{"id":5787,"date":"2022-06-10T13:46:01","date_gmt":"2022-06-10T11:46:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/albicillaexplorer.com\/?p=5787"},"modified":"2024-02-22T13:46:13","modified_gmt":"2024-02-22T12:46:13","slug":"phalaropes-white-winged-black-tern-and-a-failed-harbor-project-on-oland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/albicillaexplorer.com\/en\/phalaropes-white-winged-black-tern-and-a-failed-harbor-project-on-oland\/","title":{"rendered":"Phalaropes, White-winged Black Tern and a failed harbor project on \u00d6land"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Southern \u00d6land<\/h5>\n\n

Bird Alarm<\/span><\/i> set to \u00d6land profile and <\/span>\u00d6landsk\u00e5darne<\/span><\/i> activated on <\/span>Band<\/span><\/i> (a community app) and the birder bus <\/span>Cama Coche<\/span><\/i> loaded with \u201cgodis\u201d we were ready to do birdwatching in southern \u00d6land.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

Although it has become a kind of a tradition with a trip to the long narrow Swedish island during Pentecost, four years have gone by since our recent trip<\/a> to \u00d6land in 2018. A journey to South and Central America and a two-year corona pandemic came across before we could again visit <\/span>the island of the Sun and the winds<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\u00d6land er Sveriges anden st\u00f8rste \u00f8, og dermed er en forl\u00e6nget weekend ikke nok til at n\u00e5 hele \u00f8en rundt. Vi koncentrerer os derfor prim\u00e6rt om den sydlige del af \u00f8en. Det vil sige den del der ligge syd for en linje mellem F\u00e4rjestaden og Sten\u00e5sa og hele vejen til Ottenby S\u00f6dra Udde.<\/p>\n\n

Ottenby Lund is the place if you want to see and hear Orioles, various warblers, and flycatchers. And then, of course, S\u00f6dra Udde itself with the bird observatory and the lighthouse called Lange Jan. This is where you experience the bird migration in spring and autumn. Along the coast and in the meadows many birds rest during their migration. Finally, S\u00f6dra Udde and the rest area at S\u00f6dra Lund are also where you meet the other birders as most, sooner or later will pass by for a walk.<\/p>\n\n

Well, we really like southern \u00d6land and the many good birding sites, but there are many other options throughout \u00d6land. This also applies if you are interested in botany, geology, and ancient monuments. A good website to find inspiration is Alt p\u00e5 \u00d6land<\/a>, where you can find information about 1519 different locations !!<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\"We
We concentrated primarily on southern \u00d6land – from F\u00e4rjestaden and all the way to Ottenby S\u00f6dra Udde.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
Lunch with phalaropes<\/h5>\n\n

One of our \u00d6land traditions is to have <\/span>lunch<\/span><\/i> at Restaurant F\u00e5gel Bl\u00e5, and this year was no exception. The restaurant is located next to Naturrum Ottenby and the lighthouse L\u00e5nge Jan.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

The weather was good so of course, we chose to eat outdoor – at the backside of F\u00e5gel Bl\u00e5 where you can watch birds at the same time. In the small pond, there was nothing but a single Mute Swan and a few Gadwalls. This meant that we could undisturbed enjoy the fried marinated herring, skimmed butter, and mashed potatoes quietly and calmly.<\/p>\n\n

But we were “disturbed”. Not because a group of British birdwatchers turned up and more or less blocked our view. It was because their Swedish guide spotted two Red-necked Phalaropes foraging in the pond. What the heck! From where did they turn up? The two phalaropes had – literally – come out of the blue for a short pit stop during their northbound migration. They foraged very actively, and after a few minutes, they disappeared just as suddenly as they appeared. We had almost missed out on the two birds!<\/p>\n\n

A few days later the lunch at F\u00e5gel Bl\u00e5s tempted us again. This time Bente ordered <\/span>F\u00e5gel Bl\u00e5\u00b4s lufsa with Swedish fried pork and raw lingonberries<\/span><\/i> and I chose <\/span>Hjortf\u00e4rsbiff with roasted vegetables and chanterelle sauce<\/span><\/i>. Again we placed ourselves at the back of the restaurant.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

As the first thing, Bente checked the small pond and found that today there were three Red-necked Phalaropes present. Quickly I shot a couple of docu videos and we had good views through the spotting scope. Like the other day, the birds suddenly took off and disappeared. Luckily there were some birders who, from inside the restaurant noticed our behavior and managed to see the three phalaropes. Later that day we saw two more Red-necked Phalaropes – this time in the dam north of the bird observatory.<\/p>\n

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\"Birding
Birding and lunch. Restaurant F\u00e5gel Bl\u00e5, \u00d6lands S\u00f6dra Udde.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

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