Aurora December 2014 from Olafur Haraldsson on Vimeo.
A Sick Visitor
On Christmas Day this Swan visited a house by the River Öflusá. When the family looked out their living-room window there it was in the snow and stayed there for four days. Temperatures were down to minus 12° C and blizzards most of the days. The Swan wouldn’t eat anything and was obviously not feeling well. Birders thought that it had come there to die.
At noon on the fourth day, however, it stood up and walked to the river. It had some water to drink and was obviously very thirsty. The Swan was last seen on its way down the river that same day.
On the River Ölfusá in the Selfoss area there are now 48 Swans overwintering. That is a bit more than in recent years.
Winter Snow
You might say that asking for a White Christmas has gone a bit out of hand here in Iceland during the last month. There is such a lot of snow everywhere that when it melts there will be tons of water everywhere. Now they are predicting temperatures above zero, and even above 5° C, so the roads will probably be more suitable for going skating than driving. – Drive carefully everyone :*
Northern Lights
Such long legs
It’s such a handsome bird with its long legs and fine colours. The Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa) is a migratory bird in Iceland and a common breeding bird in grown wetlands. In winter it is mostly in Ireland or by the coasts of West Europe all the way south to Portugal.
Winter birds
In the cold weather there are a lot of Snow Buntings in the lowlands and especially in the towns where they expect to get food.
For us they represent the winter because in the summer their colours are different and you only come across them in the highlands.
Here they are in our garden here in Selfoss.
The Fieldfare and the Waxwing
The Fieldfare and the Waxwing are fighting for the apple.
The Waxwing is not going to give in – no way!
The apple is mine, go away !
Ok, just a small nibble while I look the other way.
Photoes taken in February 2011.
Christmas Lights
Wonderful Northern Lights adorned the sky above our house last night and we can expect them again tonight. – Season’s greetings to everyone. 
1 day to Christmas
2 days to Christmas
We found this Common Crossbill, or Red Crossbill as they are called in USA, in the top a Pine tree, silhouetted against a beautifully bright blue sky. There is nothing common about its bright orange colour but the Crossbill comes in colours ranging from yellow to red.
The Crossbill’s favourite food is seeds from Spruce and Pine cones. In the latter part of the last century Spruce and Pine trees have been planted and are now in full growth in many places throughout the country.