Iceland. 5 th 9 th June By Daniel, Thomas and Jon Lehmberg

Transcription

1 Iceland 5 th 9 th June 2014 By Daniel, Thomas and Jon Lehmberg

2 Preface. First and foremost this was a three generation family holiday. However, three of us being avid birders, the chance of enjoying some of Icelands fantastic nature was not to be missed. We struck a fairly good balance, we think, by going out early in the morning and meeting up with the rest of the family after their late breakfast. This way we were able to visit some of the many nice places around Reykjavik, and though we would obviously have liked to spend more time bird watching, and this was really only an extended weekend, we managed to see quite a few interesting birds and mammals, as well as spending some good times with the rest of the family. Of course, a dedicated birding trip to a larger part of this spectacular island would have given an even greater yield, and given that we all loved our time here, we ll likely return to explore further. Travel arrangements. Some years ago travelling to Iceland was really expensive, but luckily those days are gone. As a travel destination Iceland can now be compared to many European countries, and an extended weekend around Reykjavik can pretty much be planned and booked by spending a couple of hours in front of a computer. There are quite a few airline companies flying to Reykjavik, but we ended up choosing Icelandair, since they offered the best selection of flights at reasonable prices. Since we were a fairly large group, we decided to rent a couple of holiday apartments rather than checking in to a hotel. On we found Lighthouse Apartments which lies on a quiet residential street in downtown Reykjavik. The location was really good within easy walking distance to the harbour and city centre, and the apartments were very nice and modern. We highly recommend these apartments which can probably also be booked directly with the landlady, Solveig, on the following address: icelandlighthouse@gmail.com The cars were rented by Thrifty. All three of them were in a good nick and caused us no problems during our stay. The roads on this part of the island are generally very good. The cars thus weren t challenged very much and we see no reason to hire a four wheel drive unless off road driving is in the cards. There are a wide selection of trip report covering Iceland to be found on: However, most of them have a greater emphasis on The Golden Circle and the northeastern part of the island, particularly Myvatn, rather than the Reykjavik area. However, we did find some useful information in some of them, but even more helpful was the Birding Iceland website: and not least their Facebook page: where the timeline offers up to date information on recent observations. Very useful indeed! Weather. June is probably one of the best months to visit Iceland, but even so this is the North Atlantic and nice weather can never be taken for granted. We were fortunate, though, being blessed with excellent weather every day, which we very much appreciated. Skies were mostly clear, wind was no problem with a light breeze at the most, visibility was excellent and temperatures a pleasant 10 to 20 C. Places visited. Reykjavik: We didn t do very much bird watching in downtown Reykjavik. The harbour is supposed to be good for gulls, but we never saw a lot of them there maybe it was a matter of us being there at the wrong time of year, though. Surely it must also be possible to see some interesting birds, and maybe even sea mammals, from the harbour front. The lake Reikjavikurtjörn in the city centre is a good place to see Whooper Swan and different ducks well. However, we only just drove past it a few times, and thus didn t see a lot there, though there were certainly ducks present. Places we actually did spend some time at were Seltjarnarnes and Heidmörk. Seltjarnarnes is a peninsula in the western part of Reykjavik and we went there for an hour on the last afternoon. Unfortunately there was only time for a short stroll out towards the small island Grótta with the lighthouse. This time of year there s no admittance to the island, but it was a nice walk non the less. The only Purple Sandpipers of the trip were seen here, as well as a few other waders and some very nice Northern Fulmars. Going to the lake and golf course out here could well be worthwhile, we think.

3 On the last afternoon we also went to the other side of town, where we wanted to visit the Heidmörk area. The place is a popular retreat for the people of Reykjavik, and consists of a number of streams and lakes, the largest being Ellidavatn. Great Northern Diver was quite common here, and like Dunlin it was obviously breeding in the area. We also saw our only Horned Grebe and Eurasian Wigeons of the trip here, and enjoyed the view of several very confiding Red-necked Phalaropes. Quite a nice place actually, but probably best to visit on school days when there are fewer people around. Gardskagi: Situated at the northwestern tip of Reykjanes near Keflavik Airport, Gardskagi is a very good place for sea watching. Unfortunately we only had a couple of hours on the last morning to spend there, but thoroughly enjoyed seeing Manx s Shearwater passing us at close quarters, while watching from the Gardur Lighthouse. Gannets were also seen very well and in good numbers from here, and there was a constant stream of alcids passing by. We didn t see the hoped for European Storm-petrel, but given more time we surely would have found one or two. In addition to seabirds, there were quite a few waders resting near the lighthouse, and a couple of Great Northern Divers were seen here as well. However, one of the real highlights out here was the sight a flock of White-beaked Dolphins which was actually seen rather well. A single common Minke Whale also put in an appearance, and there s no doubt that we would have loved to spend more time out here, and a bit further down the coast. Krysuvikurberg: Based on other reports we were a bit hesitant about driving out to the cliffs at Krysuvikurberg on the south coast. As it turned out, we didn t have any problems going there in a normal salon car, however, and we were glad that we did. Not only did we see lots of alcids, including Atlantic Puffins, Black-legged Kittiwakes, Northern Fulmars and European Shags there, but also an Arctic Fox, which was a nice surprise. Though we didn t see any, this might possibly be a good place to look for whales. From here the drive east along the south coast was pretty spectacular at times, and we also stopped along the way to have a quick look at the lake Hlidarvatn. We saw the only Long-tailed Ducks of the trip there, but also other ducks, Great Northern Diver, Arctic Skua and Red-necked Phalarope. There might even have been a Red Phalarope there, but unfortunately it disappeared before we could check it out in the telescope. Further east we passed the Ölfusa Delta which might well be quite good at low tide during migration. We didn t see any waders there, but a couple of Red-throated Divers and some Arctic Skuas were seen well. Seljalandsfoss & Landeyjahöfn: The Seljalandsfoss waterfall doesn t offer much in the way of birds, but is certainly worth a visit in it s own right, since it s rather spectacular. Northern Fulmars are seen even here, and we also heard a Wren singing, but not much else. The water from the waterfall flows out to sea at the nearby delta east of Landeyjahöfn a small port which connect with the Vestmanna Islands by ferry. Dunlins and Sanderlings were seen at the delta, and so were several Grey Seals. The highlight out here was the Great Skuas, though, as they showed really well along the small road leading to the harbour. River Sogid: This river drains the big lake Thingvallavatn and merges with the river Ölfusa just north of the town of Selfoss. It s arguably the best place in the southwest of Iceland to find Barrow s Goldeneye and Harlequin Duck. We easily found both where the road meets the river approximately 3 kilometres south of the hydropower plants, and they were both spectacular. In the pond between the two power plants we also saw a really nice Great Northern Diver in its beautiful breeding plumage. A couple of Short-eared Owls were seen further down the road towards Selfoss, and a female Merlin put in a brief appearance as well. All in all we had a thoroughly enjoyable morning along the river before meeting with the rest of the family at... The Golden Circle: This area is probably Icelands main tourist attraction, and it s not difficult to understand why. Thingvellir sits at the northern shore of Thingvallavatn and is both historically and geologically significant. It s also a very beautiful place, especially when the weather is fantastic, as it was on our visit. We saw another female Merlin and the only Northern Pintail of the holiday here, and surely there are more things to find with a bit of effort. From Thingvellir we proceeded to Geysir which is an active thermal area. We didn t really see any interesting birds there, but it was very impressive to witness the eruptions of the geyser Strokkur. Even more impressive was the Gullfoss waterfall further east. A male Harlequin Duck was seen briefly flying by there, but not much else in the way of birds. The best Harlequin Ducks was still to come, though. On the way back towards Geysir, we stopped at a stream to check, and found a couple of pretty confiding Harlequins. We were really pleased to see this beauty so well, and it was probably bird of the trip for all of us.

4 6/6 Reykjavik - Selfoss - River Sogid - Thingvellir - Geysir - Gullfoss - Reykjavik Greylag Goose 2pairs with 7pull + 50, Whooper Swan 18, Mallard 26, Northern Pintail 1m, Eurasian Teal 3m, Tufted Duck 70, Greater Scaup 52, Common Eider 19m+15f, Harlequin Duck 10m+4f, Barrow s Goldeneye 3-4m, Red-breasted Merganser 25, Great Northern Diver 4, Northern Fulmar 95, Merlin 2f, Gyrfalcon 1, Oystercatcher 16, European Golden Plover 9, Common Ringed Plover 1, Common Snipe 100, Black-tailed Godwit 80, Whimbrel 35, Common Redshank 25, Dunlin 2, Red-necked Phalarope 45, Mew Gull 2, Great Black-backed Gull 2, Lesser Black-backed Gull 60, Black-headed Gull 26, Black-legged Kittiwake 1, Arctic Tern 200, Arctic Skua 7, Short-eared Owl 3-4, Northern Raven 7, Eurasian Wren 1sing., Common Starling 25, Redwing 120, White Wagtail 28, Meadow Pipit 75, Common Redpoll 25. 7/6 Reykjavik - Krysuvikurberg - Seljalandsfoss - Reykjavik Ptarmigan 4, Greylag Goose 6, Whooper Swan 2pairs with 7pull + 20, Mallard 10m+9f, Eurasian Teal 1f, Tufted Duck 40, Greater Scaup 7m+4f, Common Eider 80, Common Scoter 23, Long-tailed Duck 1pair, Red-breasted Merganser 15, Red-throated Diver 9, Great Northern Diver 1, Northern Fulmar 525, Northern Gannet 35, European Shag 42, Oystercatcher 20, European Golden Plover 25, Common Ringed Plover 2, Common Snipe 40, Black-tailed Godwit 14, Whimbrel 40, Common Redshank 35, Sanderling 17, Dunlin 50, Red-necked Phalarope 4, Great Black-backed Gull 9, Glaucous Gull 2, Herring Gull 25, Lesser Black-backed Gull 50, Black-headed Gull 15, Black-legged Kittiwake 3000, Arctic Tern 350, Great Skua 40, Arctic Skua 13, Common Guillemot 400, Razorbill 380, Black Guillemot 15, Atlantic Puffin 90, Northern Raven 17, Eurasian Wren 1sing., Common Starling 8, Redwing 6, Northern Wheatear 1m, White Wagtail 12, Meadow Pipit 50, Common Redpoll 2. Arctic Fox 1, Grey Seal 16. 8/6 Gardskagi and Reykjavik Ptarmigan 1, Greylag Goose 45ad+22pull, Whooper Swan 6, Eurasian Wigeon 1m+1f, Mallard 30, Eurasian Teal 1m+1f, Tufted Duck 35, Greater Scaup 1m+1f, Common Eider 250ad+75pull, Red-breasted Merganser 40, Great Northern Diver 2pairs+7-8, Northern Fulmar 350, Manx Shearwater 200, Horned Grebe 1, Northern Gannet 45, European Shag 7, Oystercatcher 35, European Golden Plover 7, Common Ringed Plover 22, Common Snipe 50, Black-tailed Godwit 13, Whimbrel 8, Common Redshank 60, Ruddy Turnstone 14, Sanderling 70, Purple Sandpiper 2, Dunlin 1pair with 1pull + 21, Red-necked Phalarope 16, Great Black-backed Gull 12, Glaucous Gull 2, Herring Gull 3, Lesser Black-backed Gull 300, Black-headed Gull 35, Black-legged Kittiwake 90, Arctic Tern 750, Arctic Skua 2, Common Guillemot 750, Razorbill 900, Atlantic Puffin 110, Northern Raven 4, Common Starling 60, Blackbird 1f, Redwing 30, Northern Wheatear 1m, White Wagtail 35, Meadow Pipit 90, Common Redpoll 13. White-beaked Dolphin 15-20, Common Minke Whale 1. 9/6 Reykjavik - Keflavik Ptarmigan 1, Greylag Goose 25ad+15pull, Mallard 5m+3f, Common Eider 75ad+50pull, European Golden Plover 2, Common Ringed Plover 1, Common Snipe 25, Black-tailed Godwit 2, Whimbrel 7, Common Redshank 20, Great Black-backed Gull 2, Lesser Black-backed Gull 40, Black-headed Gull 4, Arctic Tern 80, Northern Raven 1, Common Starling 20, Blackbird 1sing., Redwing 16, White Wagtail 2, Meadow Pipit 14.

5 Great Northern Diver - Sogid Birds. Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) 7/6 4 along Road 42 & 427 8/6 1 Reykjavik Gardskagi (Road 41) 9/6 1 Keflavik (Road 41). Greylag Goose (Anser anser) Common in wet areas almost everywhere. 6/6 54ad+7pull ; 7/6 6 ; 8/6 45ad+22pull ; 9/6 20ad+15pull. Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus) Common at inland wetlands. 6/6 18 ; 7/6 20ad + 2pairs with 3+4pull ; 8/6 6. Eurasian Wigeon (Anas penelope) 8/6 1m+1f River Sudurá (Heidmörk area). Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) Common along the coast and inland waterways. 6/6 26 ; 7/6 19 ; 8/6 30 ; 9/6 8. Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) 6/6 1m Thingvellir. Eurasian Teal (Anas crecca) 6/6 3m River Sogid 7/6 1f Hlidarvatn 8/6 1m+1f Ellidavatn (Heidmörk area).

6 Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula) Common at freshwater lakes. 6/6 70 ; 7/6 40 ; 8/6 35. Greater Scaup (Aythya marila) 6/6 45 River Sogid. 6/6 4m+3f Laugarvatn 7/6 7m+4f Hlidarvatn 8/6 1m+1f Ellidavatn (Heidmörk area). Common Eider (Somateria mollissima) Common all along the coast and at large rivers. No young birds (pulli) were seen inland. 6/6 34 ; 7/6 80 ; 8/6 250ad+75pull ; 9/6 75ad+50pull. Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) 6/6 8m+3f River Sogid 6/6 1m Gullfoss 6/6 1m+1f river 2km east of Geysir. Common Scoter (Melanitta nigra) 7/6 23 Krysuvikurberg. Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis) 7/6 1m+1f Hlidarvatn. Barrow s Goldeneye (Bucephala islandica) 6/6 3-4m River Sogid. Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator) Common along the coast and inland waterways. 6/6 25 ; 7/6 15 ; 8/6 40. Red-throated Diver (Gavia stellata) 7/6 2 Krysuvikurberg 7/6 4 Ölfusá Delta 7/6 2 Eyrarbakki Selfoss (Road 34). 7/6 1 Seljalandsfoss Ledeyjahöfn. Great Northern Diver (Gavia immer) 6/6 1 River Sogid 6/6 1 Úlfljótsvatn 6/6 2 Thingvallavatn 7/6 1 Hlidarvatn 8/6 5-6 Gardskagi 8/6 1 Ellidavatn (Heidmörk area) 8/6 1pair lake South of Ellidavatn (Heidmörk area) 8/6 1 Helluvatn (Heidmörk area) 8/6 1pair Hrauntúnstjörn (Heidmörk area). Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) 6/6 4 River Sogid 6/6 80 Thingvallavatn 6/6 11 Laugarvatn 7/6 75 Krysuvikurberg 7/6 400 Krysuvikurberg Hlidarvatn 7/6 50 Seljlandsfoss 8/6 350 Gardskagi.

7 Manx Shearwater (Puffinus puffinus) 8/6 200 Gardskagi. Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritus) 8/6 1 Ellidavatn (Heidmörk area). Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus) 7/6 35 Krysuvikurberg 8/6 45 Gardskagi. European Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis) 7/6 42 krysuvikurberg 8/6 7 Gardskagi. Merlin (Falco columbarius) 6/6 1f River Sogid 6/6 1f Thingvellir. Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) 6/6 1 undisclosed location. Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) Common along the coast and by grassy areas inland. 6/6 16 ; 7/6 20 ; 8/6 35. European Golden Plover (Pluvialis apricaria) Common inland, manily seen in dry areas. 6/6 9 ; 7/6 25 ; 8/6 7 ; 9/6 2. Common Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula) 6/6 1 River Sogid 7/6 1 Krysuvikurberg 7/6 1 Hlidarvatn 8/6 17 Gardskagi 8/6 5 Seltjarnarnes 9/6 1 Reykjavik Keflavik (Road 41). Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) Common and widespread. 6/6 100 ; 7/6 40 ; 8/6 50 ; 9/6 25. Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa) Common in wet inland areas. 6/6 80 ; 7/6 14 ; 8/6 13 ; 9/6 2. Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) Common inland in drier habitats than most other waders. 6/6 35 ; 7/6 40 ; 8/6 8 ; 9/6 7. Common Redshank (Tringa totanus) Common in wet and grassy areas. 6/6 25 ; 7/6 35 ; 8/6 60 ; 9/6 20. Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) 8/6 9 Gardskagi 8/6 5 Seltjarnarnes.

8 Sanderling (Calidris alba) 7/6 17 Seljalandsfoss Landeyjahöfn 8/6 60 Gardskagi 8/6 10 Seltjarnarnes. Purple Sandpiper (Calidris maritima) 8/6 2 Seltjarnarnes. Dunlin (Calidris alpina) 6/6 2 Thingvellir Laugarvatn 7/6 50 Seljalandsfoss Landeyjahöfn 8/6 1pair with 1pull Ellidavatn (Heidmörk area) 8/6 17 Gardskagi 8/6 4 Seltjarnarnes. Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus) 6/6 24 River Sogid 6/6 21 Thingvallavatn 7/6 4 Hlidarvatn 8/6 5 Ellidavatn (Heidmörk area) 8/6 9 River Sudurá (Heidmörk area). Whooper Swans Landeyjahöfn. Mew Gull (Larus canus) 6/6 2 Mosfellsbær. Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus) Fairly common along the coast. 6/6 2 ; 7/6 9 ; 8/6 12 ; 9/6 2.

9 Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus) 7/6 1 Krysuvikurberg 7/6 1 Ölfusá 8/6 2 Gardskagi. Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) 7/6 25 Krysuvikurberg 8/6 3 Gardskagi. Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus) Very common along or near the coast. 6/6 60 ; 7/6 50 ; 8/6 300 ; 9/6 40. Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus) Common and widespread. 6/6 26 ; 7/6 15 ; 8/6 35 ; 9/6 4. Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) 6/6 1 Reykjavik 7/ Krysuvikurberg 8/6 65 Gardskagi 8/6 25 Seltjarnarnes. Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea) Very common almost everywhere. 6/6 200 ; 7/6 350 ; 8/6 750 ; 9/9 80. Great Skua (Stercorarius skua) 7/6 40 Seljalandsfoss Landeyjahöfn. Arctic Skua (Stercorarius parasiticus) 6/6 2 Thingvellir 6/6 2 Gullfoss 6/6 3 East of Geysir 7/6 1 Hlidarvatn 7/6 2 Hlidarvatn Thorlakshöfn 7/6 7 Ölfusá Delta 7/6 3 Seljalandsfoss Landeyjahöfn 8/6 2 Gardskagi. Common Guillemot (Uria aalge) 7/6 400 Krysuvikurberg 8/6 750 Gardskagi. Razorbill (Alca torda) 7/6 380 Krysuvikurberg 8/6 900 Gardskagi. Black Guillemot (Cepphus grylle) 7/6 11 Krysuvikurberg 7/6 4 Landeyjahöfn. Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) 7/6 90 Krysuvikurberg 8/6 110 Gardskagi. Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) 3-4 River Sogid.

10 Northern Raven (Corvus corax) Widely distributed in small numbers. A larger gathering - together with gulls - were seen a few kilometers inland along Road 42 on 7 th June maybe at a garbage dump? 6/6 7 ; 7/6 17 ; 8/6 4 ; 9/6 1. Eurasian Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) 6/6 1h between Úlfljótsvatn and Thingvallavatn 7/6 1-2h Seljalandsfoss. Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) Common in urban and grassy areas. 6/6 25 ; 7/6 8 ; 8/6 60 ; 9/6 20. Blackbird (Turdus merula) 8/6 1f Reykjavik 9/6 1h Reykjavik. Redwing (Turdus iliacus) Common in all scrubby and wooded areas. 6/6 120 ; 7/6 6 ; 8/6 30 ; 9/6 16. Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) 7/6 1m Krysuvikurberg 8/6 1m Reykjavik Gardskagi. White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) Common and widespread. 6/6 28 ; 7/6 12 ; 8/6 35 ; 9/6 2. Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis) Very common almost everywhere. 6/6 75 ; 7/6 50 ; 8/6 90 ; 9/6 14. Common Redpoll (Acanthis flammea) Common in scrubby areas. 6/6 25 ; 7/6 2 ; 8/6 13. Mammals. Arctic Fox (Alopex lagopus) 7/6 1 Krysuvikurberg. White-beaked Dolphin (Lagenorhynchus albirostris) 8/ Gardskagi. Common Minke Whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) 8/6 1 Gardskagi. Grey Seal (Halichoerus grypus) 7/6 16 Landeyjahöfn.

11 Ptarmigan Hafnarfjördur. If you have any questions regarding this report, please feel free to contact Jon on the following address: