Gyrs are moderately easy in Iceland - spend a few days and you should bump into one. That said, I did not
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Iceland. Winter Birding, 13-16 February 2017 (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Jos Stratford
- Start date
Gyrs are moderately easy in Iceland - spend a few days and you should bump into one. That said, I did not
16 February. Reykjanes Peninsula.
Final day in Iceland. Tried to find King Eider and Surf Scoter on the south coast. Failed on both, on hindsight should have spent longer at Þorlákshöfn, where numerous offshore Common Eiders may well have hidden a female King Eider or two (they had been seen at this locality some days earlier).
Plenty of nice birds nevertheless, including at least 25 Harlequin Ducks, several Great Northern Divers and my only Blackbird of the trip. Common Seals too, six hauled out in an intertidal area, two then chasing and jumping out of the water. Stopped at various points during the day, then ended up at a small town pool in Keflavik – Whooper Swans and Wigeon coming to bread, small flock of Starlings flying around. A bit of luxury for the last night, we checked into a nearby hotel. It began to rain.
And so ended this mini winter trip to Iceland, next morning we needed to be at the airport at 9.30 a.m., i.e. before it would be light. All in all, despite no Arctic Fox, it had been grand trip – an enjoyable four days in great landscapes, topped by an impressive show of the Northern Lights.
Final day in Iceland. Tried to find King Eider and Surf Scoter on the south coast. Failed on both, on hindsight should have spent longer at Þorlákshöfn, where numerous offshore Common Eiders may well have hidden a female King Eider or two (they had been seen at this locality some days earlier).
Plenty of nice birds nevertheless, including at least 25 Harlequin Ducks, several Great Northern Divers and my only Blackbird of the trip. Common Seals too, six hauled out in an intertidal area, two then chasing and jumping out of the water. Stopped at various points during the day, then ended up at a small town pool in Keflavik – Whooper Swans and Wigeon coming to bread, small flock of Starlings flying around. A bit of luxury for the last night, we checked into a nearby hotel. It began to rain.
And so ended this mini winter trip to Iceland, next morning we needed to be at the airport at 9.30 a.m., i.e. before it would be light. All in all, despite no Arctic Fox, it had been grand trip – an enjoyable four days in great landscapes, topped by an impressive show of the Northern Lights.
birdboybowley
Well-known member.....apparently so ;)
OMG....Trump is president, Jos misses target species on a trip....the world really is coming to an end!! :-O:-O
Great read as always mate
Great read as always mate
I define it as unfinished business, rather than a miss :t:
Systematic List of Birds.
1. Whooper Swan. Seen on several wetlands along the coastlines. In total, about 45 around the Reykjanes Peninsula and about ten on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. Easiest place to see at close range is the small pool near Keflavik Harbour where they come to food, along with Wigeon.
2. Greylag Goose. Twelve seen, ten on the Reykjanes Peninsula (at Hlíðarvatn), two on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula (on the wetland near Rif).
3. Mallard. Moderately common on pools on both the Reykjanes Peninsula and the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. In total, about 210 logged during the trip.
4. Wigeon. Recorded at fewer localities than Mallard, but still widespread – in total, about 90 on the Reykjanes Peninsula and 35 on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula (on large pools at Rif).
5. Teal. Seen at three localities, six at Hlíðarvatn, two on the Sog River and four at Rif.
6. Scaup. A flock of about 30 seen on Hlíðarvatn.
7. Tufted Duck. About 45 at Hlíðarvatn.
8. Common Eider. Common to abundant along most coastline points visited, often flocks of a hundred or so also in harbours, especially on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula.
9. King Eider. Associating with Common Eiders, a male hybrid King Eider-Common Eider in Grundarfjörður harbour. Essentially King Eider in appearance with full sails on back, plus near normal head and chest colouration, etc, but back colour an ash grey instead of black and a very much reduced bill protuberance.
10. White-winged Scoter. A splendid drake at close quarters in Keflavik Harbour, loosely associating with Common Eider. This bird had been in the area for about two years.
11. Long-tailed Duck. Moderately common with small flocks (of generally ten to twenty birds) at regular intervals across both the Reykjanes Peninsula and Snæfellsnes Peninsula.
12. Harlequin Duck. With about 120 birds seen in total, this was one of the highlights of this trip to Iceland. Localities on the southern side of the Reykjanes Peninsula included Vikur, Þorlákshöfn and Hraunsvik, while they were even more widespread on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula and small flocks (of five to twelve) were seen at many areas of rocky coastline.
13. Barrow's Goldeneye. With the mild weather, none of the Sog River is frozen and thus birds were more widely dispersed than usual (and thus harder to find). After checking several sites, I eventually located a fine male in escort with two females at the northern end of Úlfljótsvatn.
14. Bufflehead. Female on a small pool just south of Sandgerði. Found several months earlier, this represented only the 5th record for Iceland.
15. Goosander. Three seen on the Sog river, one near Þorlákshöfn.
16. Red-breasted Merganser. Fairly common along all coasts, up to about 45 seen each day. Generally occurring in pairs or small flocks on the sea, several were also seen on the Sog River and other inland waters.
17. Rock Ptarmigan. Nine seen – one at Keflavik Airport, the rest in the lava fields at the end of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula (including a single and flock of three spotlit at night).
18. Red-throated Diver. A total of 56 logged, the best numbers being 12 at Þorlákshöfn and ten at Snæfellsnes lighthouse.
19. Great Northern Diver. Only seen on the Reykjanes Peninsula: one in Keflavik Harbour, three at Hraunsvik and one at Vikur.
20. Little Grebe. Third record for Iceland and found only a few days before my trip, one seen on the Sog River.
21. Northern Fulmar. Small numbers only off the Reykjanes Peninsula, but many thousands along the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, many already congregating on breeding cliffs and other massing at feeding sites.
22. Gannet. Small numbers – approximately 50 seen in total, about half off the tip of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, the others off the south of the Reykjanes Peninsula.
23. Cormorant. Common along all coastlines.
24. European Shag. Less frequent than Cormorant, but still moderately common, especially at Þorlákshöfn, Hraunsvik and the western end of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula.
25. White-tailed Eagle. Only one seen, a bird soaring near Grundarfjörður.
26. Merlin. One seen, a single roosting on a roadside post at dusk near Akranes.
27. Oystercatcher. Common in intertidal areas near Grundarfjörður and in Kolgrafafjörður. In total, about 115 logged at these two sites.
28. Purple Sandpiper. Common on rocky coasts on the north coast of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, up to 80 seen each day.
29. Turnstone. Only two seen, associating with Purple Sandpipers in Grundarfjörður Harbour.
30. Common Redshank. Unseasonal record – seven in Kolgrafafjörður.
31. Common Snipe. Unseasonal record – a single in the wetland near Rif.
32. Black-headed Gull. Only recorded twice – three near Olafsvik, one on the wetland at Rif.
33. Common Gull. One record only, a single near Olafsvik.
34. Kittiwake. Only noted on the cliffs at the tip of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, where at least 50 were congregating on the sea.
35. Herring Gull. Moderately common on the Reykjanes Peninsula, but very small number noted on the Reykjanes Peninsula.
36. Great Black-backed Gull. Common to abundant on all coasts and in harbours.
37. Glaucous Gull. Abundant, hundreds seen each day. Often massing in harbours, but also seen just about everywhere else along the coast, both along the Reykjanes Peninsula and Snæfellsnes Peninsula. Best location was probably the small river just west of Olafsvik, where many hundreds were present alongside thousands of other gulls. Several of the so-called 'Nelson Gulls', i.e. hybrids between Glaucous Gull and Herring Gull, were noted west of Olafsvik. This hybrid was not really looked for elsewhere, probably widely overlooked.
38. Iceland Gull. Vying with Great Black-backed Gull for contender as the most abundant bird in Iceland! Extremely common at several sites, especially on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, with single locality counts running into the hundreds on many occasions and, in the case of the small river running into the sea west of Olafsvik, probably in excess of 1000 birds present.
39. Kumlien's Gull. Not systematically searched for, but three found with ease in the mass flock of Iceland Gulls west of Olafsvik.
40. Black Guillemot. Present in small numbers along the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, with eight off the Snæfellsnes lighthouse and about 15 at scattered locations elsewhere along this coastline. On the Reykjanes Peninsula, two also seen at Þorlákshöfn and four at Hraunsvik.
41. Common Guillemot. None seen at the Snæfellsnes lighthouse on the evening of the 14th, but at least 900 present early next morning, with many tight flocks congregating at the base of the cliffs. One dead individual also found in Keflavik Harbour.
42. Razorbill. Only seen at Snæfellsnes lighthouse, where a total of six were seen.
43. Wren. One individual of this distinctive islandicus race seen, hopping around the rugged rocks of the lava fields at the end of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula.
44. Feral Pigeon. Several in Reykjavik and Keflavik.
45. Common Raven. The only passerine seen with any regularity, up to 25 a day and seen at most localities visited.
46. Blackbird. One seen, an individual in gardens in Þorlákshöfn.
47. European Starling. Exclusively recorded in urban areas, flocks of up to 25 were seen in a couple of the settlements on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, while flocks of up to 40 were encountered in Þorlákshöfn, Grindavik and Keflavik.
48. Snow Bunting. Possibly due to the total lack of snow and resultant dispersal of birds, only four single birds were seen, all in the lava fields at the western tip of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. Of these, only one was during daylight, the others found by spotlight at night.
1. Whooper Swan. Seen on several wetlands along the coastlines. In total, about 45 around the Reykjanes Peninsula and about ten on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. Easiest place to see at close range is the small pool near Keflavik Harbour where they come to food, along with Wigeon.
2. Greylag Goose. Twelve seen, ten on the Reykjanes Peninsula (at Hlíðarvatn), two on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula (on the wetland near Rif).
3. Mallard. Moderately common on pools on both the Reykjanes Peninsula and the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. In total, about 210 logged during the trip.
4. Wigeon. Recorded at fewer localities than Mallard, but still widespread – in total, about 90 on the Reykjanes Peninsula and 35 on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula (on large pools at Rif).
5. Teal. Seen at three localities, six at Hlíðarvatn, two on the Sog River and four at Rif.
6. Scaup. A flock of about 30 seen on Hlíðarvatn.
7. Tufted Duck. About 45 at Hlíðarvatn.
8. Common Eider. Common to abundant along most coastline points visited, often flocks of a hundred or so also in harbours, especially on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula.
9. King Eider. Associating with Common Eiders, a male hybrid King Eider-Common Eider in Grundarfjörður harbour. Essentially King Eider in appearance with full sails on back, plus near normal head and chest colouration, etc, but back colour an ash grey instead of black and a very much reduced bill protuberance.
10. White-winged Scoter. A splendid drake at close quarters in Keflavik Harbour, loosely associating with Common Eider. This bird had been in the area for about two years.
11. Long-tailed Duck. Moderately common with small flocks (of generally ten to twenty birds) at regular intervals across both the Reykjanes Peninsula and Snæfellsnes Peninsula.
12. Harlequin Duck. With about 120 birds seen in total, this was one of the highlights of this trip to Iceland. Localities on the southern side of the Reykjanes Peninsula included Vikur, Þorlákshöfn and Hraunsvik, while they were even more widespread on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula and small flocks (of five to twelve) were seen at many areas of rocky coastline.
13. Barrow's Goldeneye. With the mild weather, none of the Sog River is frozen and thus birds were more widely dispersed than usual (and thus harder to find). After checking several sites, I eventually located a fine male in escort with two females at the northern end of Úlfljótsvatn.
14. Bufflehead. Female on a small pool just south of Sandgerði. Found several months earlier, this represented only the 5th record for Iceland.
15. Goosander. Three seen on the Sog river, one near Þorlákshöfn.
16. Red-breasted Merganser. Fairly common along all coasts, up to about 45 seen each day. Generally occurring in pairs or small flocks on the sea, several were also seen on the Sog River and other inland waters.
17. Rock Ptarmigan. Nine seen – one at Keflavik Airport, the rest in the lava fields at the end of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula (including a single and flock of three spotlit at night).
18. Red-throated Diver. A total of 56 logged, the best numbers being 12 at Þorlákshöfn and ten at Snæfellsnes lighthouse.
19. Great Northern Diver. Only seen on the Reykjanes Peninsula: one in Keflavik Harbour, three at Hraunsvik and one at Vikur.
20. Little Grebe. Third record for Iceland and found only a few days before my trip, one seen on the Sog River.
21. Northern Fulmar. Small numbers only off the Reykjanes Peninsula, but many thousands along the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, many already congregating on breeding cliffs and other massing at feeding sites.
22. Gannet. Small numbers – approximately 50 seen in total, about half off the tip of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, the others off the south of the Reykjanes Peninsula.
23. Cormorant. Common along all coastlines.
24. European Shag. Less frequent than Cormorant, but still moderately common, especially at Þorlákshöfn, Hraunsvik and the western end of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula.
25. White-tailed Eagle. Only one seen, a bird soaring near Grundarfjörður.
26. Merlin. One seen, a single roosting on a roadside post at dusk near Akranes.
27. Oystercatcher. Common in intertidal areas near Grundarfjörður and in Kolgrafafjörður. In total, about 115 logged at these two sites.
28. Purple Sandpiper. Common on rocky coasts on the north coast of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, up to 80 seen each day.
29. Turnstone. Only two seen, associating with Purple Sandpipers in Grundarfjörður Harbour.
30. Common Redshank. Unseasonal record – seven in Kolgrafafjörður.
31. Common Snipe. Unseasonal record – a single in the wetland near Rif.
32. Black-headed Gull. Only recorded twice – three near Olafsvik, one on the wetland at Rif.
33. Common Gull. One record only, a single near Olafsvik.
34. Kittiwake. Only noted on the cliffs at the tip of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, where at least 50 were congregating on the sea.
35. Herring Gull. Moderately common on the Reykjanes Peninsula, but very small number noted on the Reykjanes Peninsula.
36. Great Black-backed Gull. Common to abundant on all coasts and in harbours.
37. Glaucous Gull. Abundant, hundreds seen each day. Often massing in harbours, but also seen just about everywhere else along the coast, both along the Reykjanes Peninsula and Snæfellsnes Peninsula. Best location was probably the small river just west of Olafsvik, where many hundreds were present alongside thousands of other gulls. Several of the so-called 'Nelson Gulls', i.e. hybrids between Glaucous Gull and Herring Gull, were noted west of Olafsvik. This hybrid was not really looked for elsewhere, probably widely overlooked.
38. Iceland Gull. Vying with Great Black-backed Gull for contender as the most abundant bird in Iceland! Extremely common at several sites, especially on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, with single locality counts running into the hundreds on many occasions and, in the case of the small river running into the sea west of Olafsvik, probably in excess of 1000 birds present.
39. Kumlien's Gull. Not systematically searched for, but three found with ease in the mass flock of Iceland Gulls west of Olafsvik.
40. Black Guillemot. Present in small numbers along the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, with eight off the Snæfellsnes lighthouse and about 15 at scattered locations elsewhere along this coastline. On the Reykjanes Peninsula, two also seen at Þorlákshöfn and four at Hraunsvik.
41. Common Guillemot. None seen at the Snæfellsnes lighthouse on the evening of the 14th, but at least 900 present early next morning, with many tight flocks congregating at the base of the cliffs. One dead individual also found in Keflavik Harbour.
42. Razorbill. Only seen at Snæfellsnes lighthouse, where a total of six were seen.
43. Wren. One individual of this distinctive islandicus race seen, hopping around the rugged rocks of the lava fields at the end of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula.
44. Feral Pigeon. Several in Reykjavik and Keflavik.
45. Common Raven. The only passerine seen with any regularity, up to 25 a day and seen at most localities visited.
46. Blackbird. One seen, an individual in gardens in Þorlákshöfn.
47. European Starling. Exclusively recorded in urban areas, flocks of up to 25 were seen in a couple of the settlements on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, while flocks of up to 40 were encountered in Þorlákshöfn, Grindavik and Keflavik.
48. Snow Bunting. Possibly due to the total lack of snow and resultant dispersal of birds, only four single birds were seen, all in the lava fields at the western tip of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. Of these, only one was during daylight, the others found by spotlight at night.
Hopefully this short report is of some assistance for anybody thinking of a winter visit, or having a few days spare on a trip to see the Northern Lights. As an aside, good information on local rarities is available on the Birding Iceland Facebook site, updated regularly.
King Eider and Common Eider, seem to remember reading somewhere it si assumed a male King Eider and female Common Eider.
