Category Archives: Birds

Birds

Goldcrests and aphids

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Glókollur – Goldcrest – Regulus regulus

After a warm summer Goldcrests have prospered in Icelandic forests. They mostly keep to spruce trees but can also be spotted in  larch trees, birch and contorta pine groves.

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Green Spruce Aphid (Elatobium abietinum) on Sitka Spruce  needle (Picea sitchensis).

The winter should also be a good one for these little birds that once were vagrants. Their main food source in South Iceland are minute bugs called aphids that suck sap from spruce trees. These aphids are now  reproducing rapidly  on the Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis).

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We spotted at least four Goldcrests last week in Hellisskógur by Selfoss.

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Birds

Skálar and Camp Greely

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Remnants of the old fishing village Skálar

In the 1920s Skálar in Langanes was a prosperous fishing village with around 120 inhabitants. During the summertime their numbers doubled. In 1940, during World War II, a few British soldiers were stationed there to guard the coast. In 1942 the Americans arrived and built a radar station in the heath above the village. The camp was called Camp Greely.

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The soldiers were on good terms with the villagers, they brought them canned goods and Christmas gifts to the children.  Advances in the fish industry led to the decline of the village and people started to move away from this remote place. Around 1945 only one family was left.

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What amazes us is that people lived in such a remote place without a lot of things we take for granted today like e.g. electricity. Skálar is an interesting place to visit both for its history and the scenery.

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Birds

Baird´s Sandpiper

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Leirutíta – Baird´s Sandpiper – Calidris bairdii

For the last few days a juvenile Baird´s Sandpiper has been seen in Bakkatjörn in Seltjarnarnesi /Reykjavík. It is a vagrant in Iceland. This is a tame bird that is easy to observe from a short distance as it searches for worms in the  in the mud.

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The Baird´s Sandpiper is a rather uncommon breeding bird in the Artic regions of East Siberia, Alaska,  Canada and in Northwestern Greenland. Its winter grounds are in South America.

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Baird´s Sandpiper is seen once in a while in Europe. In Iceland it has been spotted eight times, first in 1994.

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Birds

Meadow Pipits migrating

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Þúfutittlingur – Meadow Pipit – Anthus pratensis

Meadow Pipits have now gathered in groups and roam the countrysides in search of food. They are eagerly preparing for the long journey to their winter grounds in South Europe and Africa. Most of them will leave in the coming week when flying conditions over the Atlantic are favourable.  The groups are exceptionally big now which indicates that breeding was very successful this summer.

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In the South Interior last week Meadow Pipits were by the thousands, bigger groups than we have seen before.  They were eating berries, larva and spiders, all of which seemed in abundance. This Meadow Pipit was in Veiðivötn, South Iceland.

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Birds

Sandpiper enjoying life

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Sendlingur – Purple Sandpiper – Calidris maritima

The summer has been exceptionally good in Iceland and its effects can be seen in both fauna and flora in the interior. Golden Plovers, Ringed Plovers and  Purple Sandpipers are common breeding birds in the highlands and for them life has been good. Breeding was very successful and when summer is coming to an end bigger groups than in recent years can be seen all over the Icelandic highlands.

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Mating ritual of the male

The photos are from Veiðivötn (Fishing Lakes) in the southern interior.

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Birds

Aldeyjarfoss in Bárðardalur

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Aldeyjarfoss in Skjálfandafljót in Bárðardalur

Aldeyjarfoss is a waterfall in the river Skjálfandafljót which comes from Iceland’s, and Europe’s, biggest glacier, Vatnajökull. It is situated deep in the valley Bárðardalur where the highland road Sprengisandur starts.

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The waterfall, although not much higher than 20 metres,  is spectacular and no photo can give it enough credit. Beautiful black basalt columns are contrasted by the force of glacial water and the drive to the waterfall and short walk down from the parking space are so much worth it.

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The surrounding landscape consists of lava fields and rich green pastureland, full of birdlife and sheep. There are also a few sheep farms in the area, because although remote and on the edge of the highlands, the area is one of Iceland’s best suited for sheep farming.
See map:  http://mapcarta.com/17612214/Map

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Birds

Red-breasted Merganser spooked

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Toppönd – Red-breasted Merganser – Mergus serrator

Last week we saw a Great Northern Diver (Gavia immer)  sneak up on a Red-breasted Merganser with its chicks several meters from the shore.  The Diver behaved like a sheepdog and prevented the group from going on the lake. It dived towards them and forced them up to the shore repeatedly.

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The Merganser was on constant look out both on and under the water surface. Although the Diver’s mate and chick were in about 1 km distance the diver thought the Merganser and its chicks were a threat which should be kept at bay.

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The Great Northern Diver is known for its fierce treatment of intruders that venture into its territory.  It is known to dive under other birds wounding them with its spear-shaped bill.  People have witnessed them killing both duck and geese chicks this way and even adult birds, such as the Long-tailed Duck.

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Preparing for an attack
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Birds

Gannets at Stóri-Karl

Súla - Northern Gannet - Morus bassanus
Súla – Northern Gannet – Morus bassanus

The Gannet is the largest seabird in the North Atlantic. Gannets eat fish and flocks of them can be seen plunging into the sea from heights up to 30 – 40 metres. They spends most of their life at sea.

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Gannets don’t reach maturity until the age of five. They breed in colonies by coasts and islands and usually lay only one egg.

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Iceland’s second largest Gannet colony is at Stóri-Karl and Skoruvíkurbjarg in Langanes Peninsula. Stóri-Karl is a bird rock in the sea beside the cliff. These pictures are taken there.

Stóri-Karl in Skoruvík, Langanes
Stóri-Karl in Skoruvík, Langanes
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Birds, Landscape

Birdwatching platform at Skoruvíkurbjarg

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Platform with a view to the Gannet colony at Stóri-Karl

Langanes peninsula is the northeasternmost part of Iceland and a treat for birdwatchers. It is one of the most remote places and there is only a dirt road so you should not be in a hurry.  The road leads you to the narrow tip called Fontur where you have the North Atlantic surrounding you in several directions.

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In Skoruvíkurbjarg and Skálavíkurbjarg are steep sea cliffs. The area is known for its rich birdlife and at Skoruvíkurbjarg is the second biggest Gannet colony in Iceland.

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Trying to overcome her fear of heights

There is a very good birdwatching platform at Skoruvíkurbjarg where it is possible to see the Gannet, the Brünnich’s Guillemot, the Kittiwake and more at close hand. From the platform you have a view down to Stóri-Karl, a sea rock, which is home to the magnificent Gannet.

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Birds

Learning to cope

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Tjaldur – Oystercatcher – Haematopus ostralegus

The Oystercatcher is mostly a migrant in Iceland and quite common in lowlands. It usually arrives in the middle of March making it one of the first migrants to great us and signal the coming of a new season. On our trip to the Northeast we came across this chick that was learning to find food on its own. Seeing it imitate the parent was more than adorable.

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