Spring this year was been quite snowy and May has been wetter than we can remember, the month which is usually dry and windy. So many of our Icelandic migrators were welcomed by snow and frost and now in the last week of May you can still see birds in towns looking for shelter and food. Hopefully they will return to their summer habitat soon to prepare for nesting and breeding.
Black-tailed Godwits are arriving in the thousands to their summergrounds. They are welcomed by snow and frost here in South Iceland. When the ground is covered in snow they stay by rivers in estuaries and mudflats where they can easily find feed.
The Black-tailed Godwit is one of the most beautiful waders that breeds in Iceland and their arrival in spring is awaited with anticipation.
The Black-tailed Godwit overwinters on the west coast of Europe from Holland to the shores of Portugal. The Icelandic subspecies mostly breeds in Iceland but also in the Faroe Islands, the Shetlands and in Lofoten. This subspecies is more colourful, has shorter legs and a shorter bill. The Black-tailed Godwit breeds in lowlands all over Iceland and the population has been growing in recent years.
Siskins have been spotted all over the country this spring. This bird does not go unnoticed in its bright yellow plummage. A beautiful male has been in our garden for a few days now mingling with the Redpolls and eating sunflower seeds.
The Siskin is a common bird in European forests and a frequent vagrant in Iceland in spring and autumn. In recent years they have also started breeding in South Iceland but information is limited. We hope that this male will survive the cold spell and go on to find a mate to breed with here in Iceland. The Siskin is a nice addition to the scarce birdlife in the fast growing Icelandic forests.
Flocks of Redwings could be seen in Selfoss yesterday. These are migrants arriving in Iceland from their wintergrounds in Europe. Yesterday afternoon there were 35 of them here in the garden eating sunflower seeds and apples. Also groups of them flying to the Northwest.
A few Redwings (2-6) stayed behind and were here in the garden this winter. They came here daily to feed but last week there were around 15 and yesterday their numbers had grown much more.
After a fairly mild February it has in the last ten days become freezing cold again. We are now in the middle of March so we have already started looking forward to spring. But no such thing in the forecasts. The cold air that engulfs us now comes straight from the North Pole, flooding down the Atlantic between Greenland and Norway, with Iceland in the middle. An air mass like this contains very cold and dry air. In the South of Iceland we have beautiful clear skies with considerable wind and temperatures well below zero. Because of the cold there is hardly a cloud to be seen and the sky is bright and blue. The frost has been between -2°C to -13°C most days. Here in Selfoss it has gone down to -15°C but in the North -25°C. And with the wind it feels much colder.
There has been quite a lot of solar activity lately with the Northern Lights dancing in the sky every night here in the south of Iceland. Since the sky is clear and no clouds conditions for experiencing and enjoying Aurora Borealis have been excellent, not to mention photographing. It is quite a challenge to capture the Northern Lights on camera in -10°C like yesterday evening when it was also windy. After 30 minutes outside your nose and fingers are frozen to the bone but of course it was worth it.
Similar weather is predicted in the coming weeks.
Waterfalls are beautiful in the winter frost. Sometimes more stunning than in the summertime. Here are pictures from a few main attractions in South Iceland taken in the end of January. They are Skógafoss, Seljalandsfoss, Gluggafoss and frozen cliffs in Eyjafjöll.
Seldom has the sky been so brightly lit up with Northern Lights than last night. It was ablaze and just like we remember it from when we were children. There has been a lot of Northern Lights activity this winter which will continue for the next two years according to forecasts.
Solar activity increased last year and will be at a peak in two years time.
And again the pictures say more than words although they can never convey the feelings you experience seeing the Norhern Lights dancing in the night sky with your own eyes.
Pictures taken in the garden last night, – 15°C.
Since the beginning of December we have had temperatures well below zero, more than – 20° C some days. Last night it was -16° C. Circumstances have been compared to the winter of 1918, but temperatures this low for such an extended period have not been recorded here in Iceland since then. Talking about extremes, November also broke a record for being the warmest November since the beginning of the century.
Here we are in the middle of January and although forecasts predict temperatures above zero it is only for a day or two and then again frosty weather.
Here in Selfoss there are heaps of snow and with this continuing we do not foresee it melting until spring. Also, it will be interesting to see the heating bills once they arrive. Thanks to hot geothermal water our houses are mostly warm and only big users like swimming pools that have had to close down temporarily.
Not only has the weather been compared to 1918 but also the health of the nation. That year the Spanish flu, also known as the Great Influenza, is believed to have infected around 500 million people all over the world. Now cases of influenza, COVID, RS virus and other respiratory diseases have surged in Iceland and medical centres and hospitals are overcrowded with patients. Thanks to advances in medical science we are nowhere near what happened in 1918.
Now we should just try to enjoy the snow and the Northern Lights that are at a peak at this time of year.
We hope you enjoy these pictures from Selfoss, taken in December and January.
December has been the coldest we can remember with temperatures going down to minus 21° C here in Selfoss. It is actually the coldest December since 1918. Most Icelanders use geothermal water to heat their houses so thankfully our houses are warm. In the last few weeks we have had several snow blizzards with road closures and flight cancellations. It has snowed so much that people have had trouble getting out of their houses. Along with this there has been a lot of COVID and influenza resulting in the hospitals being overloaded with patients. When we look at the year we are saying goodbye to we have diverse emotions. It has been a difficult year with wars and severe weathers, resulting in floods, droughts and famine. Lots of people have been subjected to the horrors of war and have had to give up their homes, jobs, education, and some even loved ones.
We hope that 2023 will be a better place to live. That we will all strive to make the Earth a more habitable place for us humans.
Wishing you all a prosperous year – and love and peace to all, Kristín and Örn
All autumn we have been on the look out for vagrants and at last there is a Blackcap in our garden. Many of them have been spotted around the country in the last month or so along with other vagrants. This Blackcap was eating berries from the bushes and did not come to the feeding trays. The autumn and beginning of winter was been mild and still there are berries to sustain these little birds. We hope it survives winter.