Among the great number of vagrants in Iceland now are Bramblings. They have been spotted in groups in most parts of the country. A lot of them reside in gardens where they find shelter and feed. They are beautiful and lively and should be able to survive the Icelandic winter easily given that they find feed.
Today there were 14 Bramblings in the garden. And of course we make sure that there is enough feed for them, mostly sunflower seeds.
A lone Brambling has been here in the garden all winter long. This male comes here daily and visits the feeding trays. He is very shy and not eager to be photographed. The males are different from the females, see: https://ornosk.com/2014/10/18/a-visitor-in-the-garden/
When this male Brambling turned up in the autumn he seemed familiar with surroundings so this could be the one that was spotted singing in and around Selfoss last summer.
Bramblings are annual guests in Iceland. They come from Scandinavia but do not breed here regularly. Despite a difficult winter, with lots of snow and countless blizzards, this hardy bird has survived.
In May a male Brambling was in the garden. He visited the feeding trays and could be heard singing here and in neighbouring gardens. The Brambling is a vagrant over most of Northern Europe and Asia, migrating southwards in winter.
Bramblings are annual vagrants in Iceland and there are several recordings of breedings but the Icelandic winter is probably not favourable since they have not become residents.
Never before have we been visited by so many Bramblings. In late October big groups could be seen in the East, probably more birds than have ever been seen in Iceland. These have now spread around the country and we are so fortunate as to have our own group here the garden.
For two weeks now we have counted three to seven Bramblings every day. Yesterday there were at least seven outside our living room window. The Brambling is a breeding bird in Northern Europe and usually flies southwards for winter. Although the Brambling is a vagrant in Iceland, some instances of breeding have been recorded.
These are beautiful birds and mostly peaceful so a good addition to our usual lot. We hope they will join our group of garden birds, Redpolls, Blackbirds, Crossbills and Starling, – and stay for the winter.
The Brambling is an annual vagrant in Iceland. Reportedly there are quite a few in Iceland now, scattered around the country. There are some known cases of breeding in Iceland but not in the last few years. With so many Bramblings here now, one can not but hope.
This male Brambling was in our neighbourhood for a week. It sang day and night but there were no females around. It probably went on its way in search of a spouse for the summer.
For photos of a female Brambling click here.