Category Archives: Birds

Birds

Divers’ party

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Himbrimi – Great Northern Diver – Gavia immer on Lake Litlisjór / Veiðivötn

One of the most prominent birds on lakes in the interior is the Great Northern Diver. It is most spectacular with its checked black and white pattern. Usually there is one pair on each lake. This summer was however not a successful breeding season so many of them have already started grouping before they leave for the sea around Iceland.

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The five Divers, that seemed to get on very well together, were photographed on Lake Litlisjór (Littlesea) in Veiðivötn (Fishing Lakes) in the Icelandic Southern Interior. This is a big lake around 9,2 square km, a fishing lake full of trout, up to 12 pounds or more.

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Birds

Golden Plover – golden moss

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Heiðlóa – Golden Plover – Pluvialis apricaria

The Golden Plover can be found all over Iceland, both in lowlands and highlands. They often choose their breeding place in areas that match their own colours, like the moss in the pictures here.

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This pair was busy trying to divert our attention from its chicks which were running around on their long legs. This was in the Southern Interior, more precisely in Veiðivötn, Fishing Lakes.

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Birds

Blackbird chick

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Svartþröstur – Blackbird – Turdus merula

The Blackbird pair in the garden usually breeds four times every summer. The first breeding is in April and the last one in August. This summer the couple has bred three times. Raising the chicks is a difficult job, the cats in the neighbourhood stalk them and most of them are eaten.  One chick from the June breeding (photo) is alive and two small chicks from the July breeding. We hope they will survive.

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Birds

Colourful Crossbills

Common Crossbills (also called Red Crossbills) are new breeding birds in Iceland.  New spruce and pine forests are growing fast in many places and are now big enough to be a habitat for some new settlers like the Crossbills. The Crossbills have various colours.
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Birds

Not easy to spot

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Hávella – Long-Tailed Duck – Clangula hyemalis  (male)

The Long-tailed Duck is a common breeding bird by lakes and ponds in the interior. The breeding time is in July.

The female is almost completely camouflaged on the nest

The female is well hidden on the nest while the male keeps watch not so far away. The nest is very difficult to spot because it matches the surroundings and the female stays perfectly calm. So pay attention to where you walk, tread lightly and carefully.

Keeping watch
The male keeping watch
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Birds

Cold spring spoils nests

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Himbrimi – Great Northern Diver – Gavia immer

Veiðivötn (Fishing Lakes) are a cluster of lakes in the southern interior of Iceland. Ordinarily there are around 35 to 40 Great Northern Divers there over the summer time and usually 10 – 15 nests. This spring it was very cold and a lot of snow and ice. The Great Northern Divers turned up at their usual time and at least 10 pairs layed eggs by the water edge of lakes. When it at last started to get warmer snow and ice melted and six of the nests went under water and were destroyed.  Only three chicks hatched from two nests in the area. This is by far the worst breeding to be seen since I started observing the Great Northern Diver in the area 15 years ago. The nest in the picture went underwater but in recent years this pair has always managed to raise two chicks.

With two chicks in summer 2014
With two chicks in summer 2014

This picture is of the same pair with two chicks last year.

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Birds

Creature of habit

This ringed Black-tailed Godwit was spotted in the Bird Reserve in Flói, South Iceland, 30 June. The bird was ringed in this same spot on  June 24, 2011. It has been spotted in the UK and near the place of ringing every year since then.

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Jaðrakan – Black-tailed Godwit – Limosa limosa

Black-tailed Godwits are quite obvious at this time of year. They are loud and try to protect their chicks and eggs from predators.

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Birds

Long distance migrant

Dunlins (Calidris alpina) are migratory birds that usually arrive in Iceland in May. They are long distance migrants that breed in Arctic regions. The European population’s winter grounds are in Africa, Southeast Asia  and the Middle East. Birds that breed in Arctic areas in Canada and Alaska only migrate  to the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of North America. Some Dunlins overwinter on the south coast of Spain and Portugal.

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Lóuþræll – Dunlin – Calidris alpina

A lot of Dunlins breed in marshlands in South Iceland. This one was in The Bird Reserve in Flói, South Iceland. The Icelandic breeding population is estimated around 270,000 birds.

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Birds

Shelduck with six chicks

Shelducks (Tadorna tadorna) are annual guests on Ölfusá River by Selfoss. They arrive in the end of March and stay in a group by the riverside until May. Then they disappear and appear again with chicks in the end of June. They probably breed by the river both above and below Selfoss.

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Brandönd – Shelduck – Tadorna tadorna

The photo is of a pair that had six newly hatched chicks. They were seen by Öflusá River on June 30. Only two of the chicks agreed to be on the photo.

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