Midsummer morning at Lärjeån

Today I am off work because it´s Midsummer´s Eve and that mean we celebrate here in Sweden. It is one of the most important holidays in Sweden together with Christmas Eve. There have been talks about moving the Swedish National Day to Midsummer’s Eve because of the strong traditions.

The celebration for me will probably be a little less harsh than for many people that tend to wake up on Midsummer´s Day with a headache that isn´t from this world. The morning was spent outdoor at Lärjeån taking photos and when Maria leaves work in the afternoon we will meet up with her younger sisters’ family to have a nice BBQ in their mothers’ garden.

I will make a flank steak that I think will be really tasty. It will only be seared with salt and pepper so the wonderful meat flavor won’t be overpowered by a glaze, which is so popular to use nowadays. Salad and boiled potatoes will be served as side dish and I also suspect there will be some of the traditional pickled herring as a starter. I´ll probably bring a bottle or two from my wine collection but I will most surely not drink many snaps, one or two is enough for me.

So what did the morning bring me photo wise? Well I was looking for the Grey Wagtail that I knew would be somewhere around the rapids at Lärjeån just a kilometer from home. And yes I did find it but I was hoping for something more than this photo.

The Grey Wagtail at Lärjeån, midsummer — Grey Wagtail 120622

Still I did some walking here and stayed put to see if I could find anything of interest. I did find a Barn Swallow nest that I hope might bring some good photos in the days to come. The nest was at water level and they just make quick stops before leaving to get more food for the young ones. I feel this might be a golden opportunity to get a nice photo of these agile fliers. They are probably one of the harder species to photo but I will give it a try.

A Barn Swallow speeding over the water at Lärjeån, midsummer — Barn Swallow speeding over the water 120622

I also saw a bird here that I am not sure of. It might be a Dunlin or Common Sandpiper but I didn´t get any good photos so I can´t ID the bird. So if the weather permits it I will go there tomorrow to see if I can improve the photo of the Grey Wagtail, maybe nail a good Barn Swallow shot and positively ID the mysterious bird.

But until then I hope you all have a wonderful Midsummer’s Eve.