Ten days to the Winter solstice
All posts by Örn Óskarsson
The smallest immigrant
The smallest bird in Europe is an immigrant in Iceland and now part of the Icelandic birdlife. Since the first breeding was confirmed in 1996 it has spread over the country and breeds in spruce trees.
Annual Fieldfare
After yesterday’s snowstorm three Fieldfares turned up in the garden. They were obviously hungry and tired and enjoyed frozen apples on feeding trays and branches. They are annual visitors in Iceland and visit our garden from autumn to spring. Then they leave for their breeding grounds in Scandinavia.
Pursuing a Mallard
I caught sight of this Gyrfalcon over the river yesterday. It is a young bird, probably a male. It is always exciting to see a Gyrfalcon and I was ready with my lens when it passed by at great speed. It was pursuing a Mallard on Ölfusá River, South Iceland. The chase was without the desired result.
Photo taken on Nikon D90, Nikkor 200-500mm, f 5.6, 500mm, 1/1250, ISO 800.
Overwintering Greylag
In the last few years more and more Greylags choose to overwinter in Iceland instead of going to the British Isles. They are now unusually many on Ölfusá River near Selfoss. The group counts more than 500 birds. It is winter weather now with snow and frost and soon the river will freeze over. Whether the group decides to stay or leave remains to be seen. Will they decide to stay and struggle through the winter or flee to warmer places?
Tame Blackbirds
Blackbirds are becoming the most common garden birds in the winter time at least in some areas. In the garden we now have 12 Blackbirds all in search of food. Some are becoming quite tame and are not disturbed by my camera when I take photos of them.
Skaftafell
Skaftafell in Öræfi, Southeast Iceland, is part of Vatnajökull National Park. The scenery around Skaftafell is spectacular with jagged mountain tops and Iceland’s highest mountain, Hvannadalshnjúkur.
Volcanic eruptions in Öræfajökull have formed the landscape as well as the glacial rivers, Skeiðará, Morsá und Skaftafellsá, which contribute to the huge sands, Skeiðarársandur, that cover an area of around 1000 km2.
Hjálp in Thjórsárdalur
Þjórsárdalur is a wide valley located inland in Árnes county, South Iceland. Several rivers flow through the valley, forming waterfalls as they plung off the edge of the plateau.
Hjálp, or Hjálparfoss is one of the waterfalls in the valley, situated north of the volcano Hekla. It is a two-stepped waterfall, near where the rivers Fossá and Thjórsá join together. Beautiful basalt formations surround the waterfall. It is easy to reach from the main road and footpaths lead down to the riverfront.
Good morning
Cold air invasion
It has been getting colder in the last few days. The frost was around -7° C today and the forecast predicts up to -10°C tonight in the South and even colder in the North and the East. Cold air is on its way from Northeast Greenland and forecasts predict that the cold will reach West Europe tomorrow. A little ice has started to form on the river.
