The last few nights the Northern Light’s activity over Iceland has been extraordinarily high. Night after night the sky has been glowing with colourful lights, although the greenish one is most prominent.
Northern Lights enthusiasts say this is one of the greatest activity they have yet experienced and also the longest lasting period.
The Yellow-browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus) is a vagrant in Iceland and only seen here in the autumn. It is a small bird, a little larger than the Goldcrest, so it’s a long flight for such a small thing. This autumn we have probably seen the biggest arrival of this species ever recorded in Iceland. In one day last week birders in East and Southeast Iceland spotted around 55 birds.
This Yellow-browed Warbler was seen near Selfoss, South Iceland last autumn.
Most Yellow-browed Warblers breed in Eastern Russia and their winter grounds are mainly in Southeast Asia. In recent years more and more of them overwinter in Western Europe. A lot of Yellow-browed Warblers have also been seen in Britain this autumn.
The Great Northern Diver, or Common Loon, has now left its summer breeding grounds in highland lakes and moved to the ocean around the country. In the interior we came across a few of them but it’s already getting colder and snowing so the few that are there still will be moving on quite soon.
The Redwings are migratory birds. Most of them have now moved into towns, feasting on berries along with their usual food, worms and larva. Some of them will endure the long Icelandic winter but others are now waiting for favourable winds for their departure to Britain, and the west coast of France and Spain.
The Puffin is now estimated the most valuable bird in Iceland. The Eider used to take up first place because of its precious down so highly rated in duvets and pillows.
It is autumn and we have started putting out apples for the birds. There is no way to chose the ones the come to feed in the garden and the Starling is quite common here. This is the first apple this autumn and with the Starlings around it was finished within an hour.
Why does the Starling have such a bad reputation? Is it not a beautiful bird? Not many sport such luminescent blue and green colours.
This Common Crossbill pair was here in the beginning of summer with three chicks. They are in the garden again, now with two other chicks. Early in the morning they come to eat the sunflower seeds that we put out for our feathered friends. These former vagrants have in the past six to seven years made Iceland their home.
Cattle Egerts (Bubulcus ibis) are breeding birds en the southern most parts of Europe and also in the southern states of North America. This Cattle Egret was first seen in Ölfus in South Iceland September 14.
The Cattle Egret is a very rare vagrant in Iceland and this is only the seventh time it is spotted here. It eats insects and is often seen in dry grassland and plains, preferably where there is life stock, cattle or other big grass eating animals. The Cattle Egret in Ölfus is in the company of some horses and was seen there this morning, September 22.
Autumn is beginning to show. Highland vegetation has started to wilt, bringing us colours in a multitude of shades and hues. The orange colours of the willow and the light green colour of the moss go well with the black sand. These colours will not stay for long. Soon it will start snowing and the white snow will cover the vegetation until next spring when everything comes alive again.
From Veiðivötn in the Southern Interior
