A female Siskin (Carduelis spinus) appeared in the garden today. Siskins have bred in Iceland on and off in the last 15 years. The population is small and fragile.
Siskins are migrants in Iceland and there are probably great losses on their long journey over rough oceans to and from their winter grounds.
The first Red-Necked Phalaropes (Phalaropus lobatus) have been arriving in Iceland in the last few days. They are the last of the migrants to arrive along with their cousins the Grey Phalarope/Red Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius) of which there are only a few in Iceland. The Icelandic Red-Necked Phalarope probably overwinters with the North American population on the Pacific coast of Ecuador and Peru. They are seabirds that only come inland to breed but they breed both in lowlands and highlands.
The Icelandic population is estimated around 50,000 pairs.
More on the Red-necked Phalarope
A lot of Golden Plovers are still in urban areas, in places where we are not so used to seeing them. You can see them in home gardens and most open areas and they are often not getting along too well. It seems that they are claiming territory and have to chase away those that come too close.
The Golden Plover´s habitat is in lowlands and highlands, in meadows and heaths. This spring there has been a lot of snow in the interior so the ones that are used to breeding in the highlands are probably the ones that are still in the towns. Hopefully the snow in the interior will melt soon so they can move to their breeding areas.
The first Arctic Terns were seen in Selfoss yesterday. A few days ago they were seen at the coast. The Tern is known as one of the longest distance migrant. It is an agile flyer and is on constant flight over sea except during the breeding time in the Arctic. Its winter grounds, if you can call it that, are in the sea around South Africa and Antarctica.
The Tern is a breeding bird in Iceland, mostly staying near the coast but also inland, even as far as the interior. The Icelandic breeding population is estimated around 500,000 pairs.
Video from last summer, Veiðivötn, South Interior, Iceland.
Meadow Pipits visit the garden both in spring and autumn. Now we have had up to four at the same time which is unusual. In the last few days two of them have claimed territory here, one south of the house and the other north of the house. They chase all others of their kind away and are eating the leftovers from this winter, sunflower seeds, something we have not seen before. They will probably move to their natural habitat in the meadows as soon as the weather gets milder.
There are a lot of Dunlins (Calidris alpina) on beaches and in river-mouths in South Iceland now. Yesterday morning there were thousands of them on the beach in Eyrarbakki where these photos were taken.
The most densely populated Dunlin breeeding area is in marshlands in South Iceland. The Icelandic breeding population is estimated around 270,000 birds.
This male Ptarmigan is still white. The females get their summer colors earlier so they do not attract as much attention during the nesting time.
Despite cold northerly winds the Whimbrels (Numenius phaeopus) are coming to Iceland, ony by one. They come all the way from West Africa, south of the Sahara, where they have been since autumn. The Whimbrel is common in lowlands all over the country. The breeding population is estimated 250,000 pairs.
The pictures are taken by the seaside in Eyrarbakki yesterday. Whimbrels are not common by the seaside but this one was probably dead tired after its long flight from Africa.
On our bird watching trip Sunday morning we saw these three Slavonian Grebes by the old dock in Eyrarbakki.
The Slavonian Grebe (Podiceps auritus) is a species with an unfavourable conservation status in Europe, amber list criteria according to RSPB. The population is recovering and the population size has more than doubled in the last 25 years. The estimated population in Iceland is around 700 breeding pairs.
In the winter time the Slavonian Grebe stays in the sea, some in the ocean around Iceland and some also in Western Europe. You are most likely to see them in and around Mývatn in the North, Ástjörn in Hafnarfjörður and Reykhólar in the West. The Slavonian Grebe lives in lakes and ponds in the summer time and the nest floats on the water among the reeds.
