While in Sweden, I spent two days in the field with Michael. I wrote about the first one here…..
I hadn’t planned to go two days in a row but our hosts, Stefan and Sophia, INSISTED that I go on this particular day.
So…..I went….and man, were they right!!
We drove to the Ericksberg Hotel and Game Reserve and were met by our guides for the day…. Albin (an apprentice gamekeeper) and Sophia.
The Ericksberg property is gorgeous with stately buildings ……
….. classic Swedish architecture……
…..and stunning grounds……
As we left the vehicle and struck out on foot, I was met with one of the rockiest areas I had ever seen…..
After a few minutes of scrambling over these boulders, I found a stick to help me in my journey. It wasn’t a great stick, but it did the job. Then, a little later, I found a better stick so I traded in the original one for a “new and improved” version!!
These rock formations were spectacular…..
One of the reasons we were visiting the property was to see the Swedish Fallow Deer. They were extremely skittish and, although we saw a bunch thru our binoculars, none were close enough to photograph. Here is what they look like…..
They have “Palmate Antlers” and the coat coloring, especially during this season, is dark with white spots. They were exciting to see!!
The property also has a large population of Red Stag……
Since it was the middle of the rut (mating season), the bulls were VERY vocal. In this video, you can hear one calling out to the ladies to say that he was “ready to go”, and then another one answering “Don’t THINK about taking my woman”!!
When this video was taken, we were behind a large group of rocks and the Stag was on the other side. Have a listen!!
It was SO cool to be that close.
In another instance, we could hear the “paddles” banging together as two males had a tussle with each other.
My biologist husband, Michael, was very excited by this pond of Lilies…..
Apparently, they are a rare version….although they look pretty normal to me!!
The Ericksberg property is committed to the conservation of animals that are native to Sweden and have a large population of Mouflon Sheep…..
…. and an even larger population of Wisent (European Bison)…….
Isn’t this baby cute…..
A face that only a mother could love!!
The only animal that isn’t native to Sweden is the Pere Davids Deer…..
These are native to China but are virtually extinct there. Ericksberg is cultivating this population with the idea that they will be returned to China to repopulate their native lands.
Our morning excursion ended with a Smorgasbord at one of their restaurants…..
The Swedish people love to eat game animals and this Wild Boar was amazingly tender and flavorful. I also couldn’t resist all of the grilled veggies!!!
And, since I am crazy about sunflowers, here is one of my favorite photos from the day…..
Our final act on the property was to visit the gift shop and Michael couldn’t resist trying on a typical Swedish cap and assuming his best “thoughtful” pose….
It was a very nice day that ended with Swedish Meatballs for dinner…..
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