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.
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.
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 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.
The first Common Kingfisher has been spotted in Iceland. It was first seen August 18 by a forest pond near Mógilsá, just outside Reykjavík. Since then the most avid birders have spent hours trying to get photoes of this rarity which has proved to be quite a feat.
The Common Kingfisher is a native to most of Europe, Asia and North Africa, and breeds as far north as South Scandinavia. Its favourite habitat is clear water ponds, rivers and lakes with overhanging shrubs and trees by the waterside and fish in abundance.
diving for fish
The forest pond by Mógilsá is probably the ideal place to live for the Common Kingfisher with clear fresh water and both trout and sticklebacks. It is very shy and hides in the trees, giving birders a hard time to catch a picture of it. When it emerges and dives for fish, it is like a blur of colour moving quickly across the water – and you can easily miss it if you are not vigilant enough.
In my second trip I managed to get these pictures which are heavily cropped. Hopefully this Common Kingfisher will take a liking to Iceland and manage to survive the winter. The circumstances seem ideal so we can only hope that it will be joined by another of its kind and start breeding here in coming years.
The Mallard is the biggest of the dabbling ducks and widely distributed across both hemispheres. It is the most common and widely spread duck in Iceland. It breeds in a wide range of habitats and lays 8 to 13 eggs. This summer breeding has been very successful on River Ölfusá where this duck was with her 9 chicks.
Most Mallards overwinter in Iceland, staying by the seaside or in the sea around the islands. Some probably go to the British Isles for winter.
Silfurský – noctilucent clouds – night shining clouds
Night shining clouds or noctilucent clouds are not so common. In Iceland they can only seen around midnight in the end of July and the earlier part of August. These are very thin blue white clouds that reach up to 80 km height, whereas usual clouds only reach up to around 10 km. This natural phenomena was first described in 1885, then only in connection with major volcanic activity. For further information see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noctilucent_cloud
Today these clouds have become more common and are not only seen in connection with volcanic eruption. It is believed that pollution is the cause, i.d. the breakdown of methane gas in the mesosphere. The reason we see these clouds light up are the ice crystal that are generated when methane gas disintegrates.
Last night at 1 o’clock, when these photoes were taken, night shining clouds could be seen from Selfoss, lighting up the northern sky. – If we have clear skies tonight, you might be lucky enough to see these beautiful clouds in the northern sky.
A Wood Sandpiper has been in Garður, Reykjanes Peninsula, since the end of July. It is a common breeding bird in the subarctic wetlands of Europe and Asia and will probably become native to Iceland in the coming years. Instances of breeding are known and most of the birds have been spotted by Lake Mývatn.
The Wood Sandpiper is a common bird in freshwater wetlands. It migrates south to Africa, Southern Asia, mostly India, and Australia.
This Wood Sandpiper was in the company of a Red Shank and a Dunlin, all of them in search of food in a shallow pond. We saw it catch some sticklebacks which is probably its favourite food.
This summer a Wood Pigeon has been the most prominent bird in our garden. It has taken a liking to our garden, or more precisely the sunflower seeds. Usually there is just one but every once in a while two of them show up. They feel at home and come to the window sills to remind us to keep filling the feeding trays.
Wood Pigeons are vagrants in Iceland but with increased cereal cultivation, Iceland will become more viable for them. They are beautiful birds and a nice addition to our usual guests but in many countries they are considered agricultural pests.
The Ringed Plover is a small shorebirds, delicate and beautifully proportioned. In Iceland they breed all over the country, from the coast and lowlands, up to the highlands. Its favourite habitat are open sandy areas where there is little vegetation and it lays its eggs in sand or gravel.
The Ringed Plovers are migratory birds that fly south to South West Europe in the autumn and arrive back in Iceland in April. It is estimated that the breeding population counts around 50,000 pairs.
