In the twilight the owls go hunting. This Short-Eared Owl just caught an adult Redwing, – such a big prey. You can not but feel sorry for the poor Redwing. The owl was only a few metres from us and caught us off guard when it suddenly took flight . Only a short time later we saw at least four other owls. All of them hunting.
This summer in East and North Iceland was especially favourable for owls and that accounts for the numbers we saw this evening in Hérað, near Hallormstaðaskógur, East Iceland.
At this time of year Whimbrels have started gathering and some might even have left for their migratory flight. Here in the South the summer has been cold and no berries to be had but they are the major part of the Whimbrel’s diet by late summer. Quite a letdown since berries are a source of energy for their migratory flight. The North and East of Iceland are a different matter concerning berries but there the summer has been quite warm and sunny. Hopefully there will be enough insects and other stuff for the Whimbrels here in the South to feed on before they leave the country.
The Whimbrel is always quite prominent in the landscape with its long beak and unique voice. Its song is a loud rolling twitter, easily recognisable. In the mating time they also give a low whistle followed by a trill. Their winter grounds are south of the Sahara in West Africa.
Hafnarhólmi islet by Borgarfjörður Eystri in East Iceland is a perfect place to observe Puffins and Kittiwakes, as well as some other sea birds. The time of year is late April until the middle of August but then the birds return out to sea. Not only is it a nice spot for birders but Borgarfjörður Eystri is also special for its beautiful mountain scenery although it is a bit out of the way and the roads are sometimes rough.
Hafnarhólmi is part of the small harbour giving it shelter from the open sea. The islet is covered with Puffin holes and Puffins can be seen flying in and out of them. When Puffins are observed in sea cliffs often you can only see them from above unless in a boat. Here you can look almost straight into the holes and might even see a little one peering out. In Hafnarhólmi you can expect to see Puffins, Kittiwakes, Fulmars and Common Eiders.
Hafnarhólmi is by the harbour located a few km from the small town. To facilitate birdwatching several staircases have been built, as well as a bird hide. Access to the area is free but guests are asked to donate to help maintain the area.
The Eggs of Merry Bay (Eggin í Gleðivík) is a piece of art created by Sigurður Guðmundsson in 2009. Each of the 34 eggs represents its real life counterpart in shape, colour and pattern. The egg of the Red-throated Diver is the biggest of them, as is the case in nature, but all 34 bird species breed in the surrounding area.
Djúpivogur is a little fishing town in East Iceland and a nice place to stop by on the way. It also has an interesting bird reserve which is worth visiting.
Year after year the same White Wagtail pair breed in our garden, – at least we like to think so. Being migrants they come for the summer and by now they have bred and their offsprings chase them around the garden. The young ones whine for food, or just attention. It is interesting to observe their agile flying skills to catch insects, spiders and the like. They even grab the occasional seed from the feeders.
Just caught a spider
The White Wagtail’s winter grounds are in West Africa and most arrive back in Iceland in the end of April or beginning of May. The Icelandic breeding population counts around 50,000 pairs.
Krossnefur – Common Crossbill / Red Crossbill – Loxia curvirostra: Female feeding chick
The Common Crossbills have only been breeding in Iceland for as much as ten years. They are different from our other birds in that they are breeding for most of the year, depending on the availability of food. A lot of Common Crossbills now breed in the spruce and pine forests that are growing fast in the vicinity of Selfoss. Groups of them come by our garden to dine on sunflower seeds repeatedly during the day. The parents feed the young ones but they soon start fending for themselves.
The male its offspring
Common Crossbills are resourceful and tend to go some distances in search of food if need be. In their orange and yellow colours they light up our days but the South of Iceland has had more than its share of rain this spring and summer.
Rósafinka – Common Rosefinch – Carpodacus erythrinus
It is quite extraordinary how many birds visit the garden when feed is made available to them in summer. This female Rosefinch has been in our garden for several days but the same bird was probably spotted in another garden in Selfoss last week.
The Rosefinch is a rare vagrant in Iceland. It is originally an Asian bird but has been spreading westwards to Europe in recent decades. It breeds in most of northern Asia, all the way to Scandinavia. In winter it migrates to Southeast Asia.
The female is brownish is colour whereas the male is very spectacular with a scarlet head, breast and rump.
This wonderful group of Canadian birdwatchers visited us yesterday. They managed to add a new species to their list, a Rosefinch. Seeing Common Crossbills and Redpolls so close was also of interest. – We can almost say that our garden is becoming a landmark for birders.
Year after year a White Wagtail couple resides in our garden. Their place is west of the house and wholemeal biscuit crumbles are their favourite. This spring was cold and long and they even experienced snow. This picture is from the beginning of May. The Wagtail is a migrator that usually arrives in Iceland around April 25.
Never before has a female White-winged Crossbill been spotted in Iceland, being the second of its kind after the male which was spotted in the Reykjanes Peninsula last autumn. Here in our garden, where there are vigilant eyes, this beautiful American vagrant was eating sun-flower seeds with Common Crossbills and Redpolls.
The White-winged Crossbill is a sub-species of the Europe one, called Two-barred Crossbill, which is also a rarity having only been spotted once in Iceland.
The White-winged Crossbills are finches, rather large ones, and their breeding area is in conifer forests across the northernmost areas of United States, Canada and Alaska. Their bills are especially adapted to getting the seed from conifer cones which is almost their only food source. They are not migrators but if food is scarce they may go with groups of Common Crossbills. They are smaller than the Common Crossbill and stand out with two white wing bars which give them their name.
White-winged Crossbill and Common Crossbill (Am. Engl.: Red Crossbill)
