Category Archives: Birds

Birds

Will they stay or will they go?

Fjallafinka – Brambling – Fringilla montifringilla

In the beginning of November we told you about flocks of Bramblings that had been seen in Iceland and a group that took to our garden. Well, all through winter we have had them here, up to 15 in the autumn, but usually around 6 to 10. The males have begun to change colours, taking on their black caps to impress the females. We are excited to see whether they will breed here this spring.

Bramblings are vagrants in Iceland. They breed in Northern Europe, although not as northerly as Iceland, and are supposed to fly South for winter. A few instances of breeding have been recorded here.

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Winter guests on Lake Laugarvatn

Húsönd – Barrow’s Goldeneye – Bucephala islandica

The Barrow’s Goldeneye stays in Iceland the whole year round. Its distribution has been more or less restricted to Mývatn and Laxá in North Iceland. It prefers to stay in spring water and part of the population goes to the South during the coldest time of the year. Lake Laugarvatn is one the places where you can expect to spot them. Due to geothermal heat it does not freeze over even in the harshest of winters. From January to March they can be seen in groups not far from land.

Lake Laugarvatn in March

Iceland is the only breeding place of the Barrow’s Goldeneye in Europe and the distribution has been more or less restricted to Northeast Iceland. More birds now breed in the South, e.g. in the Southern Highlands, in Lake Þingvallavatn and River Sog. Barrow’s Goldeneye stay in spring water lakes or rivers the whole year round and unlike most non-migrators they do not move to the sea around Iceland in winter.

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Coming home

Whooper Swans and Greylags in Flói, South Iceland. Tindfjöll Mountains in the background.

Whooper Swans and Greylags have been arriving in groups in the last two weeks from their winter grounds in the British Isles. They can now be seen grazing in lowlands. Fields are more or less snowless although the mountains are still snow covered. Although we can still expect some snow it is likely to melt during the day as the sun crawls higher in the sky.
The Whooper Swans’ flight to and from their winter grounds has been monitored and in favourable winds their flight can last 8 to 10 hours. However, most are more likely to be in the air for up to 24 hours.

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North American Sea Duck

Kolönd – White-winged Scoter – Melanitta deglandi

The White-winged Scoter is a rather rare vagrant in Iceland. In recent years, however,  one to two birds have been spotted here almost every year.  It is a North American seabird that sometimes breeds far inland by lakes and ponds. The White-winged Scoter can be seen in gull colonies where  it breeds in high grass which shields the eggs from marauding gulls.

A White-winged Scoter and an Eider (female)

This young male Scoter was in the harbour of Þorlákshöfn, in South Iceland, two weeks ago. It was with a flock of Eiders and Long-tailed Ducks that had sought shelter there from heavy winds on the sea.

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Black Guillemots in the harbour

Teista – Black Guillemot – Cepphus grylle

In heavy winds the raging sea is not a pleasant place, not even for seabirds. The harbour in Thorlakshofn (Þorlákshöfn) is one of the places where birds flock to seek shelter in bad weathers. We saw some Black Guillemots there last weekend.

Black Guillemot still in winter plumage

The Black Guillemot, or tystie, lives by the sea, in rocks, cliffs and in islands along the North Atlantic coast as far south as Ireland in the east and Maine in the west. It breeds all around the Icelandic coastline and there are estimated around 20 to 30 thousand pairs here. The Black Guillemot can often be seen in seabird colonies along with other alcids. They usually stay near their breeding places in winter or take out to the open sea.

The male chasing the female

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No mean feat

Himbrimi – Great Northern Diver – Gavia immer

In Þorlákshöfn harbour last weekend we saw this Great Northern Diver in a battle with something we first thought was a bird. Later we saw that it was a fish, a flatfish. This went on all about the place for some time. Eventually the Diver managed to swallow the fish whole. Not a mean feat that. By lifting up its whole body with the bill high in the air down it went. Bon appetite.

Most Icelandic Great Northern Divers stay in the ocean around the country over the winter time but a few overwinter in the UK or West Europe.  Iceland is the only breeding place of the Northern Diver in Europe with  around 300 breeding pairs here.

The flatfish on its way down
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The Whooper Swans are here

Migrating Whooper Swans   –    Álft – Whooper Swan – Cygnus cygnus

It is still February but this week the first flocks of Whooper Swans could be seen flying along the Southeast coast. Small groups were spotted in Fáskrúðsfjörður and in Hornafjörður, having just arrived over the Atlantic Ocean. Most Whooper Swans migrate to the British Isles in the autumn and come back in late winter. They are one of the very first migrators to arrive. We hope their coming signals a change in the weather and look forward to some warmer days.

Wintering Whooper Swans on River Ölfusá

Whooper Swans are very common in Iceland and can be seen all over the country year round, although some still migrate to the British Isles in winter. On Ölfusá River by Selfoss  there were about 40 birds this winter. The Whooper Swans pair for life and return to the same breeding place year after year. They are very sensitive and if disturbed the pair may abandon the nest and eggs.

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The very first arrival

Sílamáfur – Lesser Black-backed Gull – Larus fuscus

The Lesser Black-backed Gull has arrived, the very first migrator to signal the changing of the seasons. Spring, however, seems we off as the weather has been at its very worst. But this is a promising sign, an indicator for the weather gods to change course and bring us some warmer winds.

The Lesser Black-backed Gull is usually one of the earliest arrivals in Iceland, or perhaps the very first to arrive as early as February. They spend a few winter months by the shores of the Iberian peninsula and North West Africa. It is the only gull that is a complete migrator in Iceland. The Lesser Black-backed Gull started breeding in Iceland in the 1920s and the breeding population now counts around 50,000 pairs. 

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