This Pied Flycatcher was spotted in Flói, north of Eyrarbakki in South Iceland today. It is a rather rare vagrant in Iceland but sightings are usually recorded here annually. In winter they migrate to West Africa from their breeding places in Western and Northern Europe. This bird has probably newly arrived from Scandinavia with easterly … Continue reading Pied Flycatcher in Flói
A good place to view and photograph the Red-Throated Diver and the Red-Necked Phalarope is in Flói Nature Reserve in the Southern Lowlands of Iceland. Fuglavernd– BirdLife Iceland runs a reserve there in co-operation with Árborg community. This is a wetland area rich with birdlife. The reserve is a river delta at the eastern bank of the … Continue reading Flói Nature Reserve
Spring this year was been quite snowy and May has been wetter than we can remember, the month which is usually dry and windy. So many of our Icelandic migrators were welcomed by snow and frost and now in the last week of May you can still see birds in towns looking for shelter and … Continue reading Unusual spring weather
The meadows have come alive with birds. Spring is here and most of our Icelandic migrants have arrived. The bird reserve in Flói is a good place to watch them and observe their behaviour. Meadow Pipits, Iceland’s most common passerine birds, are prominent here with their short tsi tsi song and erratic flight. The Black-tailed … Continue reading The meadows come alive
The Wheatear is one of the many small passerine birds that can now been seen in lowlands all over the country. It is a common breeding bird in Iceland that usually arrives here in May. These photoes were taken at the shore by Eyrarbakki and in Flói Reserve this week. A lot of Wheatears are … Continue reading The little delicate Wheatear
Golden Plovers have now started arriving in huge flocks. Yesterday in Flói in South Iceland, they were in the hundreds. The Golden Plover is a migrator that goes to the British Isles for the coldest months of winter, usually leaving in October and coming back in April. It is one of the best-loved Icelandic birds … Continue reading Golden Plovers arriving
One of the foreign guests this autumn is the North American Hermit Thrush, that is now being spotted here for the13th time. It is the most common vagrant in Iceland of the Catharus Thrushes. The Hermit Thrush was spotted in Hallskot, in the Nature Reserve Flói. It is not easy to spot it as it … Continue reading North American vagrant visitor
This is the fifteenth time that a Blackpoll Warbler is spotted in Iceland a week ago in Hallskot in Floi, South Iceland. Birders had been on the lookout for vagrants after heavy southwest storms, expecting some windswept little creatures from America to end up here in the North Atlantic. Two other American vagrants have been … Continue reading Blackpoll Warbler
Whooper Swans and Greylags have been arriving in groups in the last two weeks from their winter grounds in the British Isles. They can now be seen grazing in lowlands. Fields are more or less snowless although the mountains are still snow covered. Although we can still expect some snow it is likely to melt during … Continue reading Coming home
The Red-eyed Vireo is an American vagrant and a near annual in Iceland. This autumn two have been spotted in Iceland, one in Stokkseyri and the other near the neighbouring village Eyrarbakki, in Floi Reserve. This is the third year in a row that a Red-eyed Vireo is spotted in the same garden in Stokkseyri … Continue reading Common American vagrant