Aurora Borealis light up the estuary where Ölfusá River flows into the Northern Atlantic. In the dead calm just before midnight the sea was like a mirror creating a magnificent sensation. Seldom have I seen the sea as calm as last night.
The smallest church?
Churches come in all shapes and sizes. This is the church at Núpsstaður, one of the smallest churches in Iceland and perhaps in the world. It is a turf church made like the old Icelandic traditional farmhouses. A little less spectacular than the Sagrada Família in Barcelona.
This tiny chapel is a valuable heritage and became Iceland’s first building to be protected by law in 1930.
The old buildings of Núpsstaður are listed tentative – UNESCO World Heritage Site, see: The Turf House Tradition
The Razorbill is near threatened
The Razorbill is on the list of threatened species. It is listed near threatened within Europe. Here in Iceland the decline has not been very noticeable and it is estimated that 300 thousand pairs breed here, 75% of them in Látrabjarg, in the Westfjords.
The European Commission issues the European Red List of Birds, compiled by BirdLife International, 2015.
Endangered Puffin
The Atlantic Puffin is on the list of threatened species. It is listed endangered (EN) within Europe. In Iceland this decline has not gone unnoticed. It is especially noticeable in South Iceland where breeding has been poor for years.
The European Commission issues the European Red List of Birds 2015, compiled by BirdLife International.
Barrows Goldeneye at winter grounds
The Barrows Goldeneye has arrived at its winter grounds in Sog River, South Iceland. Sog River is the biggest spring-fed river and does not freeze even in the coldest of weathers. It is the perfect place for the Barrows Goldeneye that prefers to stay in spring water the whole year round. It is not a migrator and does not go out to sea like many non-migratory birds.
Endangered Fulmar
The Northern Fulmar is on the list of threatened species. It is listed endangered (EN) within Europe and vulnerable (VU) in countries in the European Union. Here in Iceland the decline in the stock has been 30% in the last 25 years.
The European Commission issues the European Red List of Birds 2015, compiled by BirdLife International.
The Green Bird
I came across another vagrant today, a Red-eyed Vireo. In Icelandic we call this bird Græningi, which translates to the Green Bird. That is a bit more descriptive than its English name.
Two weeks ago I saw a Red-eyed Vireo in Stokkseyri but this one was in in Hellisskógur by Selfoss, South Iceland.
Common Chiffchaff
The Common Chiffchaff is the second most common warbler seen in Iceland. They are vagrants here and most of them are seen in the autumn. Sometimes they manage to survive the winter and they are known to have bred here a few times. The Chiffchaff is a chubby little bird, a little bigger than the Wren.
Last weekend we saw six of them in several places along the Eyjafjöll Mountains, or under Eyjafjöll, as it is called in Iceland. In the last few weeks they have been seen in quite some numbers in Southeast and South Iceland. Now we just have to pray for a mild winter so our foreign guests will survive their visit up here.
Evening at Holtsós
Holtsós is a tidal lagoon separated from the ocean with only a thin strip of sand. In the calm weather at dusk on Saturday, it was lit up by the setting sun as we were driving home from our day’s outing under Eyjafjöll, South Iceland.
Grey Heron
The Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) is a vagrant in Iceland. Every year several of them come from Scandinavia and stay for the winter. A few are also seen here in the summer time. They stay near lakes, rivers and ponds where they catch fish which is their favourite food.
The Grey Heron is a big bird and on flight sometimes mistaken for a bird of prey.
This Grey Heron was in the Eyjafjöll area in South Iceland. We saw it around mid day resting on one leg and also later near the close of day where it was fishing.
