All posts by Örn Óskarsson

Birds

Another Bohemian Waxwing

Silkitoppa – Bohemian Waxwing – Bombycilla garrulus

This magnificent Bohemian Waxwing has been in the garden for over a week now. It is older than the one from our blog in November which can be seen by the red tips on the wings and the yellow tips on the tail. The colour derives from colour pigments found in the fruit the Waxwings eat and these get bigger as the bird gets older.

Bohemian Waxwings are different from many other birds in that they do not claim territories and they don’t sing but have high-pitched calls. Having the Waxwing in the garden and seeing it from our windows is like having an ornament on display. 

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Atmosphere, Birds, Landscape, Weather

Winter Solstice

Selfoss, South Iceland at 13:30, 21 Dec.
The shortest day of the year and the longest night have just passed. We wake up to a new day which is supposedly a tiny bit longer than the last one and hopefully a bit brighter. Winter solstice was yesterday. December has been dark, literally speaking. No snow here in South Iceland to brighten up our days, mostly rain with overcast skies. Christmas lights, however, make up for the lack of daylight in the Yuletide celebrations. – Happy holidays and peace on Earth.
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Birds

Groups of Fieldfares

Gráþröstur – Fieldfare – Turdus pilaris

In the last few weeks up to four Fieldfares have been visiting the garden. They come for the berries on the Vosges whitebeam, which is a relative of the Rowan or Sorbus family. The Fieldfare is not put off by the boisterous Starlings that have occupied the garden and claimed as their own.

It seems that more Fieldfares are around this autumn than in the last few years and groups have been seen all over the country. Last winter, however, we only once saw a Fieldfare here in the garden.

Fieldfares are annual guests in Iceland and almost every winter groups come from Scandinavia and overwinter here. They are known to have bred in North Iceland.

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Birds

Bohemian Waxwing

Silkitoppa – Bohemian Waxwing – Bombycilla garrulus

There is a Bohemian Waxwing in our garden!  We have not had one since 2013 and we are happy. These magnificent birds do not go unnoticed as they are so different from all Icelandic birds. Bohemian Waxwings are vagrants in Iceland that probably come from Northern Eurasia.

Bohemian Waxwings breed in the northern forests of Eurasia and North America. They live on fruits and berries in the winter but insects in the summer. When food is scarce they take to travelling, often in groups. Sometimes groups from Eurasia visit Western Europe in search of food.

In the last two weeks it seems that groups have come to Iceland, mostly in the North. This is the only Bohemian Waxwing having been reported here in South Iceland this autumn.

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Birds

North American vagrant visitor

Dulþröstur – Hermit Thrush – Catharus guttatus

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 prefers to hide in the thickest trees and shrubs, and under them.  The Hermit Thrush is very common in North America and a has big distribution range.

A Blackpool Warbler was also spotted in Hallskot in the end of September. So Hallskot is certainly an interesting birding spot.

This autumn two other North American Catharus Thrushes have been seen in Iceland, two Swainson’s Thrushes in Hornafjörður, Southeast Iceland, and a Gray-cheeked Thrush in Ölfus, Southwest Iceland.

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Birds

Seeds from the Alder

Auðnutittlingur – Redpoll – Carduelis flammea

Although the Redpolls frequent our feeding trays, they are also diligent in nibbling on seeds from the Sitka Alder and Green Alder. Redpolls eat Birch seeds and all kinds of flower seeds, and insects in the summer time. However, after a cold and wet summer the availability of Birch seeds is scarce.

Recently flocks of Redpolls have been seen feeding on seeds in Alder trees in the South of Iceland.

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Birds

Staying for the winter?

Fjallafinka – Brambling – Fringilla montifringilla

Bramblings are annual guests in our garden. In the end of April there were three here but last winter we had up to 15 birds here. Now we have a Brambling again, one which has probably been in Iceland for the summer. The question now is whether this Brambling is staying or migrating South in autumn, as is their custom in their usual habitat.

Brambling feeding with a Common Crossbill

Bramblings are vagrants in Iceland. They breed in Northern Europe, although not in Iceland, and are supposed to fly South for winter. A few instances of breeding have been recorded here. Here is a blog from April this year.

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Birds

Blackpoll Warbler

Rákaskríkja – Blackpoll Warbler – Dendroica striata

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 spotted, the Red-eyed Vireo and Swainson’s Thrush.

The Blackpoll Warbler is a breeding bird in the spruce forests of North America and goes all the way to the northernmost regions of the taiga. It is a migrator with winter grounds  in South America.

Although the Blackpoll Warbler is rare in Iceland it is the most common warbler to be seen here.

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Birds

Chicks in autumn

Krossnefur – Common Crossbill / Red Crossbill – Loxia curvirostra

Although it is the end of September with temperatures under zero and winter ahead of us, the Common Crossbill is with chicks.  Yesterday there were ten Crossbills in our feeders. Here a mother is feeding a chick which is probably not older than a couple of weeks. In this way the Common Crossbills are different from other Icelandic birds which only breed in spring and summer. The Common Crossbills seem to breed all year round, depending only on the availability of food.

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Birds

The predator and its prey

Smyrill – Merlin – Falco columbarius

Now is the time for the Merlin to prepare for the flight to its winter grounds in the UK. It is also migration time for the smaller birds and the Merlin is hunting for food to save up energy for the journey. They can now be seen hunting in heaths and marshlands.

The Merlin is the most common predatory bird in Iceland. It is mostly a migrator with only a small part of the stock remaining here during winter.

Þúfutittlingur – Meadow Pipit – Anthus pratensis

The Meadow Pipit is probably the most important food source but all small birds are also on the menu e.g. Snow Buntings, Redwings, Starlings and even birds as big as the Golden Plover.

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