All posts by Örn Óskarsson

Birds

Reykjavik Pond – Reykjavíkurtjörn

In the heart of downtown Reykjavík is Tjörnin, or the pond, with its ducks, geese and swans. On weekends it used to be a pastime to take the kids there to feed the birds leftover bread. This is alright in the winter time but people are now being asked to keep this under control especially in warmer weather when there is enough feed.

Going skating on the Pond was quite popular when we were young but today this is not so common with global warming and everything.

Despite this it is always interesting to watch the birds on the Pond whatever the season.

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Birds

Wintering Snipes

Hrossagaukur – Snipe – Gallinago gallinago

These three Snipes were huddled together in a small spring water creek near Ellidavatn, outside Reykjavik, after last weekend´s massive snowfall.

The Snipe is a common breeding bird in Iceland and most migrate to West Europe in the winter time. Some decide to stay for the winter, keeping to warm creeks and spring water that does not freeze. That is the place where they are sure to find food even in the harshest of weathers.

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Birds

Black and white

Svartþröstur – Blackbird – Turdus merula

Blackbirds have thrived in Iceland this winter. They are newcomers and the mild weather has been exceptionally favourable for them. However, this past week has been quite different. Up until now they have been able to pick earthworms and larva from the frost free ground. Now there is a lot of snow and a full blast winter has arrived.

We thought we would have a very mild, almost snowless winter and the Blackbirds had already started singing. By mid February the group that was here earlier had already gone,  leaving only one pair that had claimed our garden as its territory.  Now the group is here again searching for food which of course we are sure to have enough of.

There is no indication that the weather will change soon so we continue to feed the birds and enjoy the Blackbirds that look so picturesque in the snow.

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Birds

Little Grebe still on River Sog

Dverggoði – Little Grebe – Tachybaptus ruficollis

The Little Grebe is still on River Sog, on the reservoir between Ljósafoss power station and Írafoss power station. While I was checking up on it in the afternoon,  it ate one stickleback after another. No worries that the poor little vagrant doesn’t get enough food in Iceland.

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Atmosphere

Red Northern Lights

Red / purple Northern Lights on the south sky above Selfoss, South Iceland 27 February 2014

Normally, the Northern Lights are greenish in colour. Other colour variations from pink, to purple and red and blue can sometimes be seen but are not as common.

In the TV series Fortitude, season 2, filmed in Iceland, red Northern Lights adorn the night sky. These are, alas, not real thing and probably made with the help of computers.

Red Northern Lights are actually very rare and I have never seen anything like the ones in the TV series. Reds with a mix of green are more the real thing.

On February 27, 2014, Northern Lights in red and purple colours, mixed with the normal green, lit up the sky in Selfoss. That incredible  evening  I caught a lot of photos in my  garden.

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Birds

A very rare guest

Dverggoði – Little Grebe – Tachybaptus ruficollis

Little Grebe is a very rare vagrant in Iceland and has only been spotted here three times. In the last few weeks one has been on River Sog , on the reservoir between Ljósafoss power station and Írafoss power station. It has been seen eating sticklebacks, so food does not seem to be a problem.

It was first spotted in 2004 in the Southeast and the second bird in 2010 -11 in northern Iceland.

The Little Grebe has a wide distribution. It is a breeding bird in Central and South Europe and in southern Asia.

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Birds

Feeding the females before breeding

Krossnefur – Common Crossbill – Loxia curvirostra

It is mating time for the Common Crossbill, also called Red Crossbill. The males eagerly find food for the females and feed them to their apparent delight.

The Crossbills breed very early, sometimes in the middle of winter if there is enough feed and that seems to be the case now. People also put out seeds for them which hopefully makes life a little bit easier.

That is the case here where these photos are taken yesterday in the last week of January. Some visit their summerhouses all year round and part of the enjoyment is observing nature and the transformations that come with the changing seasons, – and the bird life is often at the top of the list.

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Birds, Landscape

Frozen paradise

Frosen paradise – the nature reserve in Flói

The Nature Reserve in Flói consist of wetlands, ponds and grassland. In the winter time when everything is frozen over it looks like something from á fairiy tale, – a winter wonderland.

The bird watching house in Nature Reserve Flói

In the summer time the Nature Reserve in Flói is teeming with birds. Today in mid winter I was surpised to see a pair of Wooper Swans, a Snow Bunting, a Redwing and a Wren.

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Birds

The northeasternmost part of Iceland

Langvía – Guillemot – Uria aalge – at Fontur

Langanes is a 40 km long peninsula that jots out to the North Atlantic in a northeasterly direction. It becomes more narrow as it nears the tip which is called Fontur.

At Fontur

At Fontur there are huge Guillemot colonies in the steep sea cliffs.

Langanes is one of the most remote places in Iceland. It is know for its birdlife, and a good birdwatching spot in Skoruvíkurbjarg. There you can watch the Gannet and Brünnichs Guillemot in Stóri Karl, a sea rock, from a relatively short distance.

View to the lighthouse at Fontur, the tip of Langanes.
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Birds

Arctic Skua and its prey

Kjói – Arctic skua – Stercorarius parasiticus

The Arctic Skua is rather common all around the country, especially by the shore although it can also be seen in the highlands. It is known to steal eggs and food from other birds such as the Arctic Tern but  also preys on smaller birds.

Last summer we witnessed an Arctic Skua catch a young Redshank (Tringa totanus). The parents tried to attack the Skua but were overpowered and the Skua swallowed to young Redshank.

It was a terrifying scene witnessing the helpless parents try to save their young own without success.  The pictures tell their story.

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