Harlequins & Northern Lights Thu 27th Feb Mon 3rd Mar 2014

Transcription

1 Limosa Holidays & Travelling Naturalist Trip Report Iceland: Harlequins & Northern Lights Thu 27th Feb Mon 3rd Mar 2014 (Photos, from the top): A stunning view of the aurora borealis absolutely fantastic! The magnificent waterfall at Gullfoss The group huddled for warmth (even though they are glowing) with the aurora behind The geyser at Geysir More aurorae beyond snow-covered hills group Walking at Selvogur all photos Andy Jones/ report compiled by tour leader: Andy Jones 1 Limosa Holidays & The Travelling Naturalist

2 Trip Diary Tour Leader: Andy Jones with Nick & Gill Edwards, Andrew & Jane Elliott and Marion Firman Travelling in Iceland during the winter months is exhilarating. The landscape provides a spectacular backdrop to the harsh, wintry conditions that wildlife must endure to survive this tough period. Clear nights are often enlivened with displays of the northern lights. What follows is a summary of the places visited on The Travelling Naturalist and Limosa Holiday s 27 February to 3 March 2014 trip to Iceland. Also included is a list of the birds and mammals we encountered. Thursday 27 February 2014 Clear and bright with light NE wind. Temperatures around freezing. We are soon on our way from Keflavík airport. We drive along the Reykjanes peninsula and learn about the Mid-Atlantic ridge and how the two crustal plates are moving apart, creating the new volcanic landscapes around us. Geologically speaking we undertake an intercontinental journey as we leave the plate carrying the north American continent and cross onto the European one. We note Raven, Common Eider and Iceland Gulls on the journey. We soon reach our guesthouse, located on the flanks of the Mid- Atlantic ridge, amidst the wonderful scenery of south Iceland. After settling in we are grateful for the delicious dinner served to us. As we finish our meal, and with impeccable timing, an aurora begins. It develops strongly and we drive a short distance to watch its progression. We are enthralled as the northern lights dance and shimmer in the skies above our heads. It s a memorable start to the holiday. Friday 28 February 2014 It s a bright start to the day with a brisk NE wind and a little cloud cover. Temperatures around freezing at first but reach 3 C in the afternoon. We take a short walk to the geothermal springs in Hveragerði looking for the Icelandic race of Common Redpoll. It s not long before we find some and we note the variability in plumage colours within the small flock. We also see many Northern Fulmars flying around the cliffs prospecting for nesting sites. The hot springs to the north of the town developed after an earthquake in 2008 and we learn more about geothermal and seismic activity in Iceland. At the hot springs we see a Merlin fly overhead. It perches on a boulder and we enjoy some good, if distant, views. We also see a male Blackbird as we walk. This species is a recent coloniser in Iceland. We look for Barrow s Goldeneye along the pools and rivers of Sogið and soon find a small group on the ice-free river. It s windy here but we find some shelter on the river bank and watch this special species of Iceland. We also record Goosander here. We search for more redpolls in a small wood no luck here but we enjoy our picnic lunch in the shelter of the trees. At Laugarvatn we find another male Barrow s Goldeneye and have some good views. The edge of the lake is ice free as some hot springs discharge into it. We head for one of Iceland s best known sites the hot springs and geysers at Geysir. We enjoy strolling around the geothermal area and watch several eruptions of the geyser, Strokkur. There are Ravens in the area and we also hear and glimpse Common Redpolls flying over a small woodland. We travel to the wonderful glacial river waterfall at Gullfoss The falls are partly frozen and the only sign of life, apart from the visitors, are some ravens patrolling the canyon edge. We stroll along the cliffs and have spectacular views of this wonderful waterfall. 2 Limosa Holidays & The Travelling Naturalist

3 We visit another waterfall at Faxi and search the slopes for Ptarmigan but there s no luck for us today. The magnificent scenery more than compensates, however. Despite clear skies there s no aurora this evening. Saturday 1 March 2014 Bright and clear all day but with a brisk NE wind. Temperatures around freezing. We start the day by watching the sun rise over the south coast of Iceland. We have good views of the volcanoes of Eyjafjallajökull and Hekla as we travel. We can see the Westman Islands in the distance and note the superior mirage effect as the islands appear to float above the horizon. We head westwards along the coast and call at a small bay near Hlíðarvatn. It s windy but we shelter on the steep, pebble beach. We have some great views of a flock of around 15 Harlequin Ducks and enjoy watching them surf the breaking waves close to the coast. We see a flock of around 100 Eurasian Wigeon, several Common Eiders, a single Long-tailed Duck, a Eurasian Shag and some Northern Gannets offshore. The species that dominates the scene for us though is Northern Fulmar. There are tens of thousands of them some patrolling the cliffs, others flying offshore. One member of the group comments on never having seen so many birds in one place before. It really is an amazing sight. We find a feather, see some footprints and hear a Ptarmigan but irritatingly we don t get even a glimpse the bird. The geology of the area is spectacular and we learn about the lava flows and formations around us. At Hlíðarvatn we find a sheltered spot and have a very pleasant spell of birdwatching. We note Tufted Duck and Greater Scaup. There are some whooper swans along the edge of the water and we have some good views of Great Black-backed and Glaucous Gulls standing on the ice. At Strandarkirkja there are some Atlantic Grey Seals offshore, and we have a good opportunity to learn the differences between Glaucous and Iceland Gulls as they fly past. We record Purple Sandpiper and once again comment on the large numbers of Fulmars here. There s a Black Guillemot offshore and we enjoy our picnic in the shelter of the sea wall. We have a pleasant walk along the coast and find another group of 20 or so Harlequins. There s also Common Seal in the area and we watch as the rising tide washes one off a small skerry. There are several hundred Iceland Gulls in the harbour at Þorlákshöfn and offshore we watch several Long-tailed Ducks amidst the more numerous Eiders. We scan offshore for Humpback Whales, which are often seen in the area but sadly there s no luck for us today. As we watch some Eurasian Teal on a small pool a Grey Heron (an uncommon vagrant to Iceland) flies away. We re fortunate to experience another tremendous display of the northern lights this evening. This time we decide to visit the flanks of the nearby volcano for an extensive view of the night sky. The rough, snow covered track is difficult in places but we ve a sturdy 4x4 and soon reach the shelter of the lava field and watch the aurora develop overhead. It s another wonderful display and we enjoy watching the different forms the aurora takes. There s also an impromptu astronomy lesson as we learn to identify the stars and constellations. We see Jupiter and its four Gallilean satellites. We re grateful for a warming mug of cocoa when we descend from the mountain. Sunday 2 March 2014 Clear and bright all day but clouding over in the evening. Temperatures again around freezing at first but climb to 3 C later. We search for more Barrow s Goldeneye along the pools and rivers south of Þingvallavatn and soon hit the jackpot. In addition to around 40 or so which we see further away there s a single male in feather perfect plumage busily feeding just a few metres from us. We can clearly see him underwater. There are 3 Limosa Holidays & The Travelling Naturalist

4 also four or five common goldeneyes on the lake. We record Cormorant, Goosander, Tufted Duck and Mallard as well. Next we head towards Þingvellir and the great lake of Þingvallavatn. Þingvellir is on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list as it is the location of the old Viking parliament from AD 930. We stop on the edge of the magnificent rift valley where a constructive plate boundary separates, geologically, America from Europe. The view is magnificent and we see some of the typical plants of Iceland, including: crowberry, bilberry, heather, bearberry and mountain avens. We also see lots of the lichens and mosses that cover the new lava landscapes of the area. The dominant mosses are Racomitrium and we see great mounds covering the lava rocks. We set off on a Ptarmigan search but the track is too slippery to walk very far and we drive across the mountain instead. We enjoy our picnic near some caves which were lived in by people until well into the twentieth century. The view from here is magnificent. We have a wonderful walk in the national park though we need to take care on the slippery paths. We hear Wren as we walk and see some more Common Redpolls, too. We enjoy our stroll around the site of the old Viking parliament. From the viewpoint the group leader sees two Whooper Swans splashing in the water some distance away. They re disturbed by a Gyr Falcon which zooms low over the edge of the lake. Sadly the bird disappears without the others seeing it. We travel along the western side of the lake along some slippery roads in the hope of finding some Ptarmigan. Again we re unlucky but we stop at the side of the frozen lake and are amazed by the large plates of ice cast up on the shore by the wind. We hear them creak and groan around us. We explore the area of the Hengill volcano and learn more about the dynamic geology of this part of Iceland. We find some more Barrow s Goldeneyes and goosander on our return journey. It s been another great day in the field. We re on aurora alert after dinner but there s no sign of the northern lights tonight. Monday 3 March 2014 Partly cloudy at first but brightening later. Colder with temperatures just below freezing. We have a wonderful drive across the mountains of the Mid-Atlantic ridge as we head for Iceland s capital, Reykjavík. The clear visibility means we can see the ice covered volcano of Snæfellsjökull in the distance. As we approach the city we see, briefly, a merlin as it flies ahead of us and perches on a lamppost. We visit the viewpoint at Perlan and enjoy good views across the city and see the halo around the sun. This atmospheric phenomenon is caused by refraction within ice crystals high in the atmosphere. We have a productive spot of birdwatching near the harbour, note all the familiar species and add Great Northern Diver to the list. The city centre pond is largely frozen but in the ice free area near the edge we have good views of several of the wildfowl species we recorded during the trip. We enjoy our lunch and all too soon it s time to travel to the airport for the return flight to London. It s been a great trip. Thanks for your company and I hope we ll meet on another Travelling Naturalist or Limosa Holidays trip again one day. Andy Jones 4 Limosa Holidays & The Travelling Naturalist

5 Annotated Bird Species List Species Scientific name Notes Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus B 4. Small groups seen most days. Greylag Goose Anser anser B 2. Recorded near Reykjavík on 27 Feb and 3 March. Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope B 3. Good views off the south coast of Reykjanes on 1 March. Eurasian Teal Anas crecca A 2. Three males and two females near Hveragerði on 1 March. Mallard Anas platyrhynchos C 4. Recorded most days. Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula B 2. At Hlíðarvatn on 1 March, Sogið on 2 March and Reykjavík on 3 March. Greater Scaup Aythya marila B 1. Around 50 at Hlíðarvatn on 1 March. Common Eider Somateria mollissima D 2. Common offshore. Harlequin Duck Histrionicus histrionicus B 1. Great views along the south coast on 1 March. Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis B 2. Seen offshore south Reykjanes on 1 March and at Reykjavík on 3 March. Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula A 1. Five near Þingvallavatn on 2 March. Barrow s Goldeneye Bucephala islandica B 2. At Sogið on 28 February and around 40 south of Þingvallavatn on 2 March. Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator C 3. Recorded at several locations. Goosander Mergus merganser A 2. Good views of several at Sogið on 28 February. Rock Ptarmigan Lagopus mutus A1. Heard near Hlíðarvatn on 1 March. Great Northern Diver Gavia immer A 1. Recorded offshore at Reykjavík on 3 March. Northern Gannet Morus bassanus C 1. Recorded at several localities off south coast on 1 March. Northern Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis D 3 Recorded on several dates in their thousands Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo C 3. Many seen offshore. Four seen perched on ice at Þingvallavatn on 2 March. European Shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis A 1. At Selvogur on 1 March. Grey Heron Ardea cinerea A 1. One recorded near Hveragerði on 1 March. Merlin Falco columbarius A 2. One at Hveragerði on 28 February and another near Reykjavík on 3 March. Gyr Falcon Falco rusticolus A 1. A distant bird seen flying near Þingvellir on 2 March but only seen by one member of the group. Purple Sandpiper Calidris maritima A 1. At Selvogur on 1 March. Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus A 1. Three in Reykjavík on 3 March. Herring Gull Larus argentatus C 3. Many off the south coast on 1 March. Iceland Gull Larus glaucoides D 3. Wonderful views from several locations on 1 March and also offshore from Reykjavík on 3 March. Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus C 2. Many recorded offshore southern Reykjanes on 1 March and several near Reykjavík on 3 March. Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus C 3. Seen on three days. Black Guillemot Cepphus grylle A 1. A single bird recorded from Selvogur on 1 March. Feral Pigeon/Rock Dove Columba livia B 1. In Reykjavík on 3 March. Wren Troglodytes troglodytes A 1. Heard in Hveragerði on 28 February and at Selvogur on 1 March. Redwing Turdus iliacus A 2. One in Hveragerði on 28 February and several in central Reykjavík on 3 March. Blackbird Turdus merula A 2. In Hveragerði on 28 February and Reykjavík on 3 March. Common Raven Corvus corax C 5. Seen each day. European Starling Sturnus vulgaris C 5. Seen each day. Common Redpoll Carduelis flammea B 3. Good views in Hveragerði throughout the stay and in Þingvellir on 2 March. Snow Bunting Plectrophenax nivalis B 1. Around 50 at Laugarvatn on 28 February. Also at Selvogur on 1 March and in Reykjavík on 3 March. 5 Limosa Holidays & The Travelling Naturalist

6 Mammals Species Scientific name Notes Common Seal Phoca vitulina A 2. At Selvogur on 1 March. Atlantic Grey Seal Halichoerus grypus A 1. At Hlíðarvatn and Selvogur on 1 March. The alpha-numeric code in the Notes column for birds and mammals summarises the relative abundance and frequency of species recorded. Relative Abundance A = fewer than 10 individuals noted during the trip B = 10 to 100 individuals noted during the trip C = Between 100 and 1000 individuals noted during the trip D = More than 1000 individuals noted during the trip. Frequency The numbers reference on how many days of the trip a species was recorded 6 Limosa Holidays & The Travelling Naturalist