Three days in Iceland in February (1 Viewer)

[Winterdune]

Hi all,

I am visiting Iceland with my partner in February, in the hope of seeing the Aurora Borealis, but would also like to connect with some of the birds - Gyrfalcon, Harlequin Duck, Barrow's Goldeneye etc.

I think I have a rough itinerary which will not be too stressful on our relationship, but would like to hear what others might recommend. We will hire a four wheel drive buit don't want to drive for more than an hour or so each day, so will be restricted to the Reykjavic area really.

Thanks
Sean

 

[Nohatch]

Hi Sean,

These are some great day trips you can do from Rvk:

The Reykjanes peninsula has some great scenery (Reykjanesta cliffs, Krysuvik geothermal area), the Blue Lagoon (for the misses) and is good for wintering shorebirds/gulls/ducks, and with a bit of luck ptarmigan and Gyrfalcon.
The Golden Cirlce tour is kind of a 'must-see' (Geysir, Gullfoss waterfall and Thingvellir NP), but not particularly great for birds. You may see ducks and divers on Thingvallavatn lake. You could consider extending this day trip by driving to the Vik area, where there are amazing waterfalls, cliffs, a black beach and Solheimajokull glacier to visit.
A nice short trip out of Rvk is to Hvalfjordur, immediately to the north. I have seen White-tailed Eagle there in winter and it's quite good for ducks and gulls. Easy to combine with the Golden Circle via road [48].
The Capital area itself has a number of good sites as well, particularly the harbour (loads of wintering gulls, ducks, divers and auks - I've even seen Little Auk there) and the ponds at Seltjarnarnes.

Let me know if you need a bit more info on specific sites & have a good trip!

N

 

[Winterdune]

Thanks very much for that Nohatch. Those are basically the areas I had in mind. Any more detailed info would be very welcome!

Sean

 

[Nohatch]

Reykjanes
From Rvk drive south through Hafnafjordur towards Keflavik/airport on road [41]. There is a nice little detour via Vatnsleysustrandarvegur (road [420] got to love Icelandic names). Along this road and between the Smelter and the [420] turnoff there are some good points for sea watching and there are lots of little lagoons/ponds. Continue past Keflavik on the [41] where you can do a little loop: turn right on the [45] to Gardur and after the town go straight on the [402] to the Gardskagi lighthouse. This is a well-know site for seawatching, but I don't know how good it is in winter. It's a lovely spot anyhow. Return on the [402] but hang a right towards Sandgerdi on the [45] - there are some ponds along the road just before Sandgerdi. After the town you can hang a right again (still the [45]) along the coast to Djupivogur bay, another good spot for sea watching. I think the road then turns into a dirt track for a few miles, and you end up on the [44] - turn right past Hafnir. About 3 miles south of Hafnir (you're now on the [425]) there is a parking on the left where you can stand on a bridge "between 2 continents". It's actually just a small part of the mid-Atlantic Ridge, but quite cool nonetheless. I've seen Ptarmigan there as well (standing out like a sore thumb among the black rocks). Just south there is another freshwater pond. Continue south along the [425], which curves left past the geothermal power plant. Half a mile beyond the plant there is a dirt road to your right, which leads to a lovely stretch of coast called Reykjanesta. There's a few old lighthouses, cliffs and stacks. Return via the same track - about half way on your left there is a small geothermal field (Gunnuhver) that's worth a look. Back on the [425] you can now either turn right to Grindavik, or if you want to visit the Blue Lagoon go left for 350-400 m and turn right onto a dirt track (you want to use that 4x4 right?). Follow this track through the lava fields and past the Eldvorp craters until you hit a tarmac road. Turn left for the Blue Lagoon, or right for Grindavik. From Grindavik you can do another nice loop back to Rvk. Coming into the town on the [43], turn left onto the [427] (Sudurstrandarvegur). This is a very scenic road with nice views and I've seen Gyrfalcon here a few times. At the end turn left on the [42] back to the capital. Make sure to stop at the Krysuvik geothermal area, on your left after about 1 mile. You will also pass the beautiful Kleifarvatn lake. The [42] ends at the [41] next to the smelter. If you're feeling like a bit more off-roading on your way home, turn back at Krysuvik along the [42] and [427] and turn right onto a dirt track [428] after about 5 miles. This is a fun track through a pretty valley and ends up on the [42] just north of Kleifarvatn.

N

 

[Winterdune]

Brilliant. Thanks.
Sean

 

[Edward]

Nohatch has covered most of it, but as for your target birds then Harlequin and Barrow's Goldeneye are easy if you look for them and Gyr Falcon occurs throughout the area but is just a matter of being in the right place at the right time - it's more common on the coast in winter, especially in areas where large numbers of ducks and gulls congregate.
Instructions to the Barrow's Goldeneye site are here
https://notendur.hi.is//~yannk/specialities.htm
Harlequins best looked for at Hafnir and in the bay Hraunsvík just east of Grindavík.
If you do decide to drive more than an hour then in nice weather the drive as far as Vík on the south coast is great, especially the last hour. The Reykjanes area outlined by Nohatch above is the best birding area in winter but it's not exactly the most scenic area in Iceland (although it is very different from England and its harsh ruggedness does appeal to a lot of visitors).

Just two more things, when Nohatch says "off-roading" he/she means driving on unsurfaced roads - off-road driving is not permitted in Iceland (except on glaciers - don't get any ideas, your car hire company will not be amused ), and dirt track 428 will almost certainly be closed when you come.

 

[Winterdune]

Thank you very much Edward. With your help and Nohatch's I think I am ready for both the Aurora and the birds!
Sean

 

[Nohatch]

Nohatch has covered most of it, but as for your target birds then Harlequin and Barrow's Goldeneye are easy if you look for them and Gyr Falcon occurs throughout the area but is just a matter of being in the right place at the right time - it's more common on the coast in winter, especially in areas where large numbers of ducks and gulls congregate.
Instructions to the Barrow's Goldeneye site are here
https://notendur.hi.is//~yannk/specialities.htm
Harlequins best looked for at Hafnir and in the bay Hraunsvík just east of Grindavík.
If you do decide to drive more than an hour then in nice weather the drive as far as Vík on the south coast is great, especially the last hour. The Reykjanes area outlined by Nohatch above is the best birding area in winter but it's not exactly the most scenic area in Iceland (although it is very different from England and its harsh ruggedness does appeal to a lot of visitors).

Just two more things, when Nohatch says "off-roading" he/she means driving on unsurfaced roads - off-road driving is not permitted in Iceland (except on glaciers - don't get any ideas, your car hire company will not be amused ), and dirt track 428 will almost certainly be closed when you come.

Oh I rather like the Reykjanes area, especially the south coast. Vik's great too, in fact all of Iceland is great (you're a lucky man to live there Edward). Sorry for the confusion about "off-roading" - you're absolutely right. When I did the F428 it was open (New Year's eve 2002) - or maybe there just weren't any signs

Have a great trip Sean!

N

 

[Winterdune]

Thanks Nohatch - I am getting really excited about the trip - though I am not surehow good our chances of seeing the Aurora Borealis actually are...
Sean

 

[Edward]

Thanks Nohatch - I am getting really excited about the trip - though I am not surehow good our chances of seeing the Aurora Borealis actually are...
Sean

You never know Sean. Obviously clear skies are a prerequisite and it's been a very mild and cloudy winter - but the skies are clear now and the aurora borealis are showing as I type this.

 

[gary w]

Hi Sean, I was in Iceland for five nights for the new year. I went with
my partner too and had one day's birding around Grundarfjorour. It
was around 2.5 hours drive from Reykjavic but well worth it. I saw
Gyrfalcon, 4 White-tailed Eagles, big numbers of white-winged Gulls
and a dozen Harlequins.
Not a sniff of the northern lights during our stay.
Have a great trip!

 

[Edward]

Hi Sean, I was in Iceland for five nights for the new year. I went with
my partner too and had one day's birding around Grundarfjorour. It
was around 2.5 hours drive from Reykjavic but well worth it. I saw
Gyrfalcon, 4 White-tailed Eagles, big numbers of white-winged Gulls
and a dozen Harlequins.
Not a sniff of the northern lights during our stay.
Have a great trip!

It's quite a spectacle in the area around Grundarfjörður at the moment as there are huge numbers of herring in the area, which is why there are so many birds. Someone on the Icelandic mailing list said there were around 50 Killer Whales there at the weekend, tens of thousands of gulls (most Glaucous, Iceland and GBB) plus lots of Fulmar, Cormorants, Shag, Common Eider, 500 Ravens, several White-tailed Eagle. As Gary mentioned there are Harlequins too - they are locally common in this area - and Gyr Falcon is also quite likely. The herring shoals were still present in the area in February last year so it may still be well worth heading out this way for anyone visiting next month. The scenery is great in this area and well worth driving from Reykjavík for anyway.

E

 

[gary w]

Hi Edward, was hoping for Orca on that day but sadly, it was a little windy and
we didn't see them. The sheer number of birds was a spectacle to see. It's a place
I would definately visit again.
I saw around 800 Snow Buntings that day, en route from Reyjkavic.

 

[Edward]

Not sure if you've been and gone yet Sean, but there are still loads of birds in the Grundarfjörður area and the hotel there is doing boat trips to see the Killer Whales (at least it was last week). Closer to Reykjavík there were thousands of Iceland Gulls at Grindavík at the weekend, and even closer there is a Thayer's Gull at Kópavogur (self-found patch tick - yay). A British birder here last week saw the northern lights on two evenings out of five.

E

 

[Winterdune]

Going on Sunday Edward! Can't wait...
Do you know the name of the hotel doing the boat trips?
Thanks
Sean

 

[Edward]

Going on Sunday Edward! Can't wait...
Do you know the name of the hotel doing the boat trips?
Thanks
Sean

Hi Sean

It will be Hotel Framnes I think http://hotelframnes.is/

Aurora very spectacular the last two nights across southern Iceland (I have heard from three different people - I wasn't looking :-( ), photos here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/raudkollur/8470770066/in/set-72157626129939151/

If you use Facebook then we've just started a Birding Iceland page which will have updates on rarities and other things of interest.

E

 

[Winterdune]

Wow that image is AMAZING! Thanks for your help Edward. Are you in Reykjavik? Fancy meeting up for a drink next week or accompanying us on a trip for the ducks?
Sean

 

[Edward]

Wow that image is AMAZING! Thanks for your help Edward. Are you in Reykjavik? Fancy meeting up for a drink next week or accompanying us on a trip for the ducks?
Sean

PM sent Sean. The aurora look like they are going to be good again tonight, it's a clear night and I can see them quite well now even with the light pollution in my street. Hope you get a chance to see them.

E

 

[Edward]

Just another update for Sean and anyone else going to Iceland in February, a visiting US birder saw thousands of gulls (Glaucous, Iceland and GBBG), 20 (!) White-tailed Eagles, Gyr, several Harlequin and drake King Eider (by hotel) in Grundarfjörður and surrounding area today.
I saw an estimated 4,000 Iceland Gulls in the harbour at Grindavík today, and about 30 Harlequins and a Surf Scoter in the bay to the east of the village.

 

[Winterdune]

Sitting in our Reykjavik apartment now on our last evening. No aurora alas but lots of good birds including Barrow's Goldeneye and Harlequin Duck so we are going home happy, though it hurts to have missed the aurora by a few days, and it seems that this Saturday might be another good showing! Bah... Still, what good would it be if everything in life was easy? Thanks to Gary and particularly to Edward for his ongoing advice, even whilst we have been here.
Sean