Season’s Greetings to all of you. “Peace on earth and goodwill to all men”.
All posts by Örn Óskarsson
Two-barred Crossbill
A female Two-barred Crossbill has been in outside our living room window now for about a week, much to our delight. This bird is a very rare vagrant in Iceland, making this all the more exciting. The first one of its kind was recorded in Iceland in the Eastfjords, Stöðvarfjörður, in 2009. This female Two-barred Crossbill appeared here in the company of Common Crossbills which have now all left the garden.
Speculation is ongoing whether this guest is American or Siberian. The call of the Two-barred Crossbill could give us the answer, but, as of yet, I have not been able to record it successfully. This bird is, however, most likely a guest from the East, i.e. Siberian, as groups of Siberian Two-barred Crossbills visited the country this summer. This is probably one of these summer guests that has decided to stay on.
Grey Wagtail in Selfoss
The Grey Wagtail is an annual guest in Iceland. It is related to the White Wagtail and similar in size and shape, except the tail which is much longer.
They usually stay by streams or lakes and this bird was by River Ölfusá last week looking for and eating small animals from the moss by the riverbank.
This bird probably comes from Western Europe but different races of Grey Wagtails live farther south and east.
Low solar activitiy and Northern Lights
It’s Northern Light time and despite low solar activity they can still take your breath away. For a few days last week we had some Northern Lights albeit not the multi-coloured variety but beautiful all the same.
These pictures were taken around 8 – 10 o’clock in the evening in Grímsnes, South Iceland, temperature around 0° C.
An annual vagrant
The Little Egret is a majestic bird although quite small. In its very white plumage it stands out and is easily noticed. From August until the beginning of October this Little Egret was on River Ölfusá by Selfoss town.
The Little Egret has become an annual vagrant in Iceland in recent years. They used to be quite rare here but with rising temperatures their numbers are on the increases. Now they are usually seen here both in spring and autumn and some reside through the summer and winter.
These vagrants probably come from the British Isles.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
The Rose-breasted Grosbeak is an American vagrant and this is the third recorded bird for Iceland. Last spring one was found dead and the other was spotted in Þorlákshöfn in 2001. This Rose-breasted Grosbeak has been in Sólbrekka, in Reykjanes Peninsula, for more than a week now. It is almost the same size as the Redwings, which there are a lot of, and is easy to spot where it regularly comes to the feeding area – a great treat for birdwatchers.
The Rose-breasted Grosbeak is a large, seed-eating grosbeak of the Cardinal family. It breeds in cool-temperate North America and migrates to tropical America in winter.
The Rose-breasted Grosbeak is a very rare vagrant in western Europe.
A good year for the Goldcrest
One of a great many advantages of forestation is the increase in bird species. With growing spruce forests the Goldcrest has now spread over most of Iceland and become a native here. Its main habitat is spruce forests as its main food source are aphids that suck sap from spruce trees. Goldcrests are usually non-migratory birds but little is known about their behaviour in Iceland. Some birds stay here the whole winter but whether part of them migrate is not known.
The warm and sunny summer here in the South was very favourable for breeding and a great number of Goldcrests can now be seen in forests in South Iceland.
Gunnuhver
Reykjanes Peninsula is always a great area to visit with lots of interesting attractions. Gunnuhver is one of them. It is a hot spring in a bigger geothermal area, near the Lighthouse Reykjanesviti. It is the biggest mud pool in Iceland, 20 meters wide, with temperatures over 300°C. The area is on the Mid Atlantic rift and there are hot springs, mud pools, fumaroles and solfatara. – If you visit the area note especially that it is important to keep to the tracks as the area is highly active.
The hot spring gets its name from a female ghost the ended her days there some 400 years ago, or so they say. She had been a great nuisance until a priest set a trap for her and she fell into the hot spring. Her name was Gunna, thus Gunnuhver.
Citrine Wagtail
A Citrine Wagtail was spotted in Grindavík in the beginning of October, where is stayed for about a week. It seems that this little guy has had its time of hardship. Its tail is missing. This is the 15th Citrine Wagtail to be seen here in Iceland. It is related to our Icelandic White Wagtail but comes from Siberia.
It breeds in the tundra and in wet meadows and in winter it migrates to South Asia, mostly to highland areas. More vagrants are now spotted in western Europe as its range is spreading.
Kerlingarfjöll
Kerlingarfjöll are a cluster of mountains in the central interior near Hofsjökull Glacier and one of the biggest geothermal areas in Iceland. The area is especially known for its magnificent scenery and beautiful colours. Formerly this was a popular skiing area in the summer time but the snow has been melting gradually from the mountains and now tourist only come to view and hike in the area. For more info see: https://www.kerlingarfjoll.is/staying-at-kf
Kerlingarfjöll stand out from their surroundings with picturesque rhyolite mountains and spectacular colours. The snow covered mountaintops and geothermal steam create a landscape of colourful mystery.
Keringarfjöll are a nature reserve and travellers need to show special care and respect to preserve this unique and fragile environment.
Driving to Kerlingarfjöll takes about two hours from Gullfoss along a rough dirt road. Driving from Reykjavík takes about 3,5 to 4 hours.
