Despite cold northerly winds the Whimbrels (Numenius phaeopus) are coming to Iceland, ony by one. They come all the way from West Africa, south of the Sahara, where they have been since autumn. The Whimbrel is common in lowlands all over the country. The breeding population is estimated 250,000 pairs.
The pictures are taken by the seaside in Eyrarbakki yesterday. Whimbrels are not common by the seaside but this one was probably dead tired after its long flight from Africa.
On our bird watching trip Sunday morning we saw these three Slavonian Grebes by the old dock in Eyrarbakki.
The Slavonian Grebe (Podiceps auritus) is a species with an unfavourable conservation status in Europe, amber list criteria according to RSPB. The population is recovering and the population size has more than doubled in the last 25 years. The estimated population in Iceland is around 700 breeding pairs.
In the winter time the Slavonian Grebe stays in the sea, some in the ocean around Iceland and some also in Western Europe. You are most likely to see them in and around Mývatn in the North, Ástjörn in Hafnarfjörður and Reykhólar in the West. The Slavonian Grebe lives in lakes and ponds in the summer time and the nest floats on the water among the reeds.
This morning we went to the Flói Bird Reserve, not far from Selfoss. There we saw two tagged Black-Tailed Godwits (Limosa limosa). One of them was marked OW-YL and is the same bird I saw on June 2, 2013, in this same place. Its story is known. It was tagged in Flói Bird Reserve June 14, 2010. The other one I have not seen before and I am waiting for information about it. A lot of Black-tailed Godwits have been ringed in this area in the last few years. It seems that many of them over winter in Portugal.
Reading for OW-YL
14.06.10 Fridland, South Iceland
06.09.10 Moëze, Réserve Naturelle, Charente-Maritime, W- France
23.07.12 Flag Creek, St Osyth, Colne Estuary, Essex, E England
07.10.12 Cudmore Grove Country Park, East Mersea, Essex, E England
02.06.13 Fridland, South Iceland
03.05.15 Fridland, South Iceland
The Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator) and the Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) belong to the same orders of ducks, anseriformes, and the same family, anatidae. The Merganser is a fish-eating duck, a great diver, and mostly stays in freshwater lakes. It is a migratory bird in Iceland. The Mallard is a dabbling duck, it doesn’t dive but tips forward in the water to find food. It stays in Iceland the whole year but goes down to the shore in the winter time. Both of these ducks are common in Iceland.
A lot of Snipes have been seen in heathlands and marshlands around Selfoss in the last few days. They have also been seen looking for worms in gardens and one came into ours. As with other moorland birds it is unusual for them to be seen in gardens in urban areas as has been the case in recent days.
Today the weather is better although the nights are still cold with temperatures below zero. The photos were taken yesterday and today in my garden and in the neighbourhood.
Last weekend we went bird watching down to the shore, a 15 minute drive from Selfoss down to Eyrarbakki. Lots of birds caught our eye on the way but here are a few of them.
This Dunlin (Calidris alpina) was on the beach with Ringed Plovers and Sanderlings, the only one of his kind. Most of them do not arrive in Iceland until May.
Lots of Ringed Plovers (Charadrius hiaticula) were on the beach, chasing the tide as it rolled in, probing the sand for small animals. They have started to arrive in Iceland but most of them come in May.
There were also a lot of Purple Sandpipers (Calidris maritima) but they stay in Iceland the whole year, near the shore in winter and in the interior in the summer time.
Golden Plovers (Pluvialis apricaria) are common sight in gardens in Selfoss now. Usually they prefer the heath but when there is little to be had there they come into gardens. After the frost and wind in the last few days food is obviously scarce. Today there were some in our garden.
The photos of these tame Golden Plovers were taken in Selfoss today. A few other bird species that also prefer heathlands were in gardens in Selfoss today, for example Oystercatchers, Redshanks and Meadow Pipits.
In the last few days a few White Wagtails have been in the garden seeking shelter and food. Crushed wholemeal biscuits have turned out to be their favorite food in the frost and wind. They also look for spiders on the sides of the house and in trees.
Purple mountain saxifrage (Saxifraga oppositifolia) is a common plant in mountains and highlands. It has the northernmost plant habitat in the world. In Iceland is rather common throughout the country, from lowlands up to an altitude of about 1500 m. It can be found in rocks, cliffs, crevices, gravel and mountainsides.
It is among the first plants to bloom. In lowlands it blooms in April but in highlands as late as June. Today the Purple mountain saxifrage was just starting to bloom in the slopes of Mount Ingólfsfjall, just outside Selfoss.
We were looking for a Gyrfalcon, which we did not find, when we came across our first Wheatears (Oenanthe oenanthe) this spring. There were a few at the roots of Mount Ingólfsfjall, most of them males. Their winter grounds are in West Africa. They make their nests in rocks, lava and heathland, mostly in lowlands but also in highlands. Greenlandic Wheatears stopover in Iceland in spring and autumn on their way to their breeding grounds in Greenland. The breeding population here counts around 50,000 pairs.
The photos were taken today.