It’s Northern Light time and despite low solar activity they can still take your breath away. For a few days last week we had some Northern Lights albeit not the multi-coloured variety but beautiful all the same.
These pictures were taken around 8 – 10 o’clock in the evening in Grímsnes, South Iceland, temperature around 0° C.
The Little Egret is a majestic bird although quite small. In its very white plumage it stands out and is easily noticed. From August until the beginning of October this Little Egret was on River Ölfusá by Selfoss town.
The Little Egret has become an annual vagrant in Iceland in recent years. They used to be quite rare here but with rising temperatures their numbers are on the increases. Now they are usually seen here both in spring and autumn and some reside through the summer and winter.
These vagrants probably come from the British Isles.
The Rose-breasted Grosbeak is an American vagrant and this is the third recorded bird for Iceland. Last spring one was found dead and the other was spotted in Þorlákshöfn in 2001. This Rose-breasted Grosbeak has been in Sólbrekka, in Reykjanes Peninsula, for more than a week now. It is almost the same size as the Redwings, which there are a lot of, and is easy to spot where it regularly comes to the feeding area – a great treat for birdwatchers.
The Rose-breasted Grosbeak is a large, seed-eating grosbeak of the Cardinal family. It breeds in cool-temperate North America and migrates to tropical America in winter.
The Rose-breasted Grosbeak is a very rare vagrant in western Europe.
One of a great many advantages of forestation is the increase in bird species. With growing spruce forests the Goldcrest has now spread over most of Iceland and become a native here. Its main habitat is spruce forests as its main food source are aphids that suck sap from spruce trees. Goldcrests are usually non-migratory birds but little is known about their behaviour in Iceland. Some birds stay here the whole winter but whether part of them migrate is not known.
The warm and sunny summer here in the South was very favourable for breeding and a great number of Goldcrests can now be seen in forests in South Iceland.
Reykjanes Peninsula is always a great area to visit with lots of interesting attractions. Gunnuhver is one of them. It is a hot spring in a bigger geothermal area, near the Lighthouse Reykjanesviti. It is the biggest mud pool in Iceland, 20 meters wide, with temperatures over 300°C. The area is on the Mid Atlantic rift and there are hot springs, mud pools, fumaroles and solfatara. – If you visit the area note especially that it is important to keep to the tracks as the area is highly active.
The hot spring gets its name from a female ghost the ended her days there some 400 years ago, or so they say. She had been a great nuisance until a priest set a trap for her and she fell into the hot spring. Her name was Gunna, thus Gunnuhver.
A Citrine Wagtail was spotted in Grindavík in the beginning of October, where is stayed for about a week. It seems that this little guy has had its time of hardship. Its tail is missing. This is the 15th Citrine Wagtail to be seen here in Iceland. It is related to our Icelandic White Wagtail but comes from Siberia.
It breeds in the tundra and in wet meadows and in winter it migrates to South Asia, mostly to highland areas. More vagrants are now spotted in western Europe as its range is spreading.
Kerlingarfjöll are a cluster of mountains in the central interior near Hofsjökull Glacier and one of the biggest geothermal areas in Iceland. The area is especially known for its magnificent scenery and beautiful colours. Formerly this was a popular skiing area in the summer time but the snow has been melting gradually from the mountains and now tourist only come to view and hike in the area. For more info see: https://www.kerlingarfjoll.is/staying-at-kf
Kerlingarfjöll stand out from their surroundings with picturesque rhyolite mountains and spectacular colours. The snow covered mountaintops and geothermal steam create a landscape of colourful mystery.
Keringarfjöll are a nature reserve and travellers need to show special care and respect to preserve this unique and fragile environment.
Driving to Kerlingarfjöll takes about two hours from Gullfoss along a rough dirt road. Driving from Reykjavík takes about 3,5 to 4 hours.
In the autumn of 1956 the first Tennessee Warbler was recorded for Iceland, then in Snæfellsnes. Now some 63 years later the second one has been spotted in Reykjanes Peninsula on September 8, by the picturesque lighthouse Reykjanesviti.
The Tennessee Warbler is a breeding bird in the Canadian boreal forests and winters in Central and South America. Its arrival in Iceland is the fault of some heavy southerly winds caused by a low pressure area. These have blown our little friend straight over the North Atlantic and the lights from the lighthouse Reykjanesviti have probably guided it ashore. Reykjanes Peninsula, however, is not the best place for this bird that relies heavily on insects as its main food source. The area is mostly without vegetation but hopefully the Tennessee Warbler will soon start looking for a better place with spruces and pines – its ideal habitat.
A lot of birders have already seen this little bird that does not seem alarmed by the attention. It is probably not far from the truth to say it may be the most “twitched” bird in one day ever in Iceland.
By now the Golden Plovers have started gathering for their annual migration flight over the Atlantic to their winter grounds. When it gets colder here, even as late as November, they head south, many to the British Isles but also to Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar and North Africa.
It is estimated that a little less than half of the total Golden Plover population in the world breed in Iceland. They are migrators that arrive early in April and leave late in the autumn. They can be seen all over the country, from the seaside into the highlands. Their favourite habitat is in dry heathland where vegetation is rather scarce.
With rising temperatures conditions in the highlands are getting better for the Golden Plover, as well as some other birds that have until a few years ago preferred the lowlands. The breeding population in Iceland counts around 300,000 pairs.
The first Common Kingfisher has been spotted in Iceland. It was first seen August 18 by a forest pond near Mógilsá, just outside Reykjavík. Since then the most avid birders have spent hours trying to get photoes of this rarity which has proved to be quite a feat.
The Common Kingfisher is a native to most of Europe, Asia and North Africa, and breeds as far north as South Scandinavia. Its favourite habitat is clear water ponds, rivers and lakes with overhanging shrubs and trees by the waterside and fish in abundance.
The forest pond by Mógilsá is probably the ideal place to live for the Common Kingfisher with clear fresh water and both trout and sticklebacks. It is very shy and hides in the trees, giving birders a hard time to catch a picture of it. When it emerges and dives for fish, it is like a blur of colour moving quickly across the water – and you can easily miss it if you are not vigilant enough.
In my second trip I managed to get these pictures which are heavily cropped. Hopefully this Common Kingfisher will take a liking to Iceland and manage to survive the winter. The circumstances seem ideal so we can only hope that it will be joined by another of its kind and start breeding here in coming years.