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.
The Great Blackbacks are the biggest of the seagulls. They are seldom grouped with the beautiful birds of this planet, however, up close they are not so bad, are they? Beautifully coloured beak, the breast and underpart the whitest of white and the black back must count for something.
The Great Black-backed Gulls mostly eat small fish but many dislike them because they are scavengers and opportunist that eat almost everything they can get and they are notorious for stealing eggs and chicks from nests. In Iceland there are even stories of Great Blackbacks killing lambs.
The Great Black-backed Gulls’ habitat is spreading southwards from the North Atlantic, from Iceland and as far south as France, and from the Atlantic coast of Canada as far south as North Carolina, USA.
The Ptarmigan is in its summer plumage and blends well in with nature in its favourite habitat. This female was busy feeding but plants are its main food source. A few years ago there was concern that their numbers were dropping but now they are on the rise again.
Ptarmigans can now be seen with chicks, often 10 – 12 of them but the eggs can be from 3 up to 13. They breed in the Arctic and are common all over Iceland although the northeast moors are the most densely populated.
The Great Northern Diver is the king of Icelandic mountain lakes and Veiðivötn in the South Highlands is a perfect place for breeding. The big clear mountain lakes of Veiðivötn provide all it needs. Trout is the Great Northern Diver’s favourite food and the lakes are full of fish.
There is just one pair on each lake and the lake is their territory – no visitors allowed in breeding time. They make their nests on islands or islets, often in moss or grass, and the eggs are two.
Iceland is the only breeding place of the Great Northern Diver in Europe. In winter they stay on the sea mostly around Iceland and they lose their distinctive black and white pattern and become grey.
In May a male Brambling was in the garden. He visited the feeding trays and could be heard singing here and in neighbouring gardens. The Brambling is a vagrant over most of Northern Europe and Asia, migrating southwards in winter.
Bramblings are annual vagrants in Iceland and there are several recordings of breedings but the Icelandic winter is probably not favourable since they have not become residents.
This is the first year that we have had pigeons in the garden, both Rock Doves and Wood Pigeons. We have no idea why this is happening now but with cereal farming on the increase Iceland is probably becoming more attractive to them.
At first they were quite shy but now they have got used to us and are not afraid to come to the feeding trays just outside our living room window, as can be seen on the pictures.
Rock Pigeons have breed in cliffs in a few places in East Iceland for some time but breeding pairs are believed to be about 300 – 500. The Wood Pigeon is mainly a vagrant but breeding has been recorded in a few places in recent years. Many years ago Domestic Pigeons used to come by the garden but they are not as common as they used to be.
The Tufted Duck is a small diving duck and a common breeding bird in Iceland. In winter some choose to stay on lakes and ponds that do not freeze but others migrate to the British Isles and South Europe. In spring they can usually be seen on River Ölfusá and in the last few years some have stayed by the river winter long. They breed by shallow lowland lakes where feed is abundant.
The male is black and white but the female is less decorative in its dark brownish plumage. They get their name from the obvious tuft on their head. The Tufted Duck is probably one the most common ducks in Iceland after the Eider and the Mallard.
The Red-rumped Swallow is a very rare vagrant in Iceland and only two sightings have been recorded, one in 1988 and the other in 2004. The first sighting in 1988 was made by Örn Óskarsson (ornosk) and the swallow stayed near our house by the banks of River Ölfusá. The third bird was spotted a few days ago in Stokkseyri and was last seen 12 – 13 May.
The Red-rumped Swallow comes from southern Europe, Asia and tropical Africa. Only the birds in Europe are migratory and most fly south, to South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. They build their mud-lined nests in cliffs but adapt well to buildings and bridges. They sometimes gather in flocks and can be seen in the hundreds on the plains of India.
The Siskin is a familiar guest in our garden both in spring and autumn. In their yellow plumage they are easy to spot and they always spark joy. This spring a male and a female have come into the garden together, so hopefully they will manage to breed and produce healthy offsprings.
Siskins have probably started breeding in Iceland some years ago, but they are migrators and fly South in winter. They are forest birds that mostly eat seeds from trees such as birch, conifers and elders. Their habitat is in Europe and the east part of Asia.
A Wood Pigeon can now be added to the list of birds in our garden. For about 10 days this bird has taken a great liking to our garden, and sometimes we have seen two of them. These two seem to be males and are not at all fond of each other’s company. Our Wood Pigeon is getting to like us more every day and becoming tamer and more relaxed.
The Wood Pigeon is a vagrant in Iceland but its numbers have been increasing in recent years. Confirmation of successful breeding has been recorded a few times.
In many countries the Wood Pigeon is not so well liked. In agriculture they can cause damage to crops and in some places it is legal to shoot them. Wood Pigeons are common in parks and gardens in Europe and western Asia and their numbers are growing in cities.