In this, Take 2 'Owls & Skuas and the Year of the Lemming' the birding adventures continue in the uplands beyond Flatruet Plateau. Malcolm stakes out Slavonian Grebes, a Great Snipe lek, treks into Dotterel country before returning to the Svartadalen region of Central Sweden.
The next visit, taken a little later in mid-summer takes in Ammarnas and the wildlife of Vindelfjallen Nature Reserve of Central Lapland. This visit coincides with the best lemming year in several decades resulting in a productive breeding season for Long-eared and Short-eared Owls, Tengmalm's and Hawk Owls and Long-tailed Skuas. Bluethroats, Lapland Buntings, Long-tailed Ducks, Velvet and Common scoters are other species which feature prominently in the account.
A visit to Sami (nomadic reindeer herders) summer camp is one of the highlights of this trip. After the Lapland adventures a return journey to Central Sweden in the Autumn, witnesses the pre-migrational assemblies of geese, waterfowl and cranes. These include Barnacle Geese, along with a flock of 68 of the globally-endangered Lesser White-fronted Goose, gathering flocks of Bean Geese and up to 16,000 Common Cranes congregate before their onward migration into Extremadura.
One of the joys of birding in Sweden is the friendliness and enthusiasm of Swedish birders. They not only appreciate their rich wildlife but take pleasure in sharing it with others. In Malcolm's travels he met a number of video and photographers who were more than happy to contribute their work to make the wider world aware of the beauty they live with.
One such cameraman is Lars Karlsson who generously allows use of additional video clips in the film and the beautifully crafted sequence, featuring the Great Grey Owl, which concludes 'Birding Sweden'.
Running Time: 120 minutes
