Just returned from a short break in Iceland. Wasn't intensive birding as a main focus was to see the Northern Lights, which thankfully put on a good show on the 3rd.
Caught up with all the wintering specialities in the south-west including King Eider, White-winged Scoter, Surf Scoter and American Wigeon plus Harlequin, Barrow's Goldeneye and Gyrfalcon. The Iceland Birding Pages website provides a wealth of information on current rarities and where to find some of the specialities.
https://notendur.hi.is//~yannk/index-eng.html
Did manage to see Iceland, Kumlien's and Glaucous Gull but they were few and far between. Most were in Grindavik harbour, with about 20 Icelands present. Of most interest though was that there was not a single white-winged gull to be seen in the Reykjavik area (including the harbour) when usually in early March there are thousands! Apparently they do this occasionally when there is a large shoal of capelin or herring somewhere offshore.
The moral is, despite what reports suggest, white winged gulls are not guaranteed in Reykjavik in early March.
Caught up with all the wintering specialities in the south-west including King Eider, White-winged Scoter, Surf Scoter and American Wigeon plus Harlequin, Barrow's Goldeneye and Gyrfalcon. The Iceland Birding Pages website provides a wealth of information on current rarities and where to find some of the specialities.
https://notendur.hi.is//~yannk/index-eng.html
Did manage to see Iceland, Kumlien's and Glaucous Gull but they were few and far between. Most were in Grindavik harbour, with about 20 Icelands present. Of most interest though was that there was not a single white-winged gull to be seen in the Reykjavik area (including the harbour) when usually in early March there are thousands! Apparently they do this occasionally when there is a large shoal of capelin or herring somewhere offshore.
The moral is, despite what reports suggest, white winged gulls are not guaranteed in Reykjavik in early March.