Category Archives: Birds

Birds

The mysterious owl

Owls are mysterious birds often associated with the dusk and night time. They  howl in the night, creating a ghostly atmosphere and are often heard and seen in horror and crime movies.

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Brandugla – Short-Eared Owl – Asio flammeus

They are nocturnal creatures and their wide staring eyes lend them not only a ghostly but also a sharp and wise appearance. They have a very good eyesight and can turn their head around so nothing goes unnoticed. Tufts of feathers on the owl’s head lend them a likeness to horned devils and their shrill howls have given them a place in ancient folklore. Owls are both  fascinating and mysterious.

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Birds

Long distance flier

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Kría – Arctic Tern – Sterna paradisaea

Every spring Icelanders eagerly await the coming of the Arctic Tern and its arrival deserves news coverage.  The Arctic Tern is a long distance migrant. Its winter grounds are in the sea around South Africa and Antarctica but it breeds in the Arctic. Can you go any further?

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 Most Terns stay near the coast but they also venture inland, even as far as the interior. The Icelandic population is estimated around 500,000 pairs.

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Birds

Female putting on a show

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Maríuerla – Pied Wagtail – Montacilla alba

The Pied Wagtail is back, occupying its usual space in the garden, wagging its tail all over the place and enjoying wholemeal crackers, – its favourite.  A male bird was with her early on but now he is nowhere to be seen.  We have noticed that when her kind fly over she puts on a show. Trying to lure potential males to her she bends low sticking her tail straight up in the air. As far as we know she has not been successful.

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She has however been building a nest and in the last few days we have not seen her as often as before. So maybe she has already laid her eggs. We will be on the lookout for Wagtail chicks in the next few weeks.

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Birds

A lone Siskin

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Barrfinka – Siskin – Carduelis spinus

We welcomed a beautiful yellow vagrant in the garden this week. A small Siskin female came and made use of the feed with a group of Redpolls.  It also picked at some insects in the Rowan.

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In recent years a few Siskins have bred in South Iceland and this one is probably on its way to its breeding place. Hopefully it will find a mate there.

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Birds

Battle with an earthworm

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Heiðlóa – Golden Plover – Pluvialis apricaria

Golden Plovers can be seen all over the country by now but the first migrants usually arrive from their winter grounds in the British Isles in the end of March.  They are among the best loved Icelandic birds, the migrant that signals the coming of the long awaited spring here in the North.

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The Plover’s favourite food is earthworm and this bird had quite a long struggle with his lunch, as can be seen in the photos.

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Birds

Pectoral Sandpiper and Lesser Yellowlegs

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Two American waders together at Breiðabólsstaðatjörn/Álftanes (SW-Iceland), Pectoral Sandpiper and Lesser Yellowlegs

This spring three Lesser Yellowlegs have been spotted in Southwest Iceland.  Lesser Yellowlegs are rare vagrants and until now only 19 birds had been seen here, most of them in the autumn.  Lesser Yellowlegs are breeding birds in North America, and fairly common.

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Hrísastelkur – Lesser Yellowlegs – Tringa flavipes

The Pectoral Sandpiper is a more common vagrant in Iceland. It is a breeding bird in North America like the Lesser Yellowlegs.

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Rákatíta – Pectoral Sandpiper – Calidris melanotos

Two Lesser Yellowlegs and the Pectoral Sandpiper were in Álftanes yesterday evening.  The Lesser Yellowlegs is a new bird on my list but the Pectoral Sandpiper was already on the list.

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Birds

Harlequins still here

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Straumönd – Harlequin Duck – Histrionicus histrionicus

A group of Harlequin Ducks are on River Ölfusá. They are common here in  April but will leave when it gets warmer and the river becomes muddier because of snow melting in the highlands. Clear spring water rivers are their favourite.

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The Harlequin Duck stays in the ocean around Iceland during the winter time but comes inland, on rivers, with the coming of spring.

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Birds

Breeding has started

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Tjaldur – Oystercatcher – Haematopus ostralegus

The Oystercatcher is a common breeding bird in Iceland. Its typical breeding places are  near the sea and lakes in lowlands. The nest is usually in gravel or sand, but sometimes by the side of a road.

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This Oystercatcher, that was ringed last summer in Floi Nature Reserve, is back with its siblings

Part of the Icelandic breeding stock goes to the British Isles for  winter and comes back in the middle of March. Now in the beginning of May breeding is already on its way and the first chicks will be arriving in the end of the month.

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Ringed Oystercatchers are seen from time to time.  These have mostly been ringed in their winter grounds in The British Isles but some in Iceland in recent years.

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Birds

Flying inland

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Kría – Arctic Tern – Sterna paradisaea

The first Arctic Terns were seen by Selfoss today. They flew up River Ölfusá against the northern storm in a temperature slightly above zero. They are used to all sorts of weather here in the North but still they arrive every spring year after year all the way from the southernmost part of the Atlantic Ocean.
As early as the end of April they were first spotted by the seaside but now they are on their way inland in search of breeding places. The breeding time is the only time of year that the Arctic Tern searches inland, at other times it is constantly on flight over the open seas.

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Birds

Chirping incessantly

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Redpoll nest with chicks

Redpolls are among the first birds to lay eggs in the spring and now the chicks have already started hatching.  On my walk today I came across this nest in a spruce tree. Two chicks were in it but three were already out of it sitting on nearby branches, chirping incessantly for food. The parents must be very busy finding food for all these little mouths.

Auðnutittlingur - Redpoll - Carduelis flammea
Auðnutittlingur – Redpoll – Carduelis flammea
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