A change of scene

[luzula]

I'm taking advantage of the distance teaching to go up to northern Sweden and go cross-country skiing with my parents. This is how it looked the other day; the mountains you can see in the background are in Norway. Also, yesterday I saw Siberian jays, which are my favorite corvids! ♥

Comments

[seascribble]

beautiful!

[luzula]

It really is! Though I guess Canada has higher mountains. : )

[seascribble]

Hahaha maybe but it’s not the height that matters it’s how you use it ;)

[regshoe]

Lavskrikor <3 Aww, that is beautiful—sounds like a lovely time!

[luzula]

Yes, lavskrikor! : ) They are so sociable and curious and charming.

[luzula]

Oh, and we saw a ptarmigan in its white plumage today! Not sure if it was a Lagopus lagopus or Lagopus muta, they are hard to tell apart in the winter.

[regshoe]

Ooh, a very nice sighting. :D Huh, I suppose they must be, with the continental L. lagopus—the subspecies found here doesn't turn white in winter, which makes it a bit easier!

[china_shop]

Wow!!! That looks amazing. (And that's awesome that you can work from there, too!)

[luzula]

Well, it's nice that the pandemic has some upsides as compensation for the many downsides…

[china_shop]

Yes, definitely! (I was thinking more of the technology. I'm still occasionally reeling at how quickly things have changed in the last 20 years. /dork)

[isis]

Well, your parents aren't going to lose you easily, dressed like that! It looks very wintry and pretty, I love the snow in the trees.

[luzula]

Hee, no. It's a classic cotton anorak, which I have used for skiing since my teens.

[sylvanwitch]

WOW! That is spectacularly beautiful! I'm so glad you had the chance to do this with your folks! :-)

[luzula]

It is! Northern Sweden is lovely--at least the parts that are not covered by clearcuts…

[hyarrowen]

Fabulously beautiful, and what weather!

All corvids are awesome but the Siberian jays look particularly clever.

[luzula]

We had great weather today, too, and the elderly dog stayed at home with mom, so dad and I could do a longer route.

Here is a post from another year, when I managed to catch the jays on camera.

[sanguinity]

Oh, beautiful!

[luzula]

Yes, it really is! And here is a post from another year, when I managed to catch the jays on camera.

[riverlight]

God, that looks lovely! Blue sky! It's been so gray here for so long I miss seeing that lovely clear winter sun on snow!

[luzula]

Most of November was gray and dreary in Gothenburg, so yes, I understand that longing for the sun!

[chestnut_pod]

Hello, Norway! What a beautiful scene.

I feel like the criss-cross ski-prints in the snow are like particularly large jay tracks :)

[luzula]

We ventured a few kilometers into Norway on skis today, without being checked by the Norwegian police, luckily, since I didn't have my proof of vaccination with me...

[genarti]

Oh, that's gorgeous!

[luzula]

It is! Northern Sweden is lovely--at least the parts that are not covered by clearcuts…

[feroxargentea]

I was going to ask if the red grouse get annoyed when you cross their territory dressed in red-above-black like that (they do here, this time of year), but apparently it's not (or not exactly) the same species or plumage, so maybe not.

[luzula]

Oh, really? That's interesting. We did see a ptarmigan in its white winter plumage today--seems like your red grouse don't change color in the winter, even though it seems closely related? But then, I guess you don't have as much snow in winter. Anyway, it didn't seem annoyed at me, aside from flying away when I approached.

[feroxargentea]

No, they stay brown. The mountain hares do turn white, but I think the grouse have the better plan. It does snow quite often here in the Peak District, but it rarely lingers more than a few days at a time, even on the tops. But then it's the very southern limit of the mountain hares' range, so they're adapted for snowier places.

(The male grouse are very entertaining this time of year, if you have a red hat or a red lining to the hood of a black coat, like mine. They'll follow you the full length of their territory, buk-buk-buking indignantly at you. You take a few steps, look round, and they're motionless six feet away. If they were human, they'd be whistling and looking up at the sky, pretending they're not there. You take a few more steps, look back, and there they are, still six feet from you. It's like playing Grandmother's Footsteps. Ridiculous little beasts.)

[luzula]

Ha, that does sound like entertaining behavior! Although perhaps not entirely adaptive, if they are hunted...But I guess it must be okay, since they're still here.

[dolorosa_12]

Oh wow, that looks stunning! What a wonderful place to be spending some time.

[luzula]

Yes, it really is a lovely change of scene! There's some nice nature around where I live, too, but nothing spectacular like this.

[baronjanus]

Amazing place

[luzula]

It is! Northern Sweden is lovely--at least the parts that are not covered by clearcuts…

[hogwartstoalexandria]

Awww I love this pic and what a great trip to take! Enjoy!

[luzula]

Thanks, I had a lovely time skiing today. : )

[mergatrude]

So beautiful! ♥

[luzula]

Yes, it's really lovely to be able to look out of the window and see a snowy forest!

[tgarnsl]

Lovely view! I'd never heard of Siberian jays before but they remind me in looks of my favourite jays, gray jays, which we also call whiskyjacks. They're curious, friendly, and very cheeky, and I love them very much even if they try to steal any food within their immediate viscinity.

[luzula]

Oh hey, I had gotten the impression you lived in Scotland, but maybe you have lived in several places. : ) Anyway, I guess jays have similarities all over the world... They are just very charming birds.

[tgarnsl]

Ah I’m secretly a Canadian :-) but I have lived in Scotland and England too.

Yes, jays are charming. We also have Steller’s jays here, but grey jays are special, mostly because you have to climb up into the mountains to see them.

[scribe]

Oooooh gorgeous!

[luzula]

I can show you the view through the window when we have book club! Or wait, it's probably dark then...

[nnozomi]

what an amazing picture! I hope you are/were having a lovely time, it looks like it. (Really, you don't need all of that snow. You could send us just a little to grace our subtropical climate.)

[luzula]

Yes, it's lovely! Except for the chafing on my toes from the ski boots... I suspect the snow would be wasted on you, since it would just melt. : )

[jesse_the_k]

O M G

this is so exquisite!

[luzula]

Today was cloudier, but I still had a nice time skiing (aside from the incipient blister on my toe…). Yes, I'm still up here, for three weeks in total. : )