Mary Beth Stowe's Website   

CABC Scandinavia Choir Tour

Day 11:  Stockholm Sight-Seeing   

Got ahold of Kalle, my Stockholm bird guide, and made arrangements for the next morning, then headed out to the original Bethel Seminary! Cliff Anderson, former dean of Bethel Seminary West in San Diego (I think that's where he was dean, and not the one in Minnesota), was like a little kid, he was so excited about showing off this place! A couple of pastors came out to tell us about the place (one looked incredibly like the pastor at the church we sang at the previous morning, but it wasn’t); in fact, one of them may even have been the dean, but I forget. Anyway, they showed us around the very modern facilities, particularly the library and the chapel (many headed straight for the potties to try them out ☺).  The chapel was a lovely little place, with a painting showing a woodland baptism (evidently the original is in Russia someplace, or maybe this was the original and the duplicate was in Russia; I forget), and a cute little organ that Myrna tried out. They even had a ballet studio that one of the gals tried out! (Shades of White Nights...)

           Cliff Anderson at the                 We listen attentively as the pastors                         Myrna tries out their organ!

We then headed over to Drottingham Palace, which had beautiful grounds with gobs of Barnacle Geese! As it turns out, we had them all over, but they also had a little marsh with Coots, a couple of Goldeneye, Mallards, a Mute Swan, and a pochard that looked like a Ferruginous Duck with its white undertail coverts, but they weren’t supposed to be there. (Kalle said it was undoubtedly a Tufted Duck, as some females show white butts and juveniles don’t show much of a tuft, if at all.) Again, you weren’t allowed to take pictures inside (I don’t even think you could pay this time), and unlike other palaces, this place was really in use by the current monarchy; the guards were very strict as to where you could and could not go (one of our poor gals got yelled at for literally stepping over the line)!

                                            Drottingham Palace                                                          Palace guards (don't step over the blue line!)

Birds around the grounds...

                                                                Barnacle Geese                                                  The white patch on this preening pochard

                                                                                                                                             suggests a Ferruginous Duck, but it’s more

                                                                                                                                             likely an aberrant juvenile Tufted Duck, as

                                                                                                                                              Ferruginous would be way out of range

                                                                                                                                              here.

                                    Eurasian Coots, the one at left "mooning" a rival                    Young White Wagtail

                          Barn Swallow                        Mute Swan                                            Mallard (male in eclipse)

Hooded Crows; the difference in the shade of gray is due to the flash.

Caught up with the crowd where we headed for a museum that displayed an old Viking ship they had raised from the water, but I opted to wander around the little park, despite Fatima’s urging! There was a hot dog stand of sorts right outside the bus and I was sorely tempted, but opted for a diet Coke instead (one of our guys wasn’t as strong, so we chatted a bit outside the museum until he finished his dog). In the park were more Barnacle Geese, gulls, magpies, Great Tits, and Hooded Crows (one was a juvenile with some white in the wing; Kalle said that wasn’t too unusual).

    Birds in the park across from the Nordic Museum...

White Wagtails: adult at left, immature at right, and something in between in the middle

                                Eurasian Magpie (now split from our Black-billed)                                        Yet another Barnacle Goose

                        Some juvenile Hooded Crows show some white in the wing.                        Eurasian Jackdaw

Blue Tits; unlike our chickadees, many tits how a white wing bar.

After that we went to a place much like San Diego's Heritage Park where they had a model of a nobleman’s home (complete with people dressed in period costumes) and a modest farm home, which was very interesting (but again, unfortunately, no pictures). Here were more Barnacle Geese, which even some of our group took pictures of! Found a Great Tit for John and a nice juvenile Black-headed Gull on the way back. Best bird was a great look at an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull! Our guide was real cute; can’t remember her name, but she looked like an Irish girl! Also had lunch there, which was a terrific buffet: they had meringues there that would knock a gull out of the sky! Many were also entertained by the death-defying rides they had going at the amusement park! I found yet another ice cream joint and when Cliff saw me he said, "Get thee behind me, Satan!" ☺

We explore a park made to look like a little village, complete with homes and shops!

The gang listens attentively as our guide explains life in the old days

                                        Barnacle Geese                          Shy Great Tit                            Eurasian Magpie

                                                Juvenile Black-headed Gull                    Lesser Black-backed Gull (fuscus)

More Lesser Black-backed Gulls

I think we came home after that, and most of us came back down at six to go downtown, shop, and eat. I almost didn’t go, but I’m glad I did: we all ended up at a great Italian (!) place for dinner. Grabbed another ice cream on the way back (Cliff razzed me about having two in one day...)