All posts by Kristin

Birds

Tennessee Warbler

Ormskríkja – Tennessee Wrabler – Leiothlypis peregrina

In the autumn of 1956 the first Tennessee Warbler was recorded for Iceland, then in Snæfellsnes. Now some 63 years later the second one has been spotted in Reykjanes Peninsula on September 8, by the picturesque lighthouse Reykjanesviti.

The Tennessee Warbler is a breeding bird in the Canadian boreal forests and winters in Central and South America.  Its arrival in Iceland is the fault of some heavy southerly winds caused by a low pressure area. These have blown our little friend straight over the North Atlantic and the lights from the lighthouse Reykjanesviti have probably guided it ashore. Reykjanes Peninsula, however, is not the best place for this bird that relies heavily on insects as its main food source. The area is mostly without vegetation but hopefully the Tennessee Warbler will soon start looking for a better place with spruces and pines – its ideal habitat.

A lot of birders have already seen this little bird that does not seem  alarmed by the attention. It is probably not far from the truth to say it may be the most “twitched” bird in one day ever in Iceland.

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Birds

Golden Plovers in the highlands

Golden Plover chick in the highlands in the middle of August

By now the Golden Plovers have started gathering for their annual migration flight over the Atlantic to their winter grounds. When it gets colder here, even as late as November, they head south, many to the British Isles but also to Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar and North Africa.

Heiðlóa – Golden Plover – Pluvialis apricaria

It is estimated that a little less than half of the total Golden Plover population in the world breed in Iceland. They are migrators that arrive early in April and leave late in the autumn. They can be seen all over the country, from the seaside into the highlands. Their favourite habitat is in dry heathland  where vegetation is rather scarce.

Golden Plover adolescent

With rising temperatures conditions in the highlands are getting better for the Golden Plover, as well as some other birds that have until a few years ago preferred the lowlands. The breeding population in Iceland counts around 300,000 pairs.

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Birds

Migrators arriving

Tjaldur – Oystercatcher – Haematopus ostralegus

Migrators have started arriving and among these is the Oystercatcher. The country doesn’t great them with spring in the air but cold and snowy weather.

The Oystercatcher is usually one of the first migrants to arrive and signal the coming of a new season. In their bright orange beaks and feet they are such a beautiful sight and their unique call does not go unnoticed. 

The Oystercatcher is mostly a migrant here and quite common in lowlands in the summer time. Most Oystercatchers go to the British Isles in the autumn and come back in March to April.

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Landscape, Vegetation

What do you do if you are lost…

Stafafura – Lodgepole pine – Pinus contorta

“What do you do if you are lost in an Icelandic forest?” used to be a popular joke, the answer being “you stand up!” Today this joke is obsolete. Spruce and pine forests are growing very fast all over the country and the trees at Snæfoksstaðir probably at least 12-15 metres high or more.

A Sunday stroll in the forest makes the weekend perfect. Nothing beats being outside in the fresh air, surrounded by  trees and bird song.

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Birds

Two White-tailed Eagles

Haförn – White-tailed Eagle – Haliaeetus albicilla (an adult and a younger one)

This snowy Sunday morning we saw a big bird out on the river and for the second time this week we spot a White-tailed Eagle, – see our last blog. It stayed there for quite a while and when it flew away down the river we decided to go for a drive and see if we could spot it again.

On the outskirts of town we noticed it out on the ice, or so we thought. However, after some consideration we saw it was a younger eagle, the white was missing from the tail feathers. When it took off we saw the other one.

The uproar and commotion they  caused was quite a sight. Panicked ducks and smaller birds took flight in a flash and the two of them were  followed and harassed by flocks of Ravens and Gulls.

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Birds

The only Jackdaw in Iceland

Dvergkráka – Jackdaw – Corvus monedula

The Jackdaw in our garden  is the only one in Iceland. At least the only recorded one this year. They used to be common vagrants but not many have been spotted in recent years. This Jackdaw was first spotted in Selfoss near the end of October and it has been in our garden for three weeks.  

Dvergkráka – Jackdaw – Corvus monedula

At first the Jackdaw was very shy and difficult to photograph but as the weeks pass it is getting to know us and becoming more at home. It eats all the feed we put out, apples, bread and seeds. It also uses its beak to search for food from under leaves and snow, so it should not have problems surviving here. 

The Jackdaw is the smallest of the crow family and the one residing in our garden is of the Southwestern Europe subspecies. Like all crows, they are inquisitive and intelligent. The Jackdaw is related to the Raven and the Starling.  

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Birds

The male’s black cap

Hettusöngvari – Blackcap – Sylvia atricapilla

These last few weeks at least three Blackcaps have been in the garden. Around this time of year these annual guests appear and we blog about them. They now come for the apples we put out but also some small berries from the shrubs which there are not a lot of, after the cold and wet summer here in South Iceland.

As is often the case, the name of the species comes from the colour of the male’s black cap but the females have a brown cap.

In a few instances Blackcaps have managed to survive the winter here in the garden but they are usually too cold and wet for them. There is a lot of competition here for the feed we put out as Blackbirds, Redwings and Starlings often have the upper hand and chase the smaller ones away.

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Landscape, Vegetation

Remains of an ancient birch forest

Drumbabót with a view to Glacier Mýrdalsjökull

The forest in Drumbabót was destroyed by a huge flood originated from an eruption in Glacier Mýrdalsjökull some 45 km away. The surge of water and glacial sediment swept away and broke tree stems as big as 30 cm in diameter. This eruption in the autumn of 822, most likely in the volcano Katla, wreaked havoc. Forest remains have in the last century been emerging from the sands by the River Þverá in Fljótshlíð, South Iceland. These are the remains of an ancient birch forest, which covered an area of over 100 hectares. This gives credence to the Icelandic Sagas which say that Iceland was more or less covered with trees from mountain to shore at the time of the settlement which is believed to have begun some fifty year later.

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