We enjoy watching out for the birds in our garden and feeding them. Spring and summer are something we look forward to – the time when everything comes alive and the birds start courting and nest making. But summer time is not all blizz. Almost everyday newly hatched chicks fall prey to overfed house cats. This sketch is an interpretation of a pair mourning the loss of a young one.
Mýtvatn is the place in Iceland where you can expect to see the Gadwall (Anas strepera). They can very often be seen in pairs because they find their mate as early as late autumn and stay together the whole winter.
Here we see a male vigorously chasing a rival away from his mate.
The Gadwall is known for stealing food from other ducks. They are widespread and increasing in numbers. In Iceland they mainly breed in the North, around Mývatn.
In our last Wagtail blog the White Wagtail had its beak full of nesting material. Now it has its beak full of flies and larva for its young ones. We have not spotted the chicks yet but they stay in the nest until they can fly. The Wagtail lays eggs only once each summer, not twice or three times like the Thrushes.
The smallest Icelandic duck is the Teal (Anas crecca). It is also one of the most colorful ducks, as well as perhaps the most beautiful.
It can be seen all over Iceland, both in lowlands and highlands. It is, however, usually not easy to get close to it as it is shy and easily disturbed.
We spotted a pair of Merlins by Goðafoss. They were fighting with a Raven that was trying to get to their nest. This is the male but the female had gone back to the nest. Ravens are scavengers that do not hesitate to steal eggs from other birds’ nests if they get the chance . It did not succeed here and was forcefully driven away.
The Eider (Somateria mollissima) is a sea duck and common in Iceland all year round. In the winter time it stays in the ocean around the country. In summer it nests near the shore but ventures up rivers in a few places.
The Eider is famous for its down which is used in pillows and duvets. The eiderdown is gathered manually from the nests, usually in June. When the bird leaves the nest for a few minutes the farmers gather small amounts of down from the nests, replacing it with dry soft grass. Care is taken not to disturb the nest and shortly afterwards the bird lies down on the eggs again.
The Eiders live in colonies and the Eider farmers carefully protect the flocks that choose to nest on their land and the birds return each year.
The Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) is very common in the Northern hemisphere and their numbers are increasing. More litter from human beings means more food for many species of gulls. The Herring Gull prefers staying near the sea, often in huge flocks, and rarely ventures far inland. In Iceland it is most common in the eastern part of the country.
We came across this one in the harbour of the picturesque town, Siglufjörður, in Northern Iceland. The Herring Gull often seems more gracious and cleaner than other bigger gulls.
The Redwing is very busy these days. Finding food for its young ones is hard work and takes up a lot of time. Worms and larva are on the menu every day.
This little chick had found a nice spot on our garden table yesterday morning. Two pairs of Redwings have made nests in our garden this spring so several chicks have been hopping around here lately.
Dimmuborgir is a lava field just east of Lake Mývatn. It was formed in a huge volcanic eruption in a row of craters about 2300 years ago.
Where Dimmuborgir are now the lava flowed over a small lake, boiling the water, leading to the formation of lava pillars, some quite high. Continue reading Dimmuborgir – Dark Castles