- Iceland - Trip Report June 17-28, 2001 By Stéphane Moniotte

Transcription

1 - Iceland - Trip Report June 17-28, 2001 By Stéphane Moniotte Digiscoping@hotmail.com

2 Introduction (Reproduced from the Fat Birder Website ( with permission). Iceland has long been famous for its volcanic activity and glaciers (having the biggest glacier in Europe, the Vatnajökull), which is why it is called the "land of ice and fire". To European birders it is also very famous for its three breeding bird species of American origin, Great Northern Diver, Harlequin Duck and Barrows Goldeneye and for one Arctic bird: Brünnichs Guillemot. Iceland is also famous for the occurrence of vagrants, but its situation in the N-Atlantic makes it an excellent place to look for rarities coming from both N-America and Europe. As Iceland is a relatively small island in the middle of the N-Atlantic, it has only 73 breeding species. Of these, only 10 are passerines (incl. House Sparrow which breeds at only one site). On the other hand most breeding species are very numerous and are easily seen everywhere around the country. For example the most numerous bird in Iceland is the Atlantic Puffin there being some three million pairs (one colony of 15,000 pairs is visible from the capital, Reykjavík)! However, its not because there are few breeding species, that the Icelandic bird list isnt very long. To date (June 2001) no less than xxx bird species have been recorded in Iceland, an amazing total considering the small number of breeding species (21% of the total)! Birdwatching is easy from spring to autumn, as most roads are clear of snow. The ideal period for a foreign birdwatcher to visit the country is between 20th May and 15th June. During this time all breeding birds have reached the island and are very obvious as they are defending territories. Furthermore, all ducks are still in breeding plumage and are easy to see. In the autumn it is more difficult to see some "specialities" and the ducks are in eclipse (moulting), in addition many migrants have left the country. On the other hand its the best time to look for rarities, and after good SW-winds birders should keep their eyes open for American birds while birding in the Southwest or South of Iceland. Winter birding is more difficult; as many roads get closed because of bad weather and/or snow. Anyway, in winter there are only a few species around, most of these being based in the Southwest part. On a good winters day the day list can reach 40 species (only in the South-West). On a good spring day birders can see up to species in one day (the record is 71), most easily in the North-East (and as there is day-light all night long we can really bird for 24 hrs!). Birders coming here in spring time, when bird life is at its highest, will be amazed by how common the birds are and how easy they are to find. As soon as you are out of the capital the birds have taken over! Even in downtown Reykjavík you can find breeding birds such as Arctic Tern, Greater Scaup, Tufted Duck, Gadwall, Common Eider, Common Ringed Plover and many, many more. At this time of year you can count on seeing all Icelandic breeding birds except the following ones (unless you go further away than the SW of Iceland): European & Leachs Storm-petrels: The biggest colonies are at the Westmann Islands but these birds arrive quite late there, and a special trip around the colonies at night (preferably after mid-june) is needed to see these species. White-tailed Eagle: pairs breed in the western part of Iceland and can be difficult to find. Breeding sites are kept secret. Grey/Red Phalarope: this beautiful shorebird has become quite rare and the Icelandic population is now only pairs. Without knowledge of breeding sites (which are also kept secret!) this bird can be almost impossible to see during this time of year.

3 2001 Stéphane Moniotte. Little Auk: This alcid unfortunately no longer breeds in Iceland. Snowy Owl: Many birders coming to Iceland think they have a chance to see his owl in the highlands, but this is wrong as the Snowy Owl is only a very irregular breeder (when it breeds its only one pair). There are records annually, both in summer and winter. Birdwatching in autumn is very different from the spring. Birds are then mainly seen along the coast and by the middle of October most migrants have left the country. September-November is the period to look for rare birds, with mid-sept to mid-oct being the best time. American waders are usually seen until early October, while the peak occurrence of American passerines is around 10 Oct. American passerines have been noted annually in Iceland since 1968 with the exception of In November the winter starts to show its face and birding becomes both short and monotonous. As mentioned above the Southwest part of Iceland is the best area in winter with daily totals as high as 40 species. From the end of November until early February it is possible to bird for some 3-6 hours, depending on the weather. Days are a little bit shorter in the north of Iceland. Beware! Birders coming to Iceland in winter must watch the weather forecast VERY closely if they are planning a trip outside the capital area as the weather can change very rapidly in Iceland, during the morning the sky may be clear with no wind but a few hours later the wind could be very strong mixed with a snowstorm! Then in April the migrants start to appear again with the main wave coming between mid April and mid May. The last migrants to arrive are the two Phalarope species.

4 The itinerary Basically, we landed in Reykjavik and drove to Latrabjarg, the southwestern point of the North-Western Fjord region, then to Lake Myvatn. Back to Reykjanes Peninsula via the south coast of Iceland. A round trip of about 2850 Kms.

5 Day by day June 17. From Keflavik to Reykjavík. We left Brussels (Belgium) on June 17, drove to Dusseldorf, flew to Iceland and arrived at Keflavík international airport at 22:30. We immediatly got our car, a brand new Opel Astra, and drove to Reykjavík. For 700 ISK (about 9.30 euro), a shuttle can take you to the domestic Reykjavík airport, which is located a couple of kms South of the city center. June 18. From Reykjavík to Bjarkalundur. Partially cloudy,some light rain C. On June 18, we immediatly went to downtown Reykjavík to check the two lakes called Tjörnin. We found nice flocks of ducks there: Eiders, Scaups, Tufted Ducks, Greylag Geese; and a first colony of Arctic Terns. Our birding trip continued to the North, to reach Bjarkalundur late in the evening, via roads [47], [1] and [60]. In between, we got a first Glaucous Gull in Hvalfjöδur, and of course, all the common birds like Redwings, Redshanks, Mallards, Arctic Terns, Common Snipes, Eiders and Golden Plovers. We also found a nesting Golden Plover just before Bùδardalur, and a Common Seal (Phoca vitulina)! 2001 Stéphane Moniotte. The first Harlequin Ducks of the trip were seen on the Svinadalur River, along road [60]. A couple of Long-tailed Ducks was also observed on a small lake, high in the mountains. Arriving in Bjarkalundur, we explored the hill just behind the hotel, and got stunning views and pictures of Rock Ptarmigans, displaying Snipes and Redwings. A beautiful Great Northern Diver was exploring the lake in front of our hotel. June 19. From Bjarkalundur to Latrabjarg.

6 Partially cloudy C. We started the day by re-checking the small lake in front of Bjarkalundur Hotel. We got a couple of Whooper Swans and Red-throated Divers, lots of snipes, Black-tailed Godwits, Ringed Plovers, Golden Plovers and Whimbrels. We continued the roads [60] and [612] to Breiδavik and Latrabjarg cliffs. Lots of Golden Plovers, including pulli, Eiders and Whooper Swans in the Fjords, some Harlequin Ducks (check the mountain rivers each time you cross them!), Snow Buntings and Purple Sandpipers in summer plumage in the mountains between Djupidalur and Gufudalur Stéphane Moniotte. We arrived quite late at Breiδavik, under some rain, and did not visit the cliffs in the evening. June 20. From Latrabjarg to Bjarkalundur. Partially cloudy in the morning, fog and powerful wind in the early afternoon, sun shining later C. Day at Latragjarg. Latrabjarg is the largest seabird colony in the North Atlantic. Europe s western most point, it is 12 Km long and 40 to 445 meters high. It is the largest Razorbill colony in the world and countains millions of seabirds. It can be reached by car, and there is a parking place at Bjargtangar lighthouse, from where the Puffins can be seen at very close range. We actually touched them! Camping facilities are provided on the beach, just before the lighthouse. Getting to Latrabjarg requires some risky driving, and we ve even been stucked on the beach for a few hours (at Hvàllatur, where we enjoyed a nice colony of Arctic Terns). Today, we got our first Razorbills, Puffins, Guillemots, lots of Brünnich s Guillemots, and reasonable numbers of Fulmars and Kittiwakes, despite the poor weather conditions. In the late afternoon, we left the cliffs and drove back through the Fjords to reach Bjarkalundur late in the evening. Snipes were displaying everywhere from Breiδavik to Bjarkalundur. We also witnessed the Sun setting behind the Snæfellsjökull, the mountain from which Jules Verne started his Journey towards the Center of the Earth.

7 June 21. From Bjarkalundur to Myvatn. Sunny weather,light wind C. We left Bjarkalundur in the early morning to reach Myvatn via roads [60], [59] and [1]. Arriving in Hrutafjoδur, we saw Herring and Glaucous Gull feeding on a dead whale. Some other nice observations along road [1], including a pair of Great Northern Divers, Whooper Swans (most pairs with youngs), Dunlins, Golden Plovers, Whimbrels, Snow Buntings and the usual Redwings Stéphane Moniotte. Along Heraδsvötn river, we saw many flocks of Greylag Geese, most of them with ducklings, and unexpectedly a group of 50 Pink-footed Geese with many young birds, near Miklibaer. We arrived at Myvatn around 5:00 PM. Myvatn is the fourth-largest lake in Iceland, measuring 37.3 Km 2, one of the best known and renowned birdwatching sites in Europe. Frequent lava flows have left the lake very irregular in shape, with many islets and rock formations. It is the breeding ground for some 15 species of ducks, and the only one of Barrow s Goldeneye in Europe. It is also one of the best spot for Gyrfalcon, though we did not see any during this trip. From May 15 to July 20, the northwestern shore and wetlands are a protected breeding area and can not be accessed. We immediately encountered the nuisance of the lake: midges (chironomids) and blackflies (simuliids) proliferating in the lake at this time of the year. A mosquito head net is absolutely necessary when you bird here from June to August, otherwise, they ll make you crazy! Midges do not bite, but female blackflies do!river system have been protected by a law since 1974, in order to preserve their unique nature and biosphere, and contribute to research. Agriculture has been in decline around Myvatn as elsewhere, and the local economy is now largely based on diatomite processing from rich deposits on the bed of the lake. The whole of Lake Myvatn, Skutustadir parish and Laxa system have been protected by law since 1974 in order to protect their unique nature and biosphere and contribute to research.

8 Few area offer such a wide spectrum of geological and lava formations, since Myvatn lies on an active volcanic belt where eruptions are frequent, most recently in There is intense geothermal activity as well, producing mudpools, bubbling sulphur pits and spectacular coloured deposits. The sites of Skutustaδagigar with its pseudocraters, and of Dimmuborgir must not missed when leaving the lake to the East via road [1]. We got our first 5 Barrow s Goldeneyes, Long-tailed Ducks, and of course lots of more common ducks: Wigeons, Mallards, Tufted Ducks, Scaups, Teals, Gadwalls June 22. Lake Myvatn. Sunny! No wind, C! Wonderful day at Myvatn. Close observations of most typical birds, Barrow s Goldeneyes, Long-tailed Ducks, Wigeons, Mallards, Tufted Ducks, Scaups, Teals, Gadwalls, with tens of Red-necked Phalaropes. Hundreds of Arctic Terns. Wonderful sights of Slavonian Grebes, Great Northern Divers and Goosanders. Do not mist the small forests on the southeast coast, where we got Redpolls and Wrens, and lots of nesting Redwings feeding their youngs. We also saw the only raptor of the trip today: a Merlin attacked by Whimbrels on the north coast of the lake Stéphane Moniotte. June 23. From Myvatn to Breidδalsvik.

9 Sunny! Light wind, C! We spent the morning around the lake, with the same exciting species as yesterday. Still lots of Rednecked Phalaropes. Search of the American Wigeon seen in May on the West coast, in vain The Laxa delta is certainly worth a walk. We saw numerous species nesting there (Wigeons, Tufted Ducks, Scaups, Slavonian Grebes, Red-necked Phalaropes) together with extremely close views on Harlequin Ducks, Barrow s Goldeneyes and Long-tailed Ducks, peacefully resting in the sunlight. In the afternoon, we visited the gorge of Dettifoss, Europe s most powerful waterfall (45 m high and 100 m across) on the Jökulsa River, in Jökulsargljufur National Park (Road [864]). Impressive but no real birding here, except some Snow Bunting and a small colony of Fulmars along the river. Then we continued to the East, along road [1], where near Möδrudalur we got nice observations of Pink-footed Geese families on their nesting grounds. Late in the evening we reached Breidδalsvik, where we stayed for the night Stéphane Moniotte. June 24. From Breidδalsvik to Höfn. Very cloudy, light rain and fog in the morning. Quite windy in the afternoon C.

10 Back into the icelandic Fjords, we got thousands of Eiders, Arctic Terns and Fulmars. Of note, a group of 8 Great Northern Divers at sea, mainly juveniles. Nice observations of Purple Sandpipers in summer plumage, and Arctic Skuas on the beach of Halvnes, where we looked for King Eider (without luck ). Close views to most common species observed on the West coast, as well as some flocks of Harlequin Ducks and Black Guillemots. Lots of photographic opportunities. Eiders were common in small lakes and Fulmars were breeding on almost every possible cliff by the road. June 25. From Höfn to Hof. Rainshowers and low clouds all day C. Along the Vatnajökull, we went through the famous sandurs to see the Great Skua colonies. They are the deposits of silt, sand and gravel scraped from mountains by glaciers and carried by glacial bursts and braided rivers to the shores. Breiδamerkursandur seems to be the best place to see them. It is a barren coastal flatland, where the major part of the Atlantic population of the species breeds, with an estimated pairs. As expected from earlier trips, the birds where very aggressive when we intruded their breeding grounds! Many arctic skuas and Red-throated Divers with chicks were approached at close range too. At the iceberg-lake Jökulsarlon, there was a huge colony of Arctic Terns Stéphane Moniotte. In the evening, we stopped at Hof, where we added some passerines to our list: House Sparrow, Barn Swallow. Lots of Wheathers and Redwings nesting.

11 June 26. From Hof to Vik. Some clouds, around 15 C. In the early morning, we left for Ingolfshöfδi, a large rock immerged in the sea in front of the Vatnajökull. It is named after Ingolfur Arnarson, the first settler of Iceland, who made land there and spent his first winter before moving to live along the coast to live in what is now Reykjavik. A farmer/viking drove us there by tractor for 900 IKR. Impressive landscape. It also appeared to be a beautiful place to see Puffins, Fulmars, Great Skuas and Great Black-backed Gulls. Lots of the usual seabirds and shorebirds. We slowly reached Vik where we slept at the Lundi Hotel, right under small Puffin and Kittiwake colonies. June 27. From Vik to Selfoss. Sunny, but strong wind.at least 20 C. We continued south to reach Dyrholaey, a sheer promontory risong towards the sea, west of Reynishverfi, the southernmost point of the mainland and home of another huge Puffin colony. Nice place, where we saw Arctic Skuas attacking Puffins and Kittiwakes, Eiders, Guillemots and, Black Guillemots at sea; the Snow Bunting was abundant here, as were many shorebirds. From there, we drove to Geysir and Selfoss. Here again lots of good looking lakes and ponds, and reasonable numbers of birds, including a few Black-headed Gulls colonies. Would really be worth a full day. The same appears to be true for the delta of Ölfusá river. Redshanks and Snipes were displaying along the road. Of course, Geysir is another must. It has lent its name as the generic term for this strange phenomenon of spouting hot springs. Geysir, believed to have been formed in the thirteenth century, has not been erupting during the last decade, but Strokkur, a smaller adjacent hot spring is still erupting at 5 min. intervals, up to 30 meters high. On the glacial river Hvita, 5 km from there, Gulfoss, a splendid waterfall into an impressive gorge. Late drive to Selfoss. June 28. From Selfoss to Keflavik. Fog in the early morning then sunny. Light wind C. We drove west to Reykjavík and then towards the Reykjanes peninsula in search of birdcliffs. We had some large flocks of Gulls, including many Glaucous Gulls, but no confiding Iceland Gull, and some Kittiwakes at the Grindavík harbor. From there we continued to the Southwestern most point of Iceland, Valahnukar close to Reykjanestá. This site provides nice looks of Kittiwakes and a distant colony of Gannets at Eldey as well as quite a few Fulmars. We briefly saw 2 Manx Shearwaters and a medium-sized Whale suspected to be a Killer Whale. Further North at Hafnaberg, we got a nice birdcliff, with Kittiwakes, Brunninch s Guillemots, Black Guillemots, Fulmars and Auks.

12 We then continued North between Keflavík town and the airport towards Garður. At the North end of the village there are a couple of ponds on the right side. In the first one a long-staying American Black Duck is present since We did not see it however, as some stupid fog suddenly felt in this area. Therefore, we went to Garðskagi, and as the sun set slowly we were able to bird for another two hours, first at Sandgerði where we saw our last Puffins, Guillemots, Fulmars, and Kittiwakes and then close to Keflavik airport. We stopped birding at 1 AM and flew back to Brussels.

13 Accomodations Reykjavik: Hotel Loftleidir, Reykjavik airport, Reykjavik, Iceland. Phone: Fax: Room rate: IKR for a double room. Bjarkalundur: Bjarkalundur Hotel, Reykholasveit, 380 Kroksfjardarnes, Iceland. Phone: Fax: Room rate: 1500 IKR for sleeping bag accomodations. Breiδavik: Breiδavik guesthouse, 451 Patreksfjodur, Breiδavik, Iceland. Phone: Fax: Room rate: 1500 IKR for sleeping bag accomodations. Myvatn: Hotel,, Iceland. Phone: Fax: Room rate: IKR for a double room. Breiδalsvik: Breidalsvik Hotel, Breiδalsvik, Iceland. Room rate: 1400 IKR for a nice sleeping bag accomodations. Höfn: Hotel Hofn, Vikurbraut 20, 780 Hofn, Iceland. Phone: Fax: Room rate: IKR for a double room. Hof: Littla Guesthouse, Hof, Iceland. Phone: Fax: Room rate: 1800 IKR for sleeping bag accomodations. Vik: Hotel Lundi, Vikurbraut 24a, 870 Vik, Iceland. Phone: Fax: Room rate: 1500 IKR for double room. Selfoss: Hotel, Selfoss, Iceland. Phone: Fax: Room rate: IKR for a double room. Acknowledgements. I would like to thank Gilles Willem (Brussels, Belgium), Dick Vuijk (Wageningen, The Netherlands), Gaukur Hjartarson (Husavik, Iceland) and Binni (Hofn, Iceland) for providing us critical data enabling us to see all our target species (but the Gyrfalcon). Many thanks to all other birders who posted their trip reports on the web or sent them to me, and of course to Urs Geiser (Chicago, USA) who maintains the best trip reports collection on the internet. Other friends also deserve our warmest thanks as they allowed us to see two extremely rare breeding birds in Iceland: the Grey Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius) and the Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis). As these birds require extreme protection, the sites where they were observed, as well as the names of our friends, will not be disclosed here. Please do not write me for details as I will NOT give you more information about those species.

14 Finally, my gratitude goes to my two friends Henry and Philippe for sharing these two birding weeks, with their usual friendship, happiness and dynamism.

15 Trip Checklist Total Red-throated Diver Great Northern Diver Slavonian Grebe Fulmar Manx Shearwater 2 2 Gannet Cormorant Shag Whooper Swan Pink-footed Goose Greylag Goose Wigeon Gadwall Teal Mallard Pintail 2 2 Tufted Duck Scaup Eider Harlequin Duck Long-tailed Duck Common Scoter Barrow's Goldeneye Red-breasted Merganser 2 2 Goosander Merlin 1 1 Ptarmigan Oystercatcher Ringed Plover Golden Plover Purple Sandpiper Dunlin Snipe Black-tailed Godwit Whimbrel Redshank Grey Phalarope * 2 2 Arctic Skua Great Skua Black-headed Gull Common Gull 2 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull Herring Gull Glaucous Gull Great Black-backed Gull Kittiwake Arctic Tern Guillemot Brünnich's Guillemot Razorbill Black Guillemot Atlantic Puffin Woodpigeon Swallow Meadow Pipit White/Pied Wagtail Wren 3 3 Wheatear Blackbird 2 2 Redwing Carrion/Hooded Crow Raven Starling House Sparrow Redpoll 3 3 Snow Bunting

16 Gaukur HJARTARSON Haagerdi HUSAVIK ICELAND Phone (private) or (work)