Mid-Summer in Sweden
- Nicholas Turner
- Jun 19, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 31
12th - 18th June 2024
A short trip to Sweden around midsummer's day promised to be a magical trip in view of the extensive daylight at this time of the year. We flew from Manchester to Stockholm where we stayed in a city centre hotel for two nights before heading south to the coast at Dalaro.
Thursday 13th June: In the centre of Stockholm is the Royal National Park which has extensive woodlands and open areas to explore. Despite the occasional thunderstorm we headed off early and found a flock of Barnacle Geese together with a juvenile Fieldfare.
Saturday 15th June: With the one-day conference finished we took an Uber south to the small harbour town of Dalaro where we were staying in a delightful Airbnb for the next 3 days. On the Saturday morning we took a bus to the nearby Sandemar Nature Reserve where the highlight was a singing Thrush Nightingale. We also found a large number of Lesser Butterfly Orchids and also a Hobby hunting over a lake. Later back in Dalaro there was a family of Tree Sparrows, a few Fieldfares and a male Pied Flycatcher.
Sunday 16th June: On the Sunday we decided to take the early morning ferry to the island of Orno from where we went on a walk right across to the other side of the island and back. The weather was sunny and reasonably warm and by mid-morning the butterflies were on the wing including Wood White, Pearl-bordered Fritillary and Large Skipper. Back at Dalaro later in the day we found a juvenile Wheatear and some Common Terns.
Monday 17th June: Our last day in Dalaro so a final walk around the town and harbour where it was interesting to compare the Arctic Terns with the Common Terns, the former having shorter red bills lacking the black tip. Also some Goosanders in the harbour and a pair of Pied Flycatchers feeding young in a next-box on one of the gardens.
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