The Barrows Goldeneye has arrived at its winter grounds in Sog River, South Iceland. Sog River is the biggest spring-fed river and does not freeze even in the coldest of weathers. It is the perfect place for the Barrows Goldeneye that prefers to stay in spring water the whole year round. It is not a migrator and does not go out to sea like many non-migratory birds.
I came across another vagrant today, a Red-eyed Vireo. In Icelandic we call this bird Græningi, which translates to the Green Bird. That is a bit more descriptive than its English name.
Two weeks ago I saw a Red-eyed Vireo in Stokkseyri but this one was in in Hellisskógur by Selfoss, South Iceland.
The Common Chiffchaff is the second most common warbler seen in Iceland. They are vagrants here and most of them are seen in the autumn. Sometimes they manage to survive the winter and they are known to have bred here a few times. The Chiffchaff is a chubby little bird, a little bigger than the Wren.
Last weekend we saw six of them in several places along the Eyjafjöll Mountains, or under Eyjafjöll, as it is called in Iceland. In the last few weeks they have been seen in quite some numbers in Southeast and South Iceland. Now we just have to pray for a mild winter so our foreign guests will survive their visit up here.
Holtsós is a tidal lagoon separated from the ocean with only a thin strip of sand. In the calm weather at dusk on Saturday, it was lit up by the setting sun as we were driving home from our day’s outing under Eyjafjöll, South Iceland.
We had a full Moon tonight and the sky was clear so you could not have missed it if you were looking. We watched as it crawled up into the sky, changing colours from almost orange to yellow and then to white as dusk was falling. –Such a wonderful sight.
The Moon is full when it is completely illuminated as seen from the Earth. This occurs when the Moon is opposite to the Sun. The lunar month is 29-30 days so we have a full Moon about 12 times a year.
Some Redwings are still around but their numbers are decreasing. They are eating berries like there is no tomorrow. It is no telling whether they are preparing for their long journey over the Atlantic to winter grounds in Europe or if they are just trying to put on weight for the winter ahead.
Bird watching is an interesting pass time. There are not as many species to observe on an isolated island like Iceland, out in the North Atlantic Ocean, as there are on the mainland. But there are days when exotic birds are seen,some of which have come from afar. Today was such a day.
On my bird watching trip down to the shore I saw three vagrant bird species; Red-eyed Vireo from America, and Chiffchaff and Redstart from Europe. The Red-eyed Vireo and the Redstart were seen in a garden in the village Stokkseyri on the exact same spot that I saw a Red-eyed Vireo on September 30, last year. Strange coincidence that. The Red-eyed Vireo is one of the most common American vagrants in Iceland and I have seen five in the last few years.
These are all taken today.
Beautiful colours lend a magical light to the early morning just before sunrise.
In recent years it has become popular to have your wedding pictures taken in the great outdoors. Couples often travel long distances to be united in marriage and Iceland is a popular destination.
Last weekend we came upon these newlyweds at Glacier Lagoon, Southeast Iceland. I secretly caught pictures of them when no one was watching – hope they don’t mind. It was windy and the temperature just +5°C. We wish them a very happy future and warmer days than this one by the Lagoon surrounded by icebergs under the biggest glacier in Europe.
More on Glacier Lagoon – Walrus, – Fireworks
The birch (Betula pubescens) is the only tree species that grew natural forests in Iceland before the settlement. Still today it is an important species in forestry and reforestation. Every year considerable amounts of seed is collected and used to raise plants or sown straight into barren landscapes.
Here is a group of students from the upper secondary school in Selfoss collecting birch seed in Þjórsárdalur, South Iceland. There birch has grown in an area where former there were only barren sands. This birch forest is around 15 years old and has started producing seed.
Continue reading Collecting birch seed