From early this summer a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker has been wood pecking near a summer cottage by Lake Apavatn, in South Iceland. Early in August wood pecking holes were noticed, some not new, which indicated a wood pecker in the area. However, this American Sapsucker was only noticed yesterday and identified.

The Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker is a breeding bird in North America and has only been seen in the Western Palearctic six times now and this is the third time in Iceland. The first bird was found dead in the South East in 1961.

In 2007 a Sapsucker was spotted here in Selfoss. That was my first and my photo was actually on the cover of this book.

Only two Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers have been seen in Iceland, the first one was found dead.
– In 2007 a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) was spotted in a garden in Selfoss. This was only the second time that this species was seen in Iceland. The bird stayed in the garden from October 7 – 13,  most of the time in the same birch tree.

The Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker is a breeding bird in North America and has only been seen in the  Western Palearctic five times and in Iceland only two times. The first bird was found dead in the South East of the country in 1961.
– It goes without saying that a lot of birders visited Selfoss to see this very rare vagrant.