civilisation behind as we pushed off from the river bank in our two Canadian-style canoes.  The Svartälven is a system of accessible and navigable rivers and passageways, interconnected with small lakes passing through an area of outstanding natural beauty.

It was late in the day when we finally started paddling but in northern Europe in the summer it never really gets fully dark and we had plenty of time to find ourselves a suitable camp site. We were spoilt for choice but eventually selected a picturesque spot on a promontory at the side of the lake overlooking one of many little islands.

canoeing2

Wild camping

We chose to have our trip provisioned as we were new to Sweden and didn’t want to waste time shopping for unfamiliar food, but you can of course bring your own tucker for the trip. We knew there was nowhere to stop and shop over the next few days during our canoe tour so we had to be totally self sufficient.  We had plenty of food and all the relevant equipment for wild camping and cooking on stoves. In Sweden as in other Nordic countries the public have access to the outdoors through the right to roam and freedom to camp anywhere they like for a couple of nights in the wilderness and there is certainly lots of opportunity and space to do this.

idyllic-camp

Consequently we could camp or stop for lunch or a swim wherever we liked over the next few days as long as we met up at the prearranged pickup point at the end of the tour. Obviously this meant a certain amount of paddling a day to cover the distance but we found it wasn’t difficult and probably could have done substantially more than was required. We were provided with “portage” wheels for the short distances where it was necessary to go on land between river and lake but we only did this twice and it was no further than a few hundred metres at any point.

The weather was definitely on our side with clear blue skies and sunshine most of the time and as we set our own pace we could glide peacefully through the beautiful forest settings.  The reflections on the rivers and lakes were stunning and we were constantly aware of the insect and bird life around us. There were huge hawker like dragonflies zooming past as well as the more dainty demoiselles and brightly coloured damselflies darting amongst the lily pads and flowers.  We were in sparrowhawk territory with the sometimes dense forest meeting the river or lakeside. We heard and saw many sparrowhawks but getting photographs as we paddled proved to be a challenge. We were being careful with most of our electronic equipment in dry bags most of the time which didn’t allow for much spontaneous photography.

osprey-nest-on-island

Beavers

There was plenty of opportunity to explore the interconnected tributaries of the rivers and we were determined to see beavers while we were there. Evidence of their presence was everywhere with gnawed logs and “lodges” (collections of wood covering numerous underwater holes in the riverbank) interspersed freely along the river’s edge.

Our quiet patience was rewarded on one evening excursion up a tributary when we saw a beaver ahead of us with just its nose visible swimming from one side of the river to the other. As soon as it became aware of us it dived, slapping its tail to create a huge splash and disappearing from sight. We were lucky enough to see this behaviour three times that evening but were also bombarded with mosquitos so hurried back to camp and our welcoming fire to excitedly discuss our sightings and plans for the next day.

beaver-lodgeAlas our adventure soon came to an end but we all felt that we had discovered a new aspect to the beautiful sights that Sweden can offer and felt determined to return once more to have another go, but for longer next time.

Bass Rock and Craigleath – Gannets and Puffins

June 8, 2016 by Jackson | Comments Off on Bass Rock and Craigleath – Gannets and Puffins

Over the half term holiday I’ve been staying in a lovely little town in Scotland called North Berwick. North Berwick is the nearest town to the world famous Bass Rock –  the iconic volcanic structure jutting above the sea. Just 20 years ago the island’s white top now stained with both gannets and their guano was only partially covered with birds. But recently more and more gannets have come back to the rock so that it has almost got to the stage where soon there will be no more room.

Bass-Rock

The boat trip allowed you to get very close to the gannets but the choppy sea made it difficult to take a picture. The one below is probably one of the best as you can see the creamy colours of the gannet’s  plumage and the brilliant blue ring around it’s eye.

Gannets

Not only did we go to Bass rock, but we also got to go to Craigleith, a nearby island with puffins, guillemots, razorbills, cormorants, shags and fulmars. There were many of these birds nesting on the island.

puffins

Craigleith. Another picture demonstrating the difficulties of taking a picture on a RIB.

Craigleath

A very cute picture of a puffin sitting in the water.

puffin

Gannets sitting on poo-stained rocks.

gannets2

More guillemots.

razorbills

The sheer number of gannets in the sky was mind blowing. Most of these were mainly juveniles socialising whilst all the adults were on the ground breeding.

Bass-rock-lighthouse

This plant below has been a real problem on islands such as Craigleith. It is called tree mallow and it is an invasive species that is a real threat particularly to puffins; as their roots block up the burrows the puffins use for nesting. In the picture below you can see a bit that was inaccessible so was left. You can see its size compared to the cormorants to the left of the picture and why it poses such a great threat.

Tree mallow

Luckily for the birds there are volunteer groups and projects like SOS Puffin run by the Scottish Seabird Centre that help try and get rid of the plant. Every year teams of volunteers cut back the invasive mallow so that there is room for the birds to nest.

May 31, 2015
by Jackson
Comments Off on Bassenthwaite Ospreys – in the Lake District

Bassenthwaite Ospreys – in the Lake District

Last week, over half term, I went away for a few days to Keswick in the Lake district. We did loads of hill walking and enjoyed the wildlife we saw. On the way back I visited  the Ospreys at Bassenthwaite (click … Continue reading

August 23, 2014
by Jackson
Comments Off on Beach Combing and Rockpooling at Gower

Beach Combing and Rockpooling at Gower

This week my family and I have been on holiday on the Gower Peninsula in South Wales. We were staying in Llanmadoc in the north west corner of the peninsula and could see the Loughor estuary across the sand dunes … Continue reading