Birds

Year after year

Maríuerla – White Wagtail – Motacilla alba

Year after year the same White Wagtail pair breed in our garden, – at least we like to think so. Being migrants they come for the summer and by now they have bred and their offsprings chase them around the garden. The young ones whine for food, or just attention. It is interesting to observe their agile flying skills to catch insects, spiders and the like. They even grab the occasional seed from the feeders.

Just caught a spider

The White Wagtail’s winter grounds are in West Africa and most arrive back in Iceland  in the end of April or beginning of May. The Icelandic breeding population counts around 50,000 pairs.

Sunflower seeds taste nice too
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Atmosphere, Landscape, Weather

Longest day of the year

It is summer solstice – the shortest night of the year. Sunset was at 23:55 and sunrise at 2:57. These are magical nights when the sun is setting and rising so soon afterwards. This photo was taken at 1:30, in the darkest hours, over Ölfusá River and Mount Ingólfsfjall. Now is such a lovely time to go camping because everything is easier when there is light.

At 1:30 in the night

There is more or less daylight all the time and does not get totally dark until July 20. No northern lights can be seen until the middle of August.

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Birds

The fruitful Crossbill

Krossnefur – Common Crossbill / Red Crossbill – Loxia curvirostra: Female feeding chick

The Common Crossbills have only been breeding in Iceland for as much as ten years. They are different from our other birds in that they are breeding for most of the year, depending on the availability of food. A lot of Common Crossbills now breed in the spruce and pine forests that are growing fast in the vicinity of Selfoss. Groups of them come by our garden to dine on sunflower seeds repeatedly during the day. The parents feed the young ones but they soon start fending for themselves.

The male its offspring

Common Crossbills are resourceful and tend to go some distances in search of food if need be. In their orange and yellow colours they light up our days but the South of Iceland has had more than its share of rain this spring and summer.

Two chicks waiting to be fed
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Birds

Common Rosefinch

Rósafinka – Common Rosefinch – Carpodacus erythrinus

It is quite extraordinary how many birds visit the garden when feed is made available to them in summer. This female Rosefinch has been in our garden for several days but the same bird was probably spotted in another garden in Selfoss last week.

The Rosefinch is a rare vagrant in Iceland. It is originally an Asian bird but has been spreading westwards to Europe in recent decades. It breeds in most of northern Asia, all the way to Scandinavia. In winter it migrates to Southeast Asia.

The female is brownish is colour whereas the male is very spectacular with a scarlet head, breast and rump.

 

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Birds, Garden, People

Canadian birders

By Ölfusá River

This wonderful group of Canadian birdwatchers visited us yesterday. They managed to add a new species to their list, a Rosefinch. Seeing Common Crossbills and Redpolls so close was also of interest. – We can almost say that our garden  is becoming a landmark for birders.

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Birds

Long and cold spring

Year after year a White Wagtail couple resides in our garden. Their place is west of the house and wholemeal biscuit crumbles are their favourite. This spring was cold and long and they even experienced snow. This picture is from the beginning of May. The Wagtail is a migrator that usually  arrives in Iceland around April 25.

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Birds

An American rarity

Víxlnefur – White-winged Crossbill – Loxia leucoptera

Never before has a female White-winged Crossbill been spotted in Iceland, being the second of its kind after the male which was spotted in the Reykjanes Peninsula last autumn.  Here in our garden, where there are vigilant eyes, this beautiful American vagrant was eating sun-flower seeds with Common Crossbills and Redpolls.

The White-winged Crossbill is a sub-species of the Europe one, called  Two-barred Crossbill, which is also a rarity having only been spotted once in Iceland.

The White-winged Crossbills are finches, rather large ones, and their breeding area is in conifer forests across the northernmost areas of United States, Canada and Alaska. Their bills are especially adapted to getting the seed from conifer cones which is almost their only food source. They are not migrators but if food is scarce they may go with groups of Common Crossbills. They are smaller than the Common Crossbill and stand out with two white wing bars which give them their name.

White-winged Crossbill and Common Crossbill (Am. Engl.: Red Crossbill)
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Birds

Limosa limosa islandica

Jaðrakan – Black-tailed Godwit – Limosa limosa, May 4, 2018.

The Icelandic migrators have had a harsh time this spring. The Black-tailed Godwit is lucky to have long legs to wade the snow and a fine bill to find insects, worms and plants. The first Godwits arrived in Iceland in the middle of April. Their winter grounds are along the coast of Western Europe from the British Isles and Holland, to the Iberian Peninsula.

The Icelandic Black-tailed Godwit is a sub species that only breeds in Iceland, Faeroe Islands, Shetland and Lofoten; in latin Limosa limosa islandica. It is a common breeding bird in grown wetlands and its numbers in Iceland, as well as breeding area, are increasing.

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Birds

Hail, sleet and snow in May

Gulls in the snow, May 4.

The birds do not seem as offended as the human by the hail, sleet and snow that seems to be never ending. Where is spring and summer for that matter?  Icelanders celebrated the First Day of Summer on the last Thursday in April, as always. That is the optimistic Icelandic spirit. Now, however, we are crying for summer.  According to the latest weather forecasts there may actually be some improvements on the way.

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Birds

Singing Chaffinch

Bókfinka – Chaffinch – Fringilla coelebs

Several finches have come by our garden this spring and some are here still. This male Chaffinch was singing in the garden a week ago. He stayed for three days but then was on his way probably continuing his search for a partner to spend the summer with.

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