All posts by Örn Óskarsson

Birds

Adult colours appearing

Krossnefur – Common Crossbill – Loxia curvirostra (young male)

Through the summer we have put out feed for the birds, sunflower seed. In the end of May a Common Crossbill appeared with a few chicks, a male with its offsprings. In June the number of chicks multiplied and for a time there were two males with no less than sixteen baby chicks on the feeding tray.

Later the males disappeared leaving the chicks here on their own. They have been here the whole summer, often five to six of them but now they are eleven.

The chicks are becoming more mature and their plumage is taking on the colours of the adults. Reed and yellow orange feathers are appearing. The youngest, however, still hold on to their grey tones.

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Birds

Leaving highland lakes

Himbrimi – Great Northern Diver – Gavia immer

The Great Northern Diver breeds in Canada, Alaska, the northern regions of USA and southern Greenland but Iceland is the diver’s only habitat in Europe. 

In autumn  the Great Northern Diver leaves the highlands and stays in the ocean around the country until spring arrives again. The population in Iceland is believed to count less than 1000 birds.

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Birds

Small chicks in late August

Rjúpa – Ptarmigan – Lagopus mutus

It is late August in the highlands and already autumn. The seven Ptarmigan chicks we came across were so small that we worry they will not make it through the winter. After about a month the first snows can be expected.

The Ptarmigan is well adapted to the Icelandic climate and will stay in the highlands until the weather becomes so bad they can not find food. Then they will move down to the lowlands and survive the winter if they do not fall prey to predators such as foxes and falcons, not to mention the greatest threat of all – the man.

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Birds

A new garden bird

Glókollur – Goldcrest – Regulus regulus

The Goldcrest has not been among the birds that visit our garden on a regular basis. Every once in a while we would hear it and less frequently a bird would be seen but not for extended periods.  However, these last few weeks  there have been at least two who have stuck around.

The Goldcrest is the smallest bird in Europe. It was a vagrant in Iceland but is now counted among its inhabitants. Its song is very high pitched so those who have started losing hearing can not hear it.

After a  fairly mild winter and rather good summer  there is enough feed for them, such as spruce aphids which is often their main diet.  The numbers of Goldcrests in Iceland is on the rise and more often they are now seen in towns  although their main habitat is in spruce forests in the country.

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Birds

Garden birds

Músarrindill – Wren – Troglodytes troglodytes

July and August are usually the most peaceful months in the garden, meaning that there are not as many birds as in the winter months. We have continued putting out sunflower seed all summer so of course some birds come by regularly. Redwings, Blackbirds and Redpolls nested in our garden and in neighbouring gardens this summer. Most of these birds finished breeding in the end June except the Blackbird that breeds several times during the summer. According to our observations it is now breeding for the fifth time.

Young Red Crossbill

With the coming of autumn more and more birds appear in the garden and last week there were three Wrens here (ad+2 juv), a Goldcrest, Crossbills, Redpolls, Blackbirds, Redwings and Starlings.

Starling

On our blog you can see our weekly report on the birds in our garden: http://ornosk.com/weekly-bird-report/weekly-bird-report-2017/

Redpoll
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Birds

In highland heaths

Sendlingur – Purple Sandpiper – Calidris maritima (juv)

At this time of year young Purple Sandpipers are often seen in highland heaths and this year there are quite a lot of them despite a rather cold summer – or perhaps because of it.  In a short while they will be gathering for their flight to the coast.

Young birds

The Purple Sandpiper breeds in the Icelandic highlands and in a small area in Markarfljótsaurar, the estuary delta of the River Markarfljót.

Adult Purple Sandpiper

The Purple Sandpipers stay  in the highlands until frost and snow make it impossible for them to get their feed. Then they move down to the coast and stay there until spring arrives again.

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Birds

Breeding in the South

At this time of year the Barrow’s Goldeneye can be seen on lakes and rivers with its adorable chicks and sometimes with a lot of them. This bird with chicks was on Lake Nýjavatn in Veiðivötn in July.

Húsönd – Barrows Goldeneye – Bucephala islandica

Iceland is the only breeding place of the Barrow’s Goldeneye in Europe and the distribution has been more or less restricted to Northeast Iceland. More birds now breed in the South, e.g. in the Southern Highlands, in Lake Þingvallavatn and River Sog. Barrow’s Goldeneye stay in spring water lakes or rivers the whole year round and unlike most non-migrators they do not move to the sea around Iceland in winter.

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Keeping track of the chicks

Jaðrakan – Black-tailed Godwit – Limosa limosa

The Black-tailed Godwit is always agitated when its chicks are on the move. As with other waders they are born quite mature and leave the nest very early. By now they have started finding their way in life. The parents however do not seem so sure of their potential. The chicks are usually four so its quite a job to keep track of them. Here the parents have chosen a tree top to keep watch over them.

The Black-tailed Godwit is a migratory bird and those who did not manage to find a mate this spring have already left. Reports of ringed ones tell us that some are already in their winter grounds in Britain.

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Birds

Long-eared Owl

Eyrugla – Long-Eared Owl – Asio otus

With growing forests there are more instances of Long-eared Owls breeding in Iceland. These birds that were mostly migrants have now become native.  In 2003 the first breeding of a Long-eared Owl was recorded but it is believed that breeding started there a few years earlier.

The Long-eared Owl mostly eats mice, chicks and small birds. Owls are night creatures and the best chance of seeing one is in the twilight when they are hunting for food for their young ones.

This summer we have seen Long-eared Owls several times in forests in the South and twice a few chicks. This will probably be a good year for owls.

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