We have plenty of snow and it’s time to bring out our cross country skis.
International travel is possible and we were fortunate enough to have spent two weeks in England over Christmas and the New Year. A bit of self isolation and a Covid test are easy when you are on a sofa with a mince pie watching Christmas special shows!
We hope for a return to normality as the vaccines take effect.
In the meantime airport travel was actually fantastic. Everything on time, no crowds, no waiting and airport staff super friendly and happy to see families travelling again.
On our drive home from the airport we passed a lovely ski resort 30 minutes from our house. I couldn’t help but smile as I saw kids whizzing down on sledges and multiple ski runs with folks weaving their way down on skis and snowboards.
I managed to get a very big, heavy, homemade owl box up on our barn in the middle of our forest. Finger’s crossed it houses a family this year.
Elsewhere nest boxes have been checked, cleaned and repaired. Wasps seem to like building nests in them while others had food stashes in them.
The lack of mature dead wood in Swedish forests is having a negative effect on wildlife. We have high hopes for the huge trees that we have left to naturally topple over. They should provide a banquet of insects to attract hungry birds.
Alas, the trees do not always fall where you would like them to! Now I have some work fixing this birdhide!
Meanwhile out on the lake I saw the first brave souls cross the 40 feet deep lake on a snow bike yesterday. Two sat on one skidoo. That is some weight and faith in the ice. Every year you hear of someone not making it across and it can be sometime before the machine or body can be found. A sombering thought.
We have taken the step to stop snowbikers from crossing our land. The loud noise and disturbance they bring contravene our efforts to attract wildlife. It is very frustrating to be sat enjoying watching a Great grey owl only for a couple of skidoos to scream by and distress the owl. It is clear that the owls often wish to conserve energy in this snowy cold period. They generally swoop down and hang glide away to perch 30m away. Repeated noise and repeated reperching eventually leads to the owl departing for good after the 3rd or 4th disturbance.
Most people understand that I am trying to help the wildlife but a handful become resentful that I am stopping their hobby.
Wildlife conservation can demand tough calls but we do what is needed for the benefit of the wildlife and our guests.
Our efforts are worth it. We took all of these photos here!
Note: May 2021 is nearly fully taken, but June is great too so don’t delay contact us today.
We only take a £100 deposit to secure your booking during these uncertain times.
