Increased activity was noticed in several hot springs in the Geysir Area on October 19. Monitoring of natural hazards did not reveal any reasons for these changes.
The Icelandic Environmental Agency and Park Rangers confirmed that the activity is more intense than it has been. The hotspring Strokkur drew special attention with steam explosions up to 30 meters high, more powerful and frequent than before throwing up mud and pebbles along the way. The old Geysir which the area draws its name from has, however, shown no changes.
Visitors to the area are cautioned to pay attention to possible dangers and keep a safe distance.
A Eurasian Collared-Dove was spotted in Húsavík in the end of May. This is the first time it is recorded in the North of Iceland. And as such has been of interest to birders. In recent years a few Eurasian Collared-Doves have taken up residence in Iceland. A small group has been in Keflavik for several years and this spring they have been seen in e.g. Hafnarfjörður and Hornafjörður.
The Eurasian Collared-Dove is a bit smaller than the Rock Pidgeon but its cooing is similar. It is native to Europe and Asia but has been imported to other countries. It is very common all over the world and considered invasive in many countries. It was e.g. imported to the Bahamas in the 1970s and from there spread to North America where it is now considered invasive.
Every spring we await the arrival of the White Wagtail in the garden. It seems that the same pair comes here year after year. And we celebrate its arrival by putting out wholemeal biscuits which are its favourite. At least that is what we think. And every year they build their nest in the spruce and perhaps it is the same tree every year.
Collecting material for the nest May 9.
We love having this pair of White Wagtails in the garden. These are such lively birds to watch as they trail their long tails in undulating flight around the trees and wag their long tails and dash about in the garden.
The nest ready and the male courts the female.
It is also very interesting to see the male court the female. It points its bill upwards and zigzags about, moving up and down, and spreading its tail.
Both parents busy feeding the nestlings June 6.
Insects are its main feed and they can often be seen catching flies and spiders in flight. Both parents take part in the nesting and in feeding the hatchlings.
Busy time ahead feeding the young ones June 6.
This spring they arrived on April 22. They started making their nest the next day which took about two week. Now the eggs have hatch and the parents diligently feed the young ones. Bringing them insects, flies, larva and spiders. The eggs are usually four to six, can be up to eight, so if all have hatched the parents have their work cut out for them for the next two to three weeks.
The White Wagtail is one of the migratory birds whose arrival is looked forward to in Iceland in spring.
The eruption in Geldingadalir, Reykjanes Peninsula, is an extraordinary event, and the longest lived eruption in the 21 century, lasting 181 days. Although the area has been considered active, the last eruption in Reykjanes Peninsula was around 800 years ago. Geologists say that we are now entering an era of volcanic activity in this area which has several active volcanoes.
April 21 2021. Fagradalsfjall, Geldingadalir and Merardalir.
The eruption seems to be over but there are still earth quakes in the area and some smoke coming from the crater and the lava. In the middle of November the Icelandic Met Office confirmed that uplift has started again south of Fagradalsfjall and north of Keilir.
April 26 2021. The main crater starting to build up.
The eruption in Geldingadalir started on March 19 2021 after a period of earthquakes.
May 4 2021. The main crater.
At first there were several rather small fissures that spewed lava and then closed, and a new one or two opened.
June 6 2021. High activity in the crater and lava flowing to Merardalir and down to Nátthagi.
In April one crater became dominant and for six months it went from being very active to less active, with a few short dormant periods in between.
June 8 2021. Lava field in Nátthagi.
At times the lava flowed extensively and there was concern that it would reach the road and the town of Grindavík. But these were never in any actual danger. The lava flow was never constant resulting in accumulation of layers of lava in the same areas.
July 3 2021. View from Langihryggur, lava flowing down to Nátthagi.
There was a lot of interest in this eruption and Icelanders as well as tourists came from all over the World to experience the sensation of seeing a volcanic eruption and feeling the heat from the flowing lava. Most days thousands of people hiked to the site and although it is not far from the urban area it is considered remote wilderness. Rescue teams had a busy time assisting and finding people who had lost their way or were injured e.g. broken bones. Although the eruption has ceased, the site is still a popular scenic attraction.
August 14 2021. In Geldingadalir.
Ornosk went several trips to the volcanic site and took some interesting pictures. These are a few of them from different times.
July 3 2021. In the middle of the night, view from Langihryggur.
This summer we came upon these Arctic Skuas in Mýrar, West Iceland, a pair with their offspring. One of the pair was of the pale morph and the other the dark morph. Looking after their young one seemed quite a handful, keeping them busy chasing him him. As we watched them one of the pair, the white morph, stayed in its place and the others kept coming back. Not so different with us humans.
Glóbrystingur – European Robin – Erithacus rubecula
The Robin is always very welcome, such a delicate bird. We have not seen many of them in recent years and sorely miss them. A few of them were seen throughout the country in October. This one stayed here for three days and is hopefully making use of feed in some to other nice people’s garden now.
Gulskríkja – American Yellow Warbler – Setophaga petechia
This American Yellow Warbler got blown here by the leftovers of Hurricane Larry, presumably, and was spotted in Þorlákshöfn, South Iceland, in late September. It is the fifth time that this species is recorded for Iceland.
This little Goldcrest pair was diligently combing a Siberian fir (Abies sibirica) in the garden in search of food when I managed after many attempts to catch a picture of them. These delightful little beings are difficult to photograph as they are constantly on the move.
With added speed and a high ISO I managed at last to freeze a few moments in their lives.
Nikon Z50 og Nikkor 200-500mm lense. ISO 5000, speed 1/1000 og aperture 6,3.
Mjallhegri – Great White Egret – Egretta alba / Casmerodius albus
A Great White Egret was by Markarfljót, near Seljalandsfoss, for about two weeks in the beginning of April. The Great White Egret is tall with a long neck and long feet. It has lacy, delicate plumes on its back that curl over its tail. It is a majestic bird, unliked anything we are used to.
This Great White Egret seemed to be in its ideal surroundings by the road near Markarfljót where it frequently caught small fish in the creeks and ponds that do not freeze over. It stayed calm despite the traffic and just kept on fishing as if it didn’t have a care in the world.
Great White Egrets are rare vagrants in Iceland. This is the ninth bird for Iceland and the last one spotted here in 2016. This Egret probably came from its breeding grounds in the Mediterranean where it can be found in all types of wetlands and by the shore.
In the last few days a Great White Egret has been spotted in several places in Reykjanes Peninsula. It might well be the same bird.
At last spring is in the air and our Icelandic migrants are returning home. After an exceptionally mild winter we had some very cold and snowy weeks in March and April. Now the temperatures are rising and we look forward to frost free nights. The days are getting longer and it doesn’t get dark until after 10 o’clock.
Heiðlóa – Golden Plover – Pluvialis apricaria
Fields and farmlands have now come alive with flocks of Greylags, Pink-footed geese and Whooper Swans. The Golden Plover has also arrived much to the delight of all Icelanders. Black-Tailed Godwits are also arriving although we have news that great flocks have still to leave the shores of Holland.
Heiðagæs – Pinkfoot – Anser brachyrhynchus
Redshanks can be seen, as well as Meadow Pipits and we have noticed a lot of Snipes this spring. Only a few Whimbrels have been spotted and we have not seen or heard news of the Wheatear.
Þúfutittlingur – Meadow Pipit – Anthus pratensis
There is also little news of Pied Wagtails and we sorely miss the pair that has resided here in the garden for many years. We love spoiling them with whole meal crackers and have waited patiently for their arrival. We think we might just have heard one in the neighbourhood today.
