Bird watching at Lake Hornborga / Hornborgasjön



Friday 19th 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, 0°C. 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.

Bird watching at Lake Hornborga / Hornborgasjön
0°C

Lake Hornborga /Hornborgasjön

Lake Hornborga (Swedish: Hornborgasjön) is a lake in Västergötland in Sweden, famous for its many birds, in particular the many cranes that stay here temporarily during their annual migrations.

History
Lake Hornborga was created after the last ice age, approximately 10,000 years ago. The area has been settled since the Stone Age.

In order to relieve starvation, it was decided in 1802 to lower the water level in order to create pastures for cattle to graze. The water level was lowered a further four times after this. The surface area was reduced from 28 km² to less than 4 km², but rather than make way for pastures, reeds took over and turned the lake into a swamp.

Throughout these reductions, the lake remained a popular habitat for birds, but the last reductions in 1933 also reduced its attraction for birdlife. In 1965, a Government investigation suggested that the lake be restored, and between 1992 and 1995, the water level increased by an average of 0.9 metres.

During the restoration, 1,200 hectares of reed and 800 hectares of trees were removed, and animals were reintroduced to graze the shores of the lake.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Today´s Crane count: 960 Cranes

Bird watching at Lake Hornborga / Hornborgasjön - Trandansen
Still some Cranes at Trandansen

Bird watching at Lake Hornborga / Hornborgasjön - Trandansen
Still some Cranes at Trandansen

I pass Trandansen but no Cranes, well they are far away so I continued to Naturum keeping my eyes out for Pheasants. No luck with any birds during the drive to Naturum. Some small birds, but the pictures went straight to the garbage bin. I reach Naturum and it is a gorgeous morning with sunshine and blue sky.

There is a Jackdaw sitting on a wire at the visitor Centre and I get a nice picture. I go to sit in the Gull hide and I make a soundscape recording, of course, it is mostly Black-headed Gulls on the recording. And all the birds are busy building nest and defending their nests.

Western Jackdaw, Coloeus monedula, Kaja
Western Jackdaw / Kaja


Naturum Hornborgasjön early morning
Early morning soundscape from the Gull hide

There is a Greylag Goose sitting on eggs in front of the hide and papa goose is in the water attaching everything coming close to the nest. He attacked the huge swans and Canada Gooses but I missed it with my video camera every time.

But I didn´t miss the Black-headed Gulls building their nests. Flying back and forth collecting building material and it was very fun to watch them.


Tufted Duck, Aythya fuligula, Vigg, キンクロハジロ
Male Tufted Duck / Vigg

Tufted Duck, Aythya fuligula, Vigg, キンクロハジロ
Male Tufted Duck / Vigg

Red-necked Grebe, Podiceps grisegena, Gråhakedopping
Red-necked Grebe / Gråhakedopping

Red-necked Grebe, Podiceps grisegena, Gråhakedopping
Red-necked Grebe / Gråhakedopping

Red-necked Grebe, Podiceps grisegena, Gråhakedopping
Red-necked Grebe / Gråhakedopping


Preening

verb
[no OBJ.] • (of a bird) tidy and clean its feathers with its beak: reed buntings preened at the pool's edge
[with OBJ.] the pigeon preened her feathers.

• (of a person) devote effort to making oneself look attractive and then admire one's appearance: adolescents preening in their bedroom mirrors.

Bird watching at Lake Hornborga / Hornborgasjön - Eurasian/Green-winged Teal
Eurasian/Green-winged Teal

Black-headed Gull, Chroicocephalus ridibundus, Skrattmås
Black-headed Gull with building material

Canada Goose, Branta canadensis, Kanadagås
Canada Goose / Kanadagå

Canada Goose, Branta canadensis, Kanadagås
Canada Goose / Kanadagå

Greylag Goose, Anser anser, Grågås, Grågås
Greylag Goose / Grågås

Greylag Goose, Anser anser, Grågås, Grågås
Greylag Goose / Grågås

Bird watching at Lake Hornborga / Hornborgasjön - Northern Shoveler
Northern Shoveler

Bird watching at Lake Hornborga / Hornborgasjön - Northern Shoveler
Northern Shoveler

Bird watching at Lake Hornborga / Hornborgasjön - Black-headed Gull, Chroicocephalus ridibundus, Skrattmås
Black-headed Gull / Skrattmås

Bird watching at Lake Hornborga / Hornborgasjön - Greenfinch
Greenfinch

Black-headed Gull, Chroicocephalus ridibundus, Skrattmås
Black-headed Gull / Skrattmås
In beautiful breeding plumage

Bird watching at Lake Hornborga / Hornborgasjön - Fieldfare
Fieldfare

Common Starling, Sturnus vulgaris, Stare
Common Starling / Stare

Common Starling, Sturnus vulgaris, Stare
Common Starling / Stare

Walking out to the hide across from the Visitor Centre. Walking there and I spotted some birds in the trees when walking along the board walk. The hide was, well, only Black-headed Gulls and I left after 5 minutes. Walking back to the car and I left Naturum behind bound for Hångers Udde.

My eBird checklist for Naturum DAY 4, click HERE

Leaving Naturum and I keep an eye out for the Common Pheasant and I had not been driving long before I spotted a male and a female crossing the road. And I could not believe my luck, they were crossing the road to the side where I was between the sun and the bird.

Common Pheasant, Phasianus colchicus, Fasan
Male Common Pheasant / Fasan

Common Pheasant, Phasianus colchicus, Fasan
Male Common Pheasant / Fasan

Common Pheasant, Phasianus colchicus, Fasan
Male Common Pheasant / Fasan

Common Pheasant, Phasianus colchicus, Fasan
Female Common Pheasant / Fasan

Common Pheasant, Phasianus colchicus, Fasan
Female Common Pheasant / Fasan

Driving until reaching road #184 where you turn to right towards Trandansen and Skara. A few hundred meters before Trandansen coming from Naturum and you have to turn right at a sign saying “Hångers Udde” 2 km. Then you have to drive through a forest where you keep an eye out for birds.

Coming out from the forest and you can see a farm at the end of the dust road, slow down to 20km/h and drive to the parking lot on the other side of the farm. Park your car and walk down towards “Hångers Udde”.

Bird watching at Lake Hornborga / Hornborgasjön - Hångers Udde
Find your way to Hångers Udde

Bird watching at Lake Hornborga / Hornborgasjön - Hångers Udde
Hångers Udde

Bird watching at Lake Hornborga / Hornborgasjön - Hångers Udde
Coming from Naturum and you have to turn right to get to Hångers Udde

Bird watching at Lake Hornborga / Hornborgasjön - Hångers Udde
Drive through the forest to reach Hångers Udde parking

Bird watching at Lake Hornborga / Hornborgasjön - Hångers Udde
Leaving the car walking towards Hångers Udde parking

Eurasian Blue Tit, Cyanistes caeruleus, Blåmes
Eurasian Blue Tit/ Blåmes

Eurasian Blue Tit, Cyanistes caeruleus, Blåmes
Eurasian Blue Tit/ Blåmes

Eurasian Blue Tit, Cyanistes caeruleus, Blåmes
Eurasian Blue Tit/ Blåmes

Eurasian Blue Tit, Cyanistes caeruleus, Blåmes
Eurasian Blue Tit/ Blåmes


Listen to the Eurasian Blue Tit/ Blåmes

Remarks from the Recordist

Bird jumping around in the tree feeding so it was not easy to get pictures.


www.xeno-canto.org

Bird watching at Lake Hornborga / Hornborgasjön - Hångers Udde
Follow the orange coloured pins

There is a sign saying “Hångers Udde” at the parking and you turn left walking along the trees following the orange coloured sticks. There was a lot of birds among the trees you walk along on the way to the open field between the water front and the trees.

Bird watching at Lake Hornborga / Hornborgasjön - Hångers Udde
Walking along dead trees in the lake

Bird watching at Lake Hornborga / Hornborgasjön - Hångers Udde
Walking along dead trees in the lake

You are basically walking along the water front, just keep an eye out for the orange coloured sticks. There is a lot of seabirds and as one Norwegian guy said to me.
“It is pretty much the same birds at all the places along Lake Hornborga”

Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Black-headed Gull and mallards etc. So you get bored with the same birds all the time, but it is spring time and it is an interesting time of the year. Watching birds building nests and breeding, so it is fun to walk along the birds

Bird watching at Lake Hornborga / Hornborgasjön - Hångers Udde
First small board walk

Bird watching at Lake Hornborga / Hornborgasjön - Hångers Udde
Board walk to the bird tower

Bird watching at Lake Hornborga / Hornborgasjön - Hångers Udde

Bird watching at Lake Hornborga / Hornborgasjön - Hångers Udde

Bird watching at Lake Hornborga / Hornborgasjön - Hångers Udde
Eurasian Nuthatcher

You reach the board walk and you see the bird watching tower among some trees and you have reached the goal. Then it is just to walk back. A lot of seabirds and in the trees there is a lot of small birds, no birds that I could get on picture.

My eBird checklist for Hångers Udde, click HERE

Listen to the Western Jackdaw

Remarks from the Recordist

Recorded with my ZOOM H 5 Handy Recorder. High Pass Filter applied in Audacity

Coming back to my hotel from a day of bird watching around Lake Hornborga and this Jackdaw sitting in a lamp post out side the hotel entrance


www.xeno-canto.org

Back at the car and I leave Hångers Udde driving back to my hotel with a stop at Utloppet to look for the Jay birds. No luck with the Jay bird and I drive back to the hotel after 10 hours on the go. It is between 9 and 11 hours every day and it is easy to fall asleep in the night. Anyway, last bird watching day at Lake Hornborga / Hornborgasjön tomorrow.

Just click HERE to find out if I see any birds tomorrow.






       
                  
OK, it has come to my knowledge that we have senior citizens visiting my web page. How hard can it be? So it's not very easy for them to see the blue coloured links to the next page.
Jiffy (also jiff)

noun [in SING.] informal a moment: we'll be back in a jiffy.

ORIGIN late 18th cent.: of unknown origin.

So as you understand, in a jiff pretty much depends on your internet.
So I put a “Next” button here and I hope that there isn't any problem to understand how to use that one. So just CLICK the “Next” button on your left hand side and you will be on the next page in a jiff!

Marunong ka mag-tagalog? Walang problema! Magpunta sa kabilang pahina pindutin ang “NEXT” button sa itaas

Faites vous parlez le français? Pas de problème! Pour arriver à la page suivante faites s'il vous plaît un déclic le bouton “Next” ci-dessus!

Haga usted dice el español? No hay problema! Ver la siguiente página sólo hacer clic el botón “Next” encima!

Farla parla l'italiano? Non problemi! Per vedere la prossima pagina lo scatto per favore giusto Il bottone “Next” sopra

Sprechen sie Deutsch! Kein problem! Wenn Sie die folgende Seite sehen wollen gerade klicken der Knopf “Next” oben!

คุณพูดภาษาไทยได้ไหม ไม่มีปัญหา ถ้าคุณต้องการไปหน้าถัดไป ให้กดปุ่ม “Next” ข้างบนนี้

Вы говорите по-русски? Просто нажмите синюю кнопку "Next" с левой стороны и Вы моментально переместитесь на следующую страницу!

E ni Svenskar och inte förstår Engelska så ska ni skämmas. J och Björn, med det menar jag inte att alla mina stavfel ska ältas varje gång vi träffas.

Flag of Skåne / Skånska flaggan Well, the flag of Skåne, just a BONUS flag.


                                       

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