Interesting places in Petterslund:

Österängens idrottsplats

the Petterslund is part of Uppsala , Fålhagen .

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Snowstorm descending on Uppsala
Made by Pia's birdseye view
The harbinger of death to persistant balcony-plants. I had some plans going out afterwards, trudging to my car and immortalize it with the sole purpose of posting said photo under the headline Dude, where is my car?!? However, the storm continued through the night and next day I had a rather early workday. Not any time/stamina for photo sessions. Planned to do it next free day. However, before that could arrive a short thaw was predicted. I saw with my inner eye the igloo that is my car, surrounded with small Himalaya-like piles of snow after the plow had done its job on the street. It is heavy work to dig out a car then, even without the snow being wet or maybe even worse: re-frosen. So, I went to the car after work (11 PM) and got at it. It took an hour of hard shoveling and brushing, all just powder snow. If the snow had been wet I wouldn't have managed to get through with it. Of course, the thaw turned out to be just that: it was at least +5-6 degrees celsius for almost 2 weeks and most of the snow just melted. So it turned out I could just have let the weather do the work for me. I didn't have to use the car through the duration. Alas, my crystal ball is still malfunctioning, have to play everything somewhat safe ;-) BTW If anyone wondered what my balcony looks like; that place which attracted so many moths when I had the UV-lamp on every night through spring-summer-autumn. Now you know. The photo is taken from said balcony, camera directed to the house across the yard. Every balcony is the same in this complex, a boxed in kind. I live on the second floor. Uppsala, Sweden, Nov 24 2008. Posted big.


Otto, a portrait from June 5 2004
Made by Pia's birdseye view
My ex-life partner, the African Gray female called Otto. Ex because she didn't last longer than 23 years. She got aspergillosis, some fungus sickness that got into the lungs. Medicating is hard, medicines for fungus diseases are very toxic so the most efficient is impossible to give to fragile beings, like birds. I medicated her 3 times/day in 3 months; march to june 2005. The vet said it looked like the fungus was gone, but she was weak and didn't get her appetite back totally. Seemed to recover, though. I went to Ecuador in August that year, and she was just fine when I came back. As always she wanted to feed me after a longer separation. We were really tight. Later, in Jan 25 2006 I left her with her usual babysitters and went on my 5-week roadtrip Arizona-California-Oregon. 3 weeks later she just died, I got the news in an e-mail, I just had crossed the stateborder to Oregon, it was Feb 18 and I was on a restarea with wireless access. Of course it was the end of the happy part of my roadtrip. The rest was like a nightmare, sometimes. However, it was no idea going home before planned, nothing was going to change. She was just gone. I tried to focus on the sceneries, the birds and also some socializing with an e-buddy, and it worked so-so. Anyway, I've been posting photos from those last days of ignorant bliss recently (the ones from northern California) with mixed feelings. And I was obviously unable to resist posting some photos of her, complete with heartache story... I miss her so bad, still, a part of me is gone and cannot be replaced.


Solar almost-Eclipse
Made by Pia's birdseye view
The close-but-no-cigar solar eclipse in May 31:st 2003. My first, I've been pining forever to see one. But, alas, Sweden isn't the best place for such... I asked to get a vacation-day and made plans; where to go to get on high ground with unobstructed view to the east, since it was a very early morning call. The night before D-day some really nasty weather descended upon Sweden, with torrential rain that just kept on coming. At 3.30 AM the rain had at least lessend, but time was running out. I gave up and stayed home, eating the breakfast that shortly before were stowed into the bike bags. Then; A Miracle! 15 minutes into the start of the eclipse the clouds started to crack up a little. My apartment faces east, I live on second floor and the houses around the yard is just 3 stores. AND the sun at 5.30 or so in May 31 is high enough to go free of the roof-tops! So I sat on my balcony with my makeshift sun-watching stuff and happily studied the progress since the cracks in the overcast sky became wider and wider and the SUN-and-moon came into view every now and then. At the peak of the eclipse it was almost (but not quite) a clear sky and I took a few experimental photos. This is one of the best, not as good as it should be, but it has its own Doomsday charm... Uppsala, Sweden, May 31 2003. Scanned from a slide.


Scarce Brindle
Made by Pia's birdseye view
This moth was on the go, it was just bouncing around the balcony and I barely got it in my jar. Brought it into the bathroom, which I had done with the other moths with so much success... This one flew low and promptly disappeared into the connection between floor and WC-chair! I tried some tricks without luck and then despaired. Then got crafty (after the second moth for the day/night was introduced and ALSO disappeared while I was groping for this one) and turned off the lights and left the room with the door open. Just the lamps at my computer was on. And whilst I was working in the dark a soft bullet zoomed over my shoulder and got lost in the cables behind the screen. I pounced and got it, back into the bathroom, on with the light and lo and behold. It sat down and let me photograph it. Then quickly out on the balcony and let it loose on the world again... PHEW! (This story is a little aside to Joseph, who rightly wrote in a comment that he didn't dare take critters inside for the fear of them getting lost). Attracted (barely) to the UV-lamp on my balcony June 27 2008. Posted big.


Now, what have we got here...
Made by Pia's birdseye view
Before I leave home for work, I light the UV-lamp that hangs on my balcony. When I come back, often around midnight, I peek out the first thing I do. Looking for dark, small, wedgeformed things. I have plenty of glue-leftovers from old ductape, from former fastenings of the sheet. They tend to reflect the black light. So my eyes just kinda skidded over that glowing shape, discarding it as useless info. But a corner of my brain could have sworn it saw this coveted moth somewhere! I had to look two more times before I really SAW it! Then frantic activity ensued, I can tell you. (You never know how long the moths stay still! It can be 10 seconds or less, it can be for the rest of the night...) Got the camera started and popped the flash, took plenty of nice ordinary photos. But then I wanted to capture that ...oh, there's some old tape glue, never mind that... no wait a minute!-moment. So I stepped back and tried taking photos in the pitch dark to get the violet surrounding and that tantalizing turqouise speck. Difficult, it doesn't translate well to pixels. Uppsala, Sweden, July 18 2009.


"Lets pretend I'm not here..." #32 a k a Merveille du Jour
Made by Pia's birdseye view
What's with the French input on the english moth-names?? First we have the Clifden Nonpareil, and here cometh Merveille du Jour! Anyway, I was coming home after work, late at night, and walked over the long yard. Checking out the premises as I walked, as always. No winter moths hanging out on the walls around the outdoor lamps? Or on the glass-part of the entrance doors? Flying around the yard-lamps? No, no and no. But, HEY, wait a minute!!! A whitish blob was sitting like a discarded chewing gum on one of the lamp-posts. High up, 3 dm under the lamp, of course... what the f***k is that? I went closer, circled the post, weeell, it was clearly a moth. Hurried home, snatched up the A Unit (40D + 300mm/4,0 + speedlite 580) and headed out again in a flash. The white blob remained so I took one test shot and had a look at the lcd-sdreen. My heart made a leap, here was another of my Wannasee's! Try as I might I couldn't get a good shot, it simply sat too high up (at least 3 meters). And it sat there for 3 nights! Uppsala, Sweden, September 27 2008.


Beautiful Golden Y
Made by Pia's birdseye view
Second moth to get lost in my bathroom this night... I was out on the balcony and it came bouncing, showing all the signs of not settling. Got it in the jar and brought it in the bathroom whilst murmuring through my teeth Haven't we learned anything yet?!? As it turned out: both No and Yes. It rummaged inside my cabinet while I was trying to get the other one out from the WC-connection without luck. Then the silence made me go for the cabinet, alas, no moth in there anywhere. It was then I resorted to turn off every lamp in the apartment, since they both obviously was of the kind that gets very unsettled by light. It worked, 10 minutes later this one came forward and was sitting nicely on the tiles under the ceiling. I could once again mount the WC-chair and get my desired photo. (The Scarce Brindle took at least 30 minutes longer to emerge) Attracted (barely) to the UV-lamp on my balcony June 27 2008. Posted big.


Polymixis polymita
Made by Pia's birdseye view
A spiffy moth of totally un-cooperative disposition. It settled a few seconds on the sheet, first here then there and off again. I guessed its business (no shopping, just looking) instantly and managed to get it in my plastic cup while it sat pondering the next move (sit down over there for 3 seconds or leave the premises for good?) on the leg of my Balcony Chair. In to the bathroom with the culprit, but it kept up its erratic behaviour. I had the moth that almost got lost behind the toilet in fresh memory and lost my nerve and caught it and back out on the balcony. Hoping it would settle on the sheet, but no, it just shot off. I was left with 2 plastic-cup shots (the best of these is posted here), 1 towel-shot and 1 toilet-paper-holder-shot. Not the best of settings for this gem, but I did try! Responding to the UV-lamp on my balcony, Uppsala, Sweden, July 29 2008.


Tui Parakeet eating with its foot
Made by Pia's birdseye view
Meet my new ward, I got it the same day I came home from the roadtrip. The (former) babysitters was A) concerned B) just got this one as part of a buy of a dwarf turtle they wanted badly. This one and two Pacific Parrotlets. The Tui had bonded with one of them, the other got another home with a breeder. But could I take these two, at least for a while? (The babysitters has oodles of birds that they breed, but Tui Parakeets wasn't one of their species). So I did, it was something warm and feathery that filled Otto's old cage with movement and noise. I got it half tame quickly, it likes to come out and be a little mischievious. And when it gets something good to eat it use its foot to hold it, like BIG parrots do. I find it interesting, I didn't know parrots this small did that. This one is not bigger than a budgie on steroids... Photographed in action June 8 2004.


Happy Fly Day Friday, folks!
Made by Pia's birdseye view
A Marmalade Hoverfly gorges itself on the pollen (?) from one of my Balcony Plants. Said plant, in swedish called marguerite, is rather popular in the Fly-community. It's also very well liked by Yours Truly, thanks to its hardy nature. It doesn't survive the swedish winter, but it survives a lot of hardships. I buy a new one every year, plants it in my biggest pot on my balcony, and watch it prosper as the months go by. As long as the temp doesn't drop too much below freezing too long it survives. This year it had to give up the night between 22-23 of November. By then there's virtually no sunlight that reaches it into the balcony box. I will post some photos of the whole plant eventually. Uppsala July 29 2004.


Heart and Club, close up
Made by Pia's birdseye view
This little beast was actually the first of the Bathroom Moths. It had made quick visits on some occations but never settled and I never got an ID. After 3 different nights of brief visits I was frustrated to tears (well, not really) and pounced with a jar and caught it the next time it showed its antennaes. Then I went into the loo, which is very well lit. It calmed down in there, so I photographed it in those white-tiled surroundings and then let it out. And it promptly settled on the sheet (next photo). Then I planted it on the Campanula plant and took this portrait. Attracted to the UV-lamp at my balcony in Uppsala, Sweden, June 18 2008. Posted VERY big for details, like the facet eyes actually showing...


The End
Made by Pia's birdseye view
This is my favourite plant, the one that also hoverflies is partial to. I buy a new one every year and it prospers on my balcony until the first heavy snow, whenever it occurs. It's extremely hardy. There was coldspells with temps well under freezing, both in october and earlier in november, but it held strong. It doesn't succumb until snow lands on it, then it droops and dies. I think it's almost miraculous how little sunlight and warmth it craves to not only survive, but also keep on growing! By the time for its demise it was almost threatening to take over my balcony :-) Well, its reign is ended. Hail to its decendant that will be bought in the spring/summer of 2009! Uppsala, Sweden, Nov 24 2008.


Meet Mini-Me
Made by Pia's birdseye view
Here is the buddy of the Tui Parakeet. A male Pacific Parrotlet, bred in captivity. Half tame by now. He's so small he can squeeze out between the bars of Otto's old cage. He does sometimes, but mostly he stays in with his companion. This one is a true rascal, he has teached the Tui a trick or two. Like nibbling wallpaper... Despite this, both of'em are mostly at large in my apartment, when I'm at home. So cute, so tiny, it's unbelievable a parrot can be this small. There are parrots in the world that are smaller, but not by much and they're not many. Here he is clinging on the kitchenlamp chain, Dec 30 2006.


Still more experiments at home
Made by Pia's birdseye view
Yeah, I know what I wrote 3 hours ago. But I'm still awake, being an night-owl, and when the midnight hour struck and the fireworks went off... Well, I just grabbed my social camera and opened the door to the balcony and tried a few shots. I stink at this, but still; New Year Photo Special from Pia the Hummingbirder... You'll have to excuse the balcony facade of the store above me, up there in the corner. I didn't think of that, standing with my bare feet on the icecold concrete balcony floor, trying to be arty. (Cowers in shame) Uppsala Dec 31:st 2007 - Jan 1:st 2008... Posted big.


Lime Hawkmoth
Made by Pia's birdseye view
This rather battered hawkmoth was found on my backyard in Uppsala, Sweden, June 17 2005. If the DoF looks strange it's because of the fact that I had to use 3 different pic's to get one half-descent photo, because of the total lack of DOF... I tried a gzillion shots with both the 300 mill and the 18-55 zoom, but none came out good enough. It was a dark and stormy night... eh... DAY... whatever. The original on this photo is most of the trunk and the right wingpair, another shot gave the upper back of the moth and yet another the left wingpair. Don't sue me, 'cause I have no dough


A proper Happy New Year posting?
Made by Pia's birdseye view
Yeah, I know what I wrote 3 hours ago. But I'm still awake, being an night-owl, and when the midnight hour struck and the fireworks went off... Well, I just grabbed my social camera and opened the door to the balcony and tried a few shots. I stink at this, but still; New Year Photo Special from Pia the Hummingbirder... Here the balcony facade-miss is put to some use, at least. Had to, since it threatens to take over the photo :-( Uppsala Dec 31:st 2007 - Jan 1:st 2008... Posted big and looks rather fun/cool in that format... Sometimes bigger IS better!


New Year-Hare with firework-eyes
Made by Pia's birdseye view
Have neither time nor energy to take a proper Happy New Year-photo and post it, after all I've been at work 10 hours today... So I'm winging it ;-) HAPPY NEW YEAR! to all my Flickr-buddies out there. This Brown Hare/Lepus europaeus hangs out on my backyard more often than not, sometimes it has company. As was the case yesterday, when Håkan/Ardeola and me came home after our winter walk. It's so dark on the yard I had to guess the focus, and for once I guessed right! Uppsala Dec 30 2006. Posted big.


Tutts Burnished Brass
Made by Pia's birdseye view
This beauty was very nervous at arrival, so I caught it in a jar and let it loose in my bathroom. The strong light in there made it settle quickly and I took several shots while standing on the toilet :-) After that I briskly let it loose on the world again. So this species have made it to the BM-list (Bathroom Moths). It's in good company, which you'll see if you keep your eyes open on the BG on some moths coming up soon. Attracted to the UV-lamp at my balcony in Uppsala, Sweden, June 18 2008. Posted big.


Sycamore
Made by Pia's birdseye view
A large and soft-looking but somewhat frazzled moth. It was extremely restless and didn't really want to hang around. It bumped around the balcony a while and sat on the sheet with wibrating wings for extremely short periods. I just managed 3 shots of it before it flew off. However, even one was enough for ID. I couldn't believe my luck to get two such beautifully named moths on the same night; The Coronet & The Sycamore. Excellent! UV-lamp on my balcony in Uppsala, Sweden June 8 2008. Posted big.


Schoenobius gigantella
Made by Pia's birdseye view
As you might see from the comments below, I've been somewhat puzzled about the identity of this particular guest to my balcony UV-lamp. If the ID is correct, this lady is the rarest visitor I've had so far. Not looking much, no flashy colours, but for a moth crazy person like myself that's hardly necessary. She's appr 50 mm between wingtips, and was by no means a small moth, especially not since she's counted into the cathegory of Micros! Uppsala, Sweden, July 19 2008.