Iceland sightings sources (1 Viewer)

[Owene]

I know it’s not the best time but im in Iceland for a week in late July. I’ve had a look at bird guides but they seem to want about 800 quid a day which just isn’t doable for me.

I’ll have a hire car and am happy to do independent birding but eBird seems quite sparingly used out there. Does anyone know of any other online sources for sightings as ill
Mainly be after the ducks and they should have dispersed a bit by then

I’ll have a few (largely booked out) days in Reykjavik and 5 in akureyri. We will be doing some whale boats from akureyri and husavik.

I need harlequin duck. Barrows goldeneye. Gyrfalcon and brunnichs guillemot

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

I think Ebird is quite heavily used in Iceland. There just aren't that many birders there! I suspect @Edward should be able to help. Myvatn should be good for Gyr, Barrow's Goldeneye and probably Harlequin.

 

[Owene]

That makes sense regarding eBird and I’ll definitely be spending time at myvatn.

 

[foresttwitcher]

A long time ago I did a week in June and saw Harlequin on the Laxa River south west of Lake Myvatn and Barrow's on the lake itself from the east side near Dimmuborgir. Also had a couple of interacting Gyr quite a way north east of Husavik over the tundra east of Kopasker.

 

[Owene]

It all sounds great. Im fairly hopeful of getting at least a couple of my targets and have a lot of info on general sites. If eBird is the one to go for for up to date stuff that’s good really as I’m familiar with it already.

It’s mainly a family holiday for my wife to check off a few things she wants to do but hopefully a couple of new birds too

 

[Edward]

As Andrew says, eBird is used a lot in Iceland and there is a lot of data. Late July will be fine at Mývatn for Barrow's Goldeneye (although they will be looking pretty grotty). There should be females and young Harlequin on the river Laxá but males will nearly all be back at moulting sites at sea. Harlequins are pretty widespread in Iceland but tend to be a bit inconspicuous in late summer. There are moulting flocks around Húsavík (mouth of river Laxá for example), just check eBird. They stick close to land when at sea. To see Brünnich's Guillemot you have to go to a colony and in northern Iceland that generally means a bit of a trek, Rauðinúpur north of Kópasker for example, about 3 hours from Akureyri. They also tend to leave the cliffs in late July/early August. Gyr Falcon is undergoing a real crisis in Iceland and numbers appear to be at an all-time low (conversely Ptarmigan numbers are sky high this spring). They are around but it's just a matter of luck. Data on Gyr Falcon is hidden on eBird so no help there.

 

[temmie]

check Observation.org Iceland as well.

Here are all my sightings, beginning of June (a 5-day short trip with friends and just occasional birding):

Nature observations of Lieven De Temmerman on Observation.org Iceland

Observation.org Iceland wants to enable everyone to record and share observations, increasing the knowledge of nature.

is.observation.org

I had Harlequin at the touristy site called Þingvellir:

Harlequin Duck - Histrionicus histrionicus

1 present 2017-06-03 Thingvellir NP

is.observation.org

It's a very easy-to-reach site from Reykjavik, and a very reliable one.

All my birding was pretty close to Reyjkjavik. The only excursion further away was Jokulsarlon.
Pro tip: by ALL of your booze in the tax free when entering the country.
I don't want to encourage you to drink a lot, but once out of the tax free, your wallet will hate you for everything you eat and drink, especially alcoholic drinks. I have seen people bringing cereal breakfast for their whole stay to save on the (by European standards) ridiculous prices for food. Iceland isn't cheap, you'll be warned

ps: I have exact points for Gyr but as it's a vulnerable species, and favourite hangouts change every year, I won't share them. Just know you can encounter them also close to Reykjavik, so keep your eyes open. The Myvatn area is indeed one of the best to try and see them.