Category Archives: Birds

Birds

Small diving duck

Skúfönd – Tufted Duck – Aythya fuligula

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.

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Vagrant from far away

Brandsvala – Red-rumped Swallow – Cecropis daurica

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.

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Familiar guests

Barrfinka – Siskin – Carduelis spinus

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.

female siskin

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.

female and male Siskin
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A big garden bird

Hringdúfa – Wood pigeon – Columba palumbus

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.

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Drying off

Dílaskarfur – Cormorant – Phalacrocorax carbo

Cormorants are quite common all along the Icelandic coastline. They can easily be spotted where they spread their wings, waiting for them to dry off after diving. They are fish eaters and excellent divers.

In Iceland they lay their eggs in small islands off the coast. In other countries they may lay their eggs in trees or cliffs by the coast or even inland. During the winter time some stay on rivers and lakes, but most of them stay by the shore.

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A vagrant from the West

Hrísastelkur – Lesser Yellowlegs – Tringa flavipes

A Lesser Yellowlegs was spotted several days ago in Sandgerði, Reykjanes. This North American shorebird is a rare vagrant in Iceland. It is related to the Redshank, a little lighter in colour, similar in size, but the legs are yellow, not red.

The Lesser Yellowlegs is a North American bird that lives in the boreal forests of North America, from Quebec  to Alaska. They are migrators that fly South in winter, to the Gulf coast of Mexico and to South America. They are regular vagrants in Europe and have been spotted around 20 times in Iceland.

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The meadows come alive

Þúfutittlingur – Meadow Pipit – Anthus pratensis

The meadows have come alive with birds. Spring is here and most of our Icelandic migrants have arrived. The bird reserve in Flói is a good place to watch them and observe their behaviour.  Meadow Pipits, Iceland’s most common passerine birds,  are prominent here with their short tsi tsi song and erratic flight.

Jaðrakan – Black-Tailed Godwit – Limosa limosa

The Black-tailed Godwit is a common breeding bird in the lowlands around most of Iceland. It lays its egg in grown wetlands so Flói Reservation is an ideal breeding place for it.

Hrossagaukur – Snipe – Gallinago gallinago

The Common Snipe has also arrived as many have noticed. It is difficult not to notice their arial dives and the loud drum like  sound they make by vibrating their tail feathers.

Stelkur – Redshank – Tringa totanus

The Red Shank also does not go unnoticed, it is such a loud bird. It breeds in all kinds of wetland and for them Flói Reserve has it all.

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The little delicate Wheatear

Steindepill – Wheatear – Oenanthe oenanthe

The Wheatear is one of the many small passerine birds that can now been seen in lowlands all over the country. It is a common breeding bird in Iceland that usually arrives here in May. These photoes were taken at the shore by Eyrarbakki and in Flói Reserve this week.

Male Wheatear

A lot of Wheatears are already here although most of them usually come to Iceland in May. In September they fly off to their winter grounds in West Africa. Some of them only have a stopover in Iceland on their way to their breeding grounds in Greenland and North Canada.

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Sand Martin

Bakkasvala – Sand Martin – Riparia riparia

In the last few days southeast storms have probably blown more than just our migrants to Iceland. A rare guest, a Sand Martin, has been flying about in our neighbourhood and what a flier. Getting a photograph of it is almost impossible. It has been so very  busy feeding that it seems never to stop flying. Hence ,these not so great photoes. Its main food source are flies, which are not so many at this time of year.

The Sand Martin is a rare spring vagrant in Iceland and has almost exclusively been spotted in the Southern part of Iceland. Between 30 – 40 Sand Martins have been reported here, all in the South except one. Sand Martins live almost all over the world, wintering mostly in South America and South and Central Africa.

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Belted Kingfisher

Beltaþyrill – Belted Kingfisher – Megaceryle alcyon

A rare vagrant such as the Belted Kingfisher is surely a treat for Iceland. This colourful bird is not like any Icelandic bird.  Interestingly enough though, this one has gone unnoticed, at least by birders, probably since November. A week ago it was spotted by birders, much to their delight. In November a sighting was reported but the bird had not been photographed and it was not spotted again.  Now it is at the same place by Varmá in Mosfellsbær, a neighbouring town of Reykjavík.

This female bird never goes far from a pond which provides its ideal feed, sticklebacks. In winter the Kingfisher stays by water that doesn’t freeze so this pond is perfect. They make their nests in holes that they dig by lakes, rivers or ponds. Since this female is on her own, there will be no nest making in this otherwise ideal breeding place.

The Belted Kingfisher is an American bird and the one which has the most widely spread habitat of all birds in North America. This is the sixth Belted Kingfisher to be seen in Iceland.

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