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Ulf Mjörnmark |
The animals are very shy, and one must be patient and really look for
them. Normal hikers will normally not see any, except reindeers,
perhaps elks and burds. If you where (un)fortunate not to meet any of the
big predators in Sarek, visit the "five big" predator project. There you
will find information about the big predators in Sweden (in swedish, but
you can always look at the pictures).
The reindeers can be found almost everywhere, in the middle of the summer are they high up on the mountains, one reason is to avoid the mosquitos, if the nuisance is severe they are found on the snowfields. In august do they slowly start to move down, during the winter will they be in the forests. I am very fond of reindeers, and I envy them a lot, it seems so easy when they run. I do also like to eat them. Sarek is wellknown for the "giant" elks in the Rapadalen, where they have plenty of food. Since they are not hunted can they grow bigger then they normally do in Sweden. I have met elks in Rapadalen, Sarvesvagge, and north of the lake Snjuftjutisjauratj west of Akka. The wolf is very rare in Sweden, and the probability to meet one in Sarek is almost zero. The wolf is not well appreciated in Sweden, and has been hunted severely during the centuries and is close to being extinct. Wolverines may live in Sarek, and then in the forests of Rapadalen and Njåtjosvagge. But as with the other predators are there not many of them. Bears can be found in the forests of Rapadalen, Njåtjosvagge, and Tielma in Sarvesvagge. They can also be seen at higher altitudes when moving between the valleys, don't meet a female with children. The lynx is the most shy of the predators, and you need more than luck to see one. They like the forests and may visit the forests at the borders of Sarek. Arctic fox is close to become extinct, one reason may be the lack of carcasses left over by the big predators, and another that the lemmings are becoming more and more rare. But 2001 was a good lemming year, the first one for almost 20 years. The type of lemming that exist in the scandinavian mountains and the Kola penninsula in the northern Russia, is endemic, i.e. this is the only place it exist in the world. Humans can be found everywhere, mostly where it is easy to walk. This is the most common predator in the world, also in Sarek. They are not in danger of becoming extinct, on the contrary, they are increasingly populating the world. Humans is the only predator I have met. Birds are mostly found in the birch forests, here one find the
most common birds in sweden, e.g. the 'lövsångare'.
I would be surprised if you did not meet a grouse. They are
very difficult to see, and they hide until you are as close as a meter,
and then they scare you by flying/run away when you get to close. I write
this when one in Sweden eat goose, and there is also an arctic goose.
I don't know how common it is nowadays, I doubt that one can find it in
Sarek. 'Fjällabb' (Stercorarius longicaudos) have I
met in Routesvagge, it did not like my company at all since it made very
aggressive attacks. A very friendly bird is 'Lavskrika' (Perisoreus
infastus) which can be found in the deep pine forests, it really likes
your company and asks for something to eat. An arctic buzzard
was sailing above my head in Padjelanta, looking for something to catch.
Different types of 'pipare' (e.g. Pluvialis apricaria)'
can be found sitting on stones whistling for you. Ducks and wading birds
can be found in the wetlands, a 'Svärta' (melanitta
fusca) has kept my awake for many hours. A person once tried to convince
me that we were looking at an eagle, but I doubt he
was correct; in my opinion it was a stone. Eagles are not that common,
the same is true about hawks.
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Dalripa - Willow grouse
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