Saturday 27 th
of April 2019
and my alarm went off at 3 thirty. I had tea and some pumpernickel in my room before I left for the Great Grey Owl area. I was at the Great Grey Owl area quarter to 5 and the Frenchman and the Dutch guy were already there looking for the owl.
Leaving Ramnäs Hotell & Konferens early in the morning
Early in the morning on my way to look for owls
They had been there since 4 but we didn´t had any luck so I returned to Ramnäs Hotell & Konferens to pack my bag. I had the breakfast and I left the hotel just after 10 o´clock. I will drive to Best Western Fagersta Brukshotell and check-in there.
I will take a small d-tour to check out if I can see any of the Black-throated and Red-throated Loons. And of course, see if I can see the Osprey. I start by stopping at Sångarvägen to have a look for the Black-throated Loons and the Osprey
Sångarvägen - Lilla och Stora Sångaren
Sångar Road - Little and Great Lake Sångaren
To find Sångarvägen
To find Sångarvägen
Leave road #233 when you see the sign “Sångarvägen”
Leave road #233 when you reach the sign saying “Sångarvägen”. Drive along the gravel road named “Sångarvägen” and when you reach Lake Great Sångaren keep an eye out for the Black-throated Loon.
There is also a huge Osprey nest, and of course, the normal birds you find in the forest can be seen along “Sångarvägen”
White Wagtail
I leave road #233 when I reach the sign saying “Sångarvägen” and I keep an eye out for the Black-throated Loons and when I pass the Osprey nest I discover that the nest is empty. I drive for long as I can drive around the Stora Sångaren and I turn around and drive back to road #233.
The only picture I got was of a White Wagtail. I turn left reaching road #233 and when I reach the sign saying “Gammelbo” I turn left and I´m on the gravel road Treöresvägen
Treöresvägen
To find Treöresvägen
To find Treöresvägen
Leave road #233 and you are on Treöresvägen
Treöresvägen
Leave road #233 when you reach the sign saying “Gammelbo” and you are on the gravel road called Treöresvägen. After about 100 meter there are a small space to stop your car on the right hand side. Drive for another 100 to 200 meters and there are another place to park your car while you go out and look for birds.
Look out over the lake, the Red-throated Loon is usually below the car if you have stopped on the last parking area so walk down to the lake slowly not to scare the birds.
I have also seen Common Cranes and the beautiful Common Merganser in the pond.
First place to stop your car
Drive past the lake and there is one more place to park
No birds in the lake today, well, they are there but too far away for me to try to get some pictures. I continue up Treöresvägen to see if I can see any Capercaillie eating stones along the gravel roads. Again, no luck.
I drive along a small forest road leading to nothing but some snow. I put Best Western Fagersta Brukshotell in the GPS and I choose a rout that looks to take me along small forest roads.
I don´t see many birds on the way to my hotel in Fagersta, well, I see many birds but not many of them on picture. But it was a nice drive through the forest. I checked-in to the hotel and I arranged my stuff before leaving for Hälleskogsbrännan nature reserve.
My room at Best Western Fagersta Brukshotell
My room at Best Western Fagersta Brukshotell
My room at Best Western Fagersta Brukshotell
I will only have a quick visit to Hälleskogsbrännan nature reserve so I know how to find the place tomorrow. And I will go back to the Great Grey Owl area to see if I have any luck with the owl.
Mallard / Gräsand
Male
Fieldfare / Björktrast
Fieldfare / Björktrast
I´m hungry when I leave the hotel as I have planned for a picnic lunch/ dinner at Hälleskogsbrännan nature reserve. I leave Fagersta on road #66 and I have Hälleskogsbrännan nature reserve programed on the GPS, and I end up in the middle of nowhere.
- Turn left in 100m
Approaching a gravel road
- Turn left
This cannot be right, I thought, but the GPS insist
- Turn left
- TURN LEFT!!!
Yes, this road left me at a dead end in the middle of something looking like a construction site. I turned around and I turned off the GPS and it was no problem to find Hälleskogsbrännan nature reserve. I rolled in to the area a few minutes later.
Hälleskogsbrännan nature reserve
You will most likely come on road #66 from either south or north. If you come from Fagersta (North) you will see signs saying Virsbo and you leave road #66 by turning left. And if you come from south you will leave road #66 turning right.
There is signs saying Virsbo and there is also a service station on the Virsbo side of road #66. So it is easy to see where to left road #66
How to find Hälleskogsbrännan nature reserve
Drive through Virsbo passing a bridge crossing some railway tracks and there is some industrial buildings on the right hand side. Just after the bridge you will have a sign saying “Hälleskogsbrännan 7km” on the left hand side.
Turn left and you are on a gravel road. Drive slowly as there are many birds along the gravel road.
Turn left when you see the sign “Hälleskogsbrännan 7km”
Turn left when you see the sign “Hälleskogsbrännan 7km”
You are on the gravel road - Drive SLOWLY as there are birds
to be seen from the first meter on the gravel road
Approaching the national park
We see the entrance to the national park
Entrance to the Hälleskogsbrännan nature reserve
Entrance to the Hälleskogsbrännan nature reserve
Just continue on the gravel road until you see the entrance to the Hälleskogsbrännan nature reserve. Well, it is not like an entrance, just two tree trunk, one trunk on each side of the road and no entrance fee.
There are parking areas and trails around Hälleskogsbrännan nature reserve. No money is required at all while in the park, just bring your picnic food. There are even BBQ fire places around the area. Click HERE
for a map over Hälleskogsbrännan nature reserve
There is a entrance a few kilometres south as well. These two entrances are not connected by road, but you can walk between the areas
There are gravel roads and trails in the national reserve so you can explore the area. There is a lookout tower that you reach on a board walk from the exhibition. The exhibition have some interesting information about the fire and the forest. And LO AND BEHOLD, some info in English as well.
Driving through the forest
Burnt forest
I stop for picnic lunch/ dinner
Gravel roads through the national reserve
Gravel roads through the national reserve
I had my picnic lunch/ dinner and I explored Hälleskogsbrännan nature reserve so Now I know where to find the place and what to expect. I left Hälleskogsbrännan nature reserve and I drive south towards the Great Grey Owl area. There were some people looking for the owl but we had no luck spotting the owl.
I will try tomorrow morning again, click HERE
to see if I have any luck.