You are currently browsing the monthly archive for July 2007.
It is with great sadness that we learned today that Ingmar Bergman, widely regarded as one of the greatest directors in the history of cinema and certainly one of Sweden’s most iconic figures, died today at the age of 89.
Born in the university town of Uppsala, to the north of Stockholm, Bergman began making his own movies at the age of six. These early works were made from a collage of film cuttings, and just a few years later Bergman was producing his own plays for puppet theatre.
Bergman went to university in Stockholm in 1937, and in 1942 was appointed to the Swedish National Opera following an acclaimed performance of Macbeth. The next few years saw him share his creative talents between stage and screen.
Bergman’s first film, Crisis, was made in 1945, but it was not until 1956, with the release of The Seventh Seal, that Bergman produced his most popular and critically-acclaimed work. This story of a knight who challenges Death to a game of chess has earned a place in cinematic legend. He went on to make a number of other films which displayed his characteristic intensity, including Wild Strawberries, The Magician, The Virgin Spring, and the ambitious trilogy of Through a Glass Darkly, Winter Light and The Silence.
Bergman’s career continued until 2001 with the release of Faithless, written by Bergman but directed by Liv Ullmann. Although Bergman was less active creatively in recent years and had perhaps his best works behind him, he is nevertheless remembered as one of the pivotal figures in cinema and an acknowledged influence on many of our most well-known modern directors, including Woody Allen.
And so, today Sweden has lost a hugely influential cultural figure and one of its most famous sons. He leaves behind a substantial creative legacy and Swedish film continues to be a thriving and vibrant industry through the works of such directors as Bille August (Smilla’s Sense of Snow, House of the Spirits) and Lasse Hallström (Chocolat, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape).
Best regards
The Nature Travels Team
Nature Travels offers a wide variety of outdoor holidays in Sweden from dog sledding to canoeing. Browse our range of activities at www.naturetravels.co.uk.
The Golden Eagle, Aquila chrysaetos, is Sweden’s second largest bird of prey, the largest being the White-tailed Sea Eagle. It has a body length of almost a metre and a wingspan of well over two metres, making the Golden Eagle considerably larger than the more commonly-seen buzzard. Found throughout the country, Golden Eagles are most common in the north of Sweden. They are shy birds and prefer to keep to unpopulated and undisturbed areas. However, they may come nearer to built-up areas in order to take advantage of carrion found on roads or in gardens.
Known as the “Kungsörn”, the King’s Eagle, in Sweden, Golden Eagles are skilful hunters which patrol their territory flying low in an attempt to surprise and flush out their prey. They may also be spotted sitting motionless, scanning the landscape for something to eat, or soaring high up in the sky with their wings outstretched in a characteristic “V” shape. Golden Eagles usually take their prey on the ground, but may also pursue birds in flight to bring them down.
Golden Eagles have varied tastes, and their diet will depend on what is available in the local area. They are as likely to take rodents as birds, and in winter, when food is scarce, my also eat carrion to see them through this difficult period. With their exceptionally powerful talons, Golden Eagles are capable of hunting larger animals, too, such as young deer and reindeer and fully-grown foxes. They may also combine their talents to hunt in pairs.
Adult Golden Eagles have a dark plumage, while younger birds have light feathers on their wings and a lighter tail with dark tip. Birds of all ages have a yellow or light reddish-brown colouring on the neck.
Golden Eagles mate for life. They build their eyries most often in old-growth pine trees, and in the north of Sweden prefer these trees to be more than 250 years old! These large nests may also be found on steep cliffs. Golden Eagles normally have a number of nests which are used alternately over a period of many years. They may not breed every year, but during the breeding season these always elusive birds may be even shyer than usual.
Normally, the female will lay two eggs, and Golden Eagles in Sweden have an average success rate of 0.5 young raised per year. Generally, the older chick will take most of the food and as a result the younger chick often dies before leaving the nest. In Skåne in the south, on the island of Gotland and in the region of Härjedalen, the rate of success is higher, perhaps due to the increased abundance of prey. Golden Eagles may live to reach 50 years of age.
The Golden Eagle is under threat from a number of sides. Forestry activity in old-growth forests, the construction of new forest roads and tracks, snowmobile traffic through breeding areas, and the increased recreational use of previously undisturbed tracts of land have all contributed to the decline of the Golden Eagle in Sweden. Another more recent threat is an increase in hunting pressure in the mountain areas on the ptarmigan, one of the Golden Eagle’s key prey species. Through the analysis of dead birds, a number of other threats have also been identified, including significant casualties from trains and power lines. Ongoing efforts are being made to halt and reverse the decline of the Golden Eagle, but since Sweden’s entry into the European Union, previous feeding programmes in which animal carcasses were left out as food to support local eagle populations have suffered due to strict EU regulations.
There are currently around 1000 adult Golden Eagles in Sweden. In the north, the population appears to be declining, while in the southern parts of the country the reverse seems to be the case. Overall, the population is thought to be more or less constant.
Despite the many threats faced by Golden Eagles, we fervently hope that through increased understanding of the problems and greater public awareness of the need to protect and conserve these beautiful and majestic birds, the wild places of Sweden will echo to the cries of the Golden Eagle for many generations to come.
The sight of a Golden Eagle is a wildlife experience you will not easily forget, and the Nature Travels team was fortunate enough to have some superb views of a Golden Eagle feasting on its freshly-caught prey of fish on the ice of a frozen lake during a visit to the Bergslagen area in April last year. In the company of Marcus, who runs our Elk Safari Adventure and Howling with Wolves experiences, and local bird expert Daniel, we spent a memorable afternoon birding, of which our Golden Eagle sighting was definitely the highlight. An exceptional wildlife encounter that will stay with us forever!
Best regards
The Nature Travels Team
Nature Travels offers a wide range of outdoor holidays in Sweden in areas where Golden Eagles may be seen, as well as a number of tours dedicated to wildlife watching.
A crash course in Swedish geography, climate, flora and fauna…
How big is Sweden?
Covering an area of nearly half a million square kilometres, Sweden is the fifth largest country in Europe and the largest of the Northern European countries, over one thousand miles from end to end. With a population of just over 9 million, Sweden has an average population density of just 20 people per square kilometre, compared to the UK with a density of 246 people per km – more than 20 times as much! This means that if you’re looking for the great wide open, Sweden is the place to be!
Photo: Nils Torbjorn Nutti
So, if there aren’t that many people, what is there in Sweden?
About three fifths of the country is made up of the region of Norrland, with its expansive mountains and vast areas of forest, and about 15% of the total area of Sweden lies within the Arctic Circle. Further south Svealand is an area of undulating hills formed by glaciers and is home to the majority of Sweden’s lakes. Sweden has no shortage of water, and the country as a whole contains over 90,000 lakes, including the two largest Vänern and Vättern. Finally, the southern part of the country is a mix of rocky highlands, forest and rich, fertile plains. Off the east and west coasts lie archipelagos consisting of tens of thousands of islands, rocks and skerries.
I’ve heard it’s cold and dark all the time. Is that true?
No. Sweden has a generally temperate climate in spite of its northerly latitude thanks to the warming effects of the Gulf Stream. While it is certainly true that in the far north temperatures drop well below zero in the winter, in the Stockholm area average temperatures vary from around -3.5 degrees C in the depths of winter to around 21 degrees C in the height of summer. Daylight hours are very variable, and though you need to go north of the Arctic Circle to experience the Midnight Sun, even in Stockholm the days around midsummer seem almost endless and the sun barely sets before starting its ascent once more for a new day.
Photo: Nils Torbjorn Nutti
What kind of flora and fauna are found in Sweden?
More than half of the country is forested, varying from the deciduous forests in the south to coniferous pine and spruce forests in the north. In the far north, the landscape is dominated by the hardy birch.
Wildlife in Sweden is rich and varied. The country has 26 national parks and a large number of nature reserves and other protected areas, and is home to some of Europe’s most exciting large mammals, including the brown bear, the lynx, the wolverine and the wolf. These magnificent, if elusive, creatures, along with the majestic Golden Eagle, make up Sweden’s Big Five.
As well as the Golden Eagle, Sweden is home to many other exciting birds of prey including the white-tailed sea eagle and the osprey, and is an excellent place to spot owls. One of the most instantly recognisable and iconic species must of course be the elk, of which there are about 350,000 during peak season in Sweden.
It sounds wonderful? When can I go?
Anytime! Sweden is an ideal destination for the outdoor enthusiast year-round, and the “Every Man’s Right” system of public access allows travellers intimate experiences with its vast wilderness. Nature Travels is the UK specialist for outdoor holidays in Sweden, with activities ranging from canoeing to dog sledding. Browse our range of experiences at www.naturetravels.co.uk and or contact us to discuss your requirements.
Best regards
The Nature Travels Team
For more general information about Sweden, please see www.naturetravels.co.uk/about-sweden.htm
Värmland lies in the western part of middle Sweden, bordering Norway on its western edge and with the mighty lake of Vänern to the south. The region is renowned for its friendliness and is an ideal area for outdoor sports. From hiking in the deep forests to fishing in the clear waters, Värmland is a great place to spend an outdoor holiday in Sweden. It is sometimes called Sweden’s most southerly wilderness area, lying as it does on the border between the flatter fertile land to the south and the great wide open of Norrland to the north.
In the western part of Värmland there are mountainous areas with plateaus of between 500 and 700 metres, while further east lie the hilly forested expanses of Bergslagen. In these quiet forests live some of Sweden’s most exciting animals, including the elk, the lynx and the wolf.
Through the heart of Värmland runs the majestic and meandering Klarälven river, a gentle giant of a river ideal for timber rafting and canoeing holidays. The river Klarälven was used for centuries to transport logs to the paper mills. These days you will still see logs on the river waiting in log traps to be collected– but this time they come from dismantled timber rafts!
Photo: Hipfel/Starck
As well as timber rafting and canoeing, Nature Travels offers a wide variety of outdoor holidays in Värmland, including: Pike Fishing, Beaver Safaris, Multi-activity holidays at a country manor, birdwatching holidays to see the magnificent black and red-throated divers, and mushroom picking weekends, where you reap the bounty of the forest then receive expert tuition in preparing a delicious dinner from your find!
Photo: Staffan Widstrand
Värmland is a wild, beautiful and yet accessible area, with activities on offer to suit families with young children, wildlife enthusiasts, intrepid couples or experienced wilderness adventurers!
Best regards
The Nature Travels Team
