Stora Karlsö & Visby, Gotland, Sweden
Gotland is the largest island in the Baltic and today we spent our third day in Sweden exploring the natural and cultural history of this area.
The morning was spent on the small offshore island of Stora Karlsö, famous as one of the oldest protected areas in the world. After landing by Zodiac we hiked along the coast to an overlook to view the largest colony of razorbills and guillemots in the Baltic. These seabirds are both members of the auk family, close relatives of their better known relation the puffin. But despite their similar appearance, these birds are not closely related to penguins – their similarities are due to convergence in evolution rather than divergence. From our clifftop perch we could see the birds crammed in on their narrow nesting ledges on the limestone cliffs and flying to and fro. Large rafts of birds were gathered just offshore and on occasions it was possible to see the birds diving from the surface to catch fish by pursuit underwater, using their wings for propulsion and flying underwater.
But that was not all that Stora Karlsö had to offer. It was impossible to get to the seabirds without being distracted by the abundance of spring wildflowers in the meadows and woods. The limestone rocks of the island give rise to relatively thin, nutrient poor, soils that are ideal for orchids and about half a dozen species were easily found. There were also anemones, pasqueflowers, cowslips and many more… even the most hardened non-botanists could not fail to be impressed.
After a short relocation we explored the ‘mainland’ of Gotland. Here we passed the afternoon in the charming mediaeval walled town of Visby. The town dates back to the 13th century and is a maze of narrow cobbled streets within the fortified walls. Once back on board our ship we cast off our lines, said Hej då to Sweden and set a course for Riga, Latvia.
Gotland is the largest island in the Baltic and today we spent our third day in Sweden exploring the natural and cultural history of this area.
The morning was spent on the small offshore island of Stora Karlsö, famous as one of the oldest protected areas in the world. After landing by Zodiac we hiked along the coast to an overlook to view the largest colony of razorbills and guillemots in the Baltic. These seabirds are both members of the auk family, close relatives of their better known relation the puffin. But despite their similar appearance, these birds are not closely related to penguins – their similarities are due to convergence in evolution rather than divergence. From our clifftop perch we could see the birds crammed in on their narrow nesting ledges on the limestone cliffs and flying to and fro. Large rafts of birds were gathered just offshore and on occasions it was possible to see the birds diving from the surface to catch fish by pursuit underwater, using their wings for propulsion and flying underwater.
But that was not all that Stora Karlsö had to offer. It was impossible to get to the seabirds without being distracted by the abundance of spring wildflowers in the meadows and woods. The limestone rocks of the island give rise to relatively thin, nutrient poor, soils that are ideal for orchids and about half a dozen species were easily found. There were also anemones, pasqueflowers, cowslips and many more… even the most hardened non-botanists could not fail to be impressed.
After a short relocation we explored the ‘mainland’ of Gotland. Here we passed the afternoon in the charming mediaeval walled town of Visby. The town dates back to the 13th century and is a maze of narrow cobbled streets within the fortified walls. Once back on board our ship we cast off our lines, said Hej då to Sweden and set a course for Riga, Latvia.
