WHEN LIVING IN THE SWEDISH COUNTRYSIDE

Forest Junkie
Feb 19
4 min read

Updated: 7 days ago

When: Since 1,5 year

Where: Living in the country side in Västerås, Västmanland

What: Spotting wildlife

About one and a half years ago we found our forever place in Sweden right at the edge of the forest. We now live på landet, as the Swedes say. And let me tell you, that comes with a lot of nature adventure. Let me take you along on our wildlife adventures in the Swedish countryside.

For years I dreamed about walking into the forest during my lunch break to pick fresh berries for my yoghurt. That dream is real now. I can just step outside and within minutes I’m surrounded by trees, birdsong and, in the right season, all kinds of berries and mushrooms. It still feels a bit unreal sometimes.

I share many nature photos on Instagram, and lately a lot of them are taken straight from the kitchen window. Honestly, I could sit there all day. No need for Netflix. We have live TV here. Sometimes I even get a bit of FOMO, afraid I might miss something if I look away for too long. Friends in the Netherlands often ask if those animals are really near our house. The answer is yes. So I thought it would be fun to give you a little peek into daily life on the Swedish countryside.

OUR GROWING BIRD FAMILY

From the moment we moved in, I started feeding the birds. It didn’t take long before they found us. Now we have quite a variety visiting the garden.

Our regular guests include blackbirds, blue tits, great tits, marsh tits, sparrows, jays, yellowhammers, treecreepers, nuthatches, great spotted woodpeckers and bullfinches. Every now and then a cuckoo, magpie, European green woodpecker and a robin show up as well. We have cranes in the field in spring and recently we even spotted a crested tit, such a cool little bird with its tiny mohawk. We’ve also had a song thrush and a black woodpecker visiting.

Whenever a new bird appears, we grab the bird book (and app) and the camera. 'Cool' got a new meaning for me here, haha. Of course, a busy bird buffet also attracts predators. Sometimes a bird of prey suddenly attacks our little gathering. Once one (a sparrowhawk) even sat in a tree nearby, calmly watching everything below. And yes, of course I did take photos.

THREE LITTLE ACROBATS

Last summer we suddenly noticed young red squirrels in the forest. We hadn’t seen them before, so I was over the moon. We quickly built a squirrel feeder and hung it up. They discovered it surprisingly fast and now it is used daily. They also hang upside down on the bird feeders to steal seeds. It’s such a funny sight. At the moment we have three squirrels visiting regularly. We named them after their looks: Ruby, Brownie and Scruffy. They bring so much life and energy to the garden.

FOXES, DEER AND OTHER LARGE NEIGHBOURS

Then there is the bigger wildlife.

We see red foxes very regularly. They hunt for rodents in the field behind our house, making those typical funny high jumps before diving into the grass. Sometimes they walk along the forest edge, and come surprisingly close to the house. There are also hares and many deer. The deer are very interested in our vegetable garden, unfortunately. In winter they happily eat the bird food and sometimes stand in the front garden with three at the same time. In summer you can hear them “bark” to each other. The first time I heard that sound I really thought it was someone’s dog.

The bird food also attracts wild boar. I will admit that I find them a bit less charming. They can cause serious damage to the garden and they can be dangerous, especially when they have young. Still, watching them safely from behind the window is quite impressive.

WILDLIFE CAMERA SURPRISES

We also regularly hang up a wildlife camera in the garden. Every time we place it, it feels like Christmas. What will be on it this time? It makes you realize how much is happening while you are asleep.

MOOSE

Now for the animal you are probably waiting for. The moose.

We don’t see them very often, but they are definitely around. Sometimes they walk through the field behind our house. Once we spotted a few very close in the forest. And sometimes one suddenly crosses the path when you’re out walking the dog. That makes your heart skip a beat. They are so big and so calm at the same time. Because they are not an everyday sight, even the Swedes still get excited when they see one.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/9e9e52_d11e82dfe3b94bcf8d2475415bb639b5/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

I am very curious what our next wildlife encounter will be here. A lynx? A wolf? Who knows... one thing is certain, never a dull day på landet.