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  Thursday 18th of April 2019 and my alarm went off at 03:55 and they called from the reception at 04:00. I turned on the kettle and I prepared my “Oatmeal Surprise” ™ while waiting for my water to boil. A shower and I was in the car at 05:30 and it was cold, very cold, 3°C BELOW zero. I turned on the seat heater but I didn´t want to warm up the car. I gave it a quick blast on full heating and full fan for a few seconds before I stopped the heating. If I get too cosy in the car it will be like walking in to a wall getting out of the car at Trandansen.  3°C BELOW zero
Todays´s Crane count: 2100 Cranes Passing Trandansen and no birds and I never bothered to stop. Next stop Naturum and I will look out for Pheasants as I was not happy with my pictures from yesterday. I left the highway and I was soon stopping. Passing a field and there were many Fieldfares and I stopped to try to get some pictures. But the birds was very scared and the light was not any good so the pictures was very bad. I left the field continuing towards Naturum and I didn´t see any Pheasants today. I passed a Eurasian Curlew in one of the fields when I approach Naturum. But too far away to make it to my list of observed birds in Sweden.  Poor picture of a Fieldfare
 Eurasian Curlew
There was not much of action at Naturum and I decided to go back to check out “Utloppet” and I will hopefully be able to get some interesting birds on picture. They Jay bird is high up on my list of birds I want to have on picture (Good picture) Utloppet
The river that drains Lake Hornborga / Hornborgasjön and as this area very seldom freezes over there is a lot of birds in the winter. It is very close to Trandansen and my Hotel in Skara.  How to find Utloppet
 Utloppet
 Drive slowly through the forest
Driving along road #184 between Trandansen and Skara and there is a sign “Hornborgasjöns Utlopp” 6 km. Leave the highway and get on the gravel road. Drive slowly, there is a lot of birds and mammals like deer and foxes along the road and you don´t want to miss anything. Stay on the gravel road until you see the next sign saying “Hornborgasjöns Utlopp” and you turn right. This is the only sign you need to look for after having left highway #184.  Turn right
 Some kind of deer
 Some kind of deer
You have reached the parking
 Male Common Chaffinch/ Bofink next to the car when I get out of the car
Park the car and it is a few hundred meters to walk to the bird watching tower. And again, it was a nice walk, but between March and June you are not allowed to get out in the bird protection area so it was a pretty pointless exercise for bird photography. You could see birds in the distance but I never even tried to take any pictures, well, except for two swans landing on the river. Walking between the parking and the bird watching tower and you walk between trees and reeds, so there was a lot of Common Reed Buntings, Common Chiffchaffs and wagtails. The parking area was the best place for bird watching. I was having my picnic lunch at the table on the parking and I saw a lot of birds in the bushes. Something I never see before. A lot of Greylag goose pairs came in for landing behind the reeds. A saw yet another pair approaching while munching on my picnic lunch. It looked strange, you know what I mean, looks like a normal pair but something was off and I discovered that it was one Canada Goose and one Greylag Goose flying together. And I never had time to get a picture. I really don´t know if they can get babies together but I was quite sure they were a couple.  Getting up on the walk path
 Walking towards the bird tower
 Reaching the bird tower
 No access - Bird protection area
 The river
 Bridge over the river
 A pair of Mute Swans landing on the river
 A pair of Mute Swans landing on the river
 A pair of Mute Swans landing on the river
 A pair of Mute Swans landing on the river
 A pair of Mute Swans landing on the river
 A pair of Mute Swans landing on the river
 A toad crossing the walk path when I walk back to the car
 Picnic lunch
I have my picnic lunch coming back to the parking and I see quite a few birds in the bush/ tree next to the table. And it was a gorgeous day and the winter parka and wind breaker was in the back of the car. Driving back towards road #184 and I decided to go to look for Hångersudde so I find it tomorrow. My eBird checklist for Utloppet, click HERE I see a fox crossing the road and I turn off the gravel road hoping to see the fox coming this way. No luck, the fox walk in the opposite direction.  A fox
 A fox
 A fox
I find Hångersudde and I will explore this area tomorrow, but I will start with Trandansen and Naturum. And I will keep my eyes out for the Pheasants on the way to Naturum. I see two Common Starlings on the lawn back at Best Western Plus Jula Hotell & Konferens and I get some poor pictures before going to my room  Common Starling / Stare
I spent the evening in my room and at 9 o´clock I wa sin bed excited to explore Hångers Udde tomorrow. Click HERE to find out how that adventure went down.      
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