Johannes Rydström Photography

19/10/2026

Short-eared owl🦉

For as long as I can remember, short-eared owl has been one of my absolute favourite birds. It certainly leaves a lasting impression on a 10-year-old boy when a short-eared owl suddenly takes flight right in front of your feet, while out walking on Schäfferi, Ottenby with dad – something I did regularly at that age.

Since then, I’ve seen short-eared owls in every season and in many different parts of Sweden, from Övre Soppero in the far north to Kåseberga in the south.

In southern Sweden, the time of year perhaps most closely associated with short-eared owls is from mid-September to early November – in other words, right now.

This year, I’ve been fortunate enough to enjoy encounters with these wonderful owls on three separate occasions – once in spring and twice over the past few weeks.

And even after all these years, the sight of a short-eared owl still brings back that same sense of wonder I felt as a 10-year-old boy.

18/10/2026

I went to see the cream-coloured courser on Öland on its very first morning, 4 October, along with at least 600 other birders. I was also very short of time that day, as I had to be back in Växjö for a photography assignment at around 11 am. So when I recently had the opportunity to spend another day on Öland, I decided to spend a few hours exploring Sörlångören in the morning before heading back to see the courser, hopefully with a chance to get some photos this time.

Sörlångören really is a fantastic birding site with great potential, offering a lovely variety of habitats. In just under three hours that morning, I recorded 71 species – a very respectable total for mid-October – with Bewick’s swan, tundra bean goose, slavonian grebe, great egret, jack snipe, purple sandpiper, bar-tailed godwit, lesser spotted woodpecker and twite among the highlights.

Then it was off to Hagelstad and everyone’s favourite cream-coloured courser. A bird whose appearance in Sweden can be put into perspective by referring to the Battle of Stalingrad surely deserves more than one visit. Especially when it’s been a dream species ever since childhood and those taco evenings at Ås youth hostel.

And the courser certainly put on a show! When I arrived, I lay flat on the ground next to a few birders who had found a good vantage point, which turned out to be an excellent decision. For more than an hour, I was able to enjoy fantastic views of the bird at close range as it fed and chilled out. The fact that I later completely missed a superb opportunity for some nice flight shots while sitting a little further away having a coffee was a reminder never to let my guard down…

After a bit of exploring along the coast northwards to the Byrum sea stacks, I headed to Köpingsvik to see the isabelline wheatear. A great bird, but rather distant. While watching it through my scope, news came through of another individual just eight minutes away. An unexpected and very welcome surprise, especially as this second bird could be enjoyed at much closer range.

Yet another wonderful day on Öland, as we mainlanders like to say.

14/10/2026

Ukraine🇺🇦

In March 2019, I travelled to Ukraine with Jonas Waldenström, professor of microbiology, on a work assignment for Linnaeus University. My role was photographer and research assistant in a project that, among other things, studies the migration patterns of birds – particularly ducks – in detail, using light-level geolocators and GPS transmitters to help predict the spread of influenza viruses carried by birds.

We flew to Zaporizhzhia and then visited the area around Askania-Nova in southern Ukraine, where we met up with a lovely group of Ukrainian researchers involved in the project. Our schedule was fairly packed with fieldwork, meetings and other activities, so there wasn’t much time left for birding. Of course, my camera and binoculars were always with me, so we still managed to enjoy plenty of great sightings. These included enormous flocks of greater white-fronted geese and rooks, large numbers of ruddy shelducks and calandra larks, many long-legged buzzards, several great black-headed gulls gulls, eastern imperial eagle and little owl.

Askania-Nova, where we stayed, is one of Europe’s most important steppe reserves, situated in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine, close to the Crimean Peninsula. It is particularly known for its pristine grassland steppe and its work breeding and conserving species such as Przewalski’s horse. This work has contributed to the reintroduction of the species in Mongolia on several occasions.

The situation in Askania-Nova during the war is very serious. The area has been under Russian occupation since 2022, and there have been reports of animals being taken away, high animal mortality and extensive fires.

It is heartbreaking to think of all the suffering and destruction the war has brought, and of the wonderful people and beautiful places we encountered during our trip. My thoughts are with the strong and kind people of Ukraine, in solidarity and with hope for peace and a brighter future.

Slava Ukraini!💙💛

11/10/2026

The Past Week

…has offered some really nice and exciting experiences in nature. Photos from Ottenby, Västra Alvaret, Hovs Hallar and Näsbokrok.

1. Hovs hallar, Skåne
2. Isabelline shrike, Näsbokrok, Halland
3. Black-headed gull, Hovs hallar
4. Moose, Åsa, Halland
5. Cream-coloured course, Västra alvaret, Öland❤️
6. Isabelline shrike, Näsbokrok
7. Pallid harrier, Kungsgärdet, Ottenby
8. Green woodpecker, Södra lundparkeringen, Ottenby
9. Fallow deer, Schäfferiängarna, Ottenby
10. Stonechat, Näsbokrok
11. Pallid harrier, Kungsgärdet
12. Isabelline shrike, Näsbokrok
13. Northern pintail, Hovs hallar
14. Yellow-browed warbler, Ottenby
15. Short-eared owl bullied by a flock of northern lapwings, Norra vindskyddet, Ottenby
16. Moose, Åsa
17. Isabelline shrike, Näsbokrok
18. Moose, Åsa

07/10/2026

Landscapes of Extremadura❤️

Not only does the Spanish region of Extremadura offer one of the best birding experiences in Europe, it is also amazingly beautiful. Regardless of whether you are enjoying great and little bustards on the steppe, vultures and eagles at the dramatic cliffs of Peña Falcon, or the omnipresent spotless starlings and white storks at a historical city centre, you are always in a fantastic landscape.

My coming trip to The Gambia is already fully booked, but there are a few places left on the trip I’m leading to Extremadura in April-May next year. Don’t miss the opportunity: check it out on AviFauna Naturresor’s website:

https://avifauna.se/resor/extremadura-2027

28/09/2026

Last Saturday, I led a club trip to Öland for Växjö Bird Club. We spent most of the day at Ottenby, from 7.30 am until around 3 pm. A birding paradise, as always ❤️

Already down at the southern tip, the birding was fantastic, with good numbers of migrating brent geese and Eurasian wigeons passing close by, several migrating merlins, hundreds of meadow pipits on the move, a few auks and divers – as well as both yellow-legged and Caspian gulls.

But the real spectacle came at Sandvik. We soon found the first-calendar-year Eurasian dotterel that had been in the area for quite some time (we assumed the buff-breasted sandpiper had probably moved on), and then started scanning through and counting all the shorebirds. Among them were around 2600 dunlins, 285 common ringed plovers, 131 grey plovers, and plenty more.

When I picked out our first little stint and was following it through the flock, trying to explain to everyone where it was, I suddenly stopped and said: “I think the little stint just ran past the buff-breasted sandpiper. It’s lying down on the sand.”

And sure enough, there it was!

We then enjoyed both the buff-breasted sandpiper and the dotterel for a couple of hours, while on several occasions we also saw both pallid harrier and red-footed falcon. Merlins continued to migrate past, now joined by rough-legged buzzards and Eurasian hobbies. We also had a wonderful close encounter with a short-eared owl and a second-calendar-year little gull. Absolutely incredible birding!

We finished the day by dipping the great grey owl at Rälla. But despite that, it had been a truly fantastic day, ending on 104 species and with a very happy group of birders.

One interesting thing we noticed about the buff-breasted sandpiper was that whenever something caused the waders to flush or otherwise created a bit of commotion in the flock, it would often choose to lie flat on the ground rather than take flight, as most of the other nearby waders did. My guess is that it knew just how well camouflaged it was against the sandy beach😄

28/09/2026

A red kite I photographed an early morning before work last week. The last few decades have been a true success story for red kite. When I started birding in the early 90s, red kite was quite a rare species in my home region. You were lucky to see even a single individual in a whole year. Nowadays, many tens of pairs breed in Växjö municipality, and I see the species very regularly, even from my balcony in central Växjö as well as from my office window at work. On two occassions this autumn, I’ve seen more than 20 individuals together, in the agricultural areas around Uråsa. A very welcome increase of this spectacularly beautiful bird of prey😊

26/09/2026

24/09/2026

There’s something incredibly photogenic about white storks. Add the beautiful, fascinating and incredibly varied settings in which you encounter them, and it’s easy to see why they’re one of my favourite birds to photograph😊

All photos were taken in Extremadura, Spain, during one of my four previous trips to the region. White stork is just one of many species that will offer us fantastic photographic opportunities on the tour I’ll be leading for AviFauna Naturresor next spring.

Interested in joining me?😊

Find out more: https://avifauna.se/resor/extremadura-2027

23/09/2026

The azure-winged magpie really is a stunning bird! I remember dreaming of seeing one when I was just ten years old😄

Its behaviour is markedly different from that of our Eurasian Magpie: the species is almost exclusively seen in large groups of 7–15 birds, sometimes more, roaming around together in a playful manner. Sometimes they move low through the vegetation, while at other times they come flying past a little higher up, always keeping up a constant chatter with one another.

The species is found only on the Iberian Peninsula, with its main strongholds in central Spain and southern Portugal.

Would you also like the chance to experience and photograph this beautiful species, along with loads of other fantastic birds? Join me in Extremadura, Spain, next spring! Learn more on AviFauna Naturresor’s website:
https://avifauna.se/resor/extremadura-2027