Birds

Exhibition of arial agility

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Haförn – White-tailed Eagle – Haliaeetus albicilla

We witnessed the courtship of a young pair of White-tailed Eagles in Snæfellsnes Peninsula in the week before Easter. They turned around in the air, clasped claws and flew in circles. Later they landed together in a heath not far from where we parked our car.

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Is this one or two birds?

The White-tailed Eagle reaches puberty around the age of six, finds a mate and starts a life long relationship. The eagle usually stays in the same area and its territory is huge. The couple more or less stay in their territory or near it the whole year round. Competition for the best territories is hard. Sometimes they might stray from their territories in October to December but they come back before  courtship begins again in January.

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Relaxing after a spin in the air

The eagle’s courtship begins with a spectacular exhibition of arial agility early in spring, followed by mating and breeding. Such shows of arial competence are also seen among other birds of prey and ravens.

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Birds, Garden

Busy gathering nesting material

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Svartþröstur – Blackbird – Turdus merula

In the last few days a Blackbird couple have been very busy in the garden. The male stands watch, intermittently  singing his soul out, as the female searches for nesting material. She is busy gathering  last years grass, rotting leaves from the gutter and moss.

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Blackbird – female

Placing  the material diligently in her bill she flies up into a spruce where the nest is carefully hidden from bad weather and possible enemies. Soon she will lay her eggs.

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Several Blackbird pairs are in Selfoss now and usually each pair breeds up to four times during the summer time. We can expect the Blackbird stock in Selfoss to have grown considerably this autumn if things go as planned.

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Animals

Fluffy white mink

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Minkur – Mink – Mustela vison

Minks were first imported to Iceland in the autumn of 1931. The first two mink farms were in Grímsnes and in Selfoss, South Iceland. Early on some escaped from their cages and took up permanent residence in the Icelandic nature. Now they can be found all over the country.

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This white mink was spotted on the banks of Ölfusá River. It has probably escaped from a nearby mink farm not so long ago. It is highly unlikely that it will survive for long.

The first minks were imported from Norway but were of North American origin. The mink is usually dark brown with white patches on the lower part of the jaw and neck.

Later minks of different colour  variations were imported; black, grey and white. These are the ones that are now bred in Iceland but they are not as tough and rarely survive in the Icelandic nature like the ones first imported.

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Birds

White-tailed Eagle

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Haförn – White-tailed Eagle – Haliaeetus albicilla (Juv)

This week we went on a tour around Snæfellsnes peninsula. Within a 30 km drive we saw five White-tailed Eagles, adults and young ones. Since these birds were one of the reasons for our trip we thought we were quite lucky when we at last spotted three of them on the second day. As we were driving over the mountain from the Northern side of the peninsula we saw three  birds gliding in the air directly in front of us and lowering their flight as they came nearer. What an amazing sight, – such majestic birds.

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White-tailed Eagle, adult

White-tailed Eagles are more common in this area than in other parts of the country, their main breeding territory being around Breiðafjörður Fjord.  In total around 75 pairs breed in Iceland and two thirds of the population in the area around Breiðafjörður.
– More on the second sighting coming up soon.

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Birds

Iceland Gull is a winter guest in Iceland

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Bjartmáfur – Iceland Gull – Larus glaucoides (adult in winter)

Iceland Gull (Larus glaucoides) is common along the Icelandic coastline during the winter months. It is a breeding bird in Greenland and on the northernmost islands of Canada. It is however only a winter guest in Iceland and by the end of March it has usually left the island.

Iceland Gull (first year)
Iceland Gull (first year)

The Iceland Gull is very similar to the  Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreusstundu) which is a breeding bird in Iceland. The Iceland Gull is smaller, its head is shorter and more curved, the beak is delicate and the wings longer. It is also a more agile flyer than the Glaucous Gull.

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Birds

The colours catch the eye

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Krossnefur – Common Crossbill – Loxia curvirostra

In the last few weeks a pair of Common Crossbills have visited the garden regularly. The male is especially beautiful with its orange and yellow patches on the breast and head.

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Male Common Crossbills come in different colours of red, orange and yellow. The yellow colour is rare in Iceland and in West Europe but more common in Mid Asia. The colours are due to genes and food.

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This pair probably bred in Selfoss last spring and brought three young ones to our garden. Now it seems they have arrived in their breeding territory from last year. We are excited to see if they turn up in our garden in May with their chicks.

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Birds, Landscape

Gullfoss

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The waterfall Gullfoss is one of Iceland’s most visited tourist attractions, along with Geysir. Both are on the Golden Circle, the route that most tourists in Iceland travel. It runs from Reykjavík, the capital, to Thingvellir, the site of the old Icelandic parliament, to Geysir and then Gullfoss.

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Gullfoss is a massive waterfall and special for its two steps. It is in the river Hvítá and is originated in Langjökull Glacier. Gullfoss is very spectacular both in summer and winter.

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One of the tourists last weekend, my wife Kristin.
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Landscape

Geysir and Strokkur

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Strokkur geyser, Haukadalur, South Iceland.

The area is called Geysir although today Strokkur geyser is the one that people come to see. Geysir is a geyser, the ONE that gives its name to the phenomena. Only once in a while does the old Geysir erupt whereas Strokkur erupts every 5-10 minutes. The term geyser is described: “A geyser…  is a spring characterized by intermittent discharge of water ejected turbulently and accompanied by steam.”

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Last weekend was beautiful, the countryside was covered with snow and the sun was shining brightly, as can be seen in the photos.

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 The Geysir area is one of the most popular tourist attractions in South Iceland and an increasing number of tourists visit it daily. It is situated inland in the South of Iceland about one and a half hours drive from Reykjavík, the capital. From Selfoss it is about one hours drive. A trip to Geysir usually also involves a visit to Gullfoss which is only about 10 minutes drive away.  

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