4 days in Iceland. Where to go???? (1 Viewer)

[Edward]

A Gyrfalcon would be a real bonus..

As for Gyrfalcon. I remain hopeful.

These photos were taken at Garður in SW Iceland yesterday, a good place to look for Gyr Falcons!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyjovil/6830871357/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyjovil/6822810035/in/photostream/

E

 

[pandachris]

Astounding images. I think I know where we're going after exiting the airport.

 

[pandachris]

The flights and hotels are all booked, the map is on order from Amazon, I’ve nearly decided on the rental car and I’m going to pick up my new telescope on Friday. Three weeks tomorrow and we’ll be in Iceland.

I’m now on daily checks of the bird news page on https://notendur.hi.is/yannk/birdnews.html and can see that there are one or two vagrants that we might like to look for but I wonder if any kind soul birding in Iceland over the next few weeks would supply reasonably accurate details of any non-sensitive locations where the following might be seen, based on our itinerary, which is roughly as follows:

Day 1 – airport – Garður for Gyr Falcon; Hraunsvík/Grindavík for King Eider then to Geysir/Gullfoss area.

Day 2 - Geysir/Gullfoss area to Grundarfjörður/Snafellsness

Day 3 - Grundarfjörður/Snafellsness

Day 4 - Grundarfjörður/Snafellsness

Day 5 - Grundarfjörður/Snafellsness – Blue Lagoon (well it’s our 1st trip to Iceland!)

Day 6 – back home – 08:00 check in so no time for birding (probably)

Species:

Gyr Falcon
Harlequin Duck
Barrow’s Goldeneye (discussed above but any up to date info appreciated)
Brunnich’s Guillemot (possible? Is it just a case of searching through lots of auks on the sea)
Plus any vagrants, especially those from North America.

Also Orcas and just about any cetaceans and pinnipeds.

I can’t imagine that we’ll find anything unusual ourselves but I’ll report back on here what we do see. Thanks in advance.

 

[Edward]

I have been very lazy as a birder this winter (excuses: young kids, learning to ski, general apathy) and my only Gyr Falcon this calendar year was last week in central Reykjavik when I was driving to the shops. However, there appear to be plenty around - Gyrs in SW Iceland are more likely to be encountered on the coast than inland and you could come across them anywhere along the coast - Garður, Sandgerði, Hafnir, Grindavik or anywhere along the Snæfellsnes peninsula (there was a stunning dark juvenile near Grundarfjörður last week). But you can also see them inland around Gullfoss/Geysir - I've seen them around the canyon below Gullfoss in the past.
Harlequins should be the easiest of Iceland's big four to find. My friend took this photo near Grindavik at the weekend
http://www.flickr.com/photos/omarrun/6951601161/in/photostream
They are always in the small bay Þórkötlustaðabót which is just east of Grindavik (between Grindavik and Hraunsvik) - just take the road (427) east out of Grindavik and then turn towards the sea at the collection of farms less than a mile after leaving the village - there is also a female Surf Scoter here at the moment. Also plenty of Harlequins all along the north coast of Snæfellsnes.
Barrow's Goldeneye are present at the sites discussed above.
Brunnich's Guillemot may well be present on the sea below the colonies in late March, I've never looked for them so early. The two colonies on the Snæfellsnes peninsula are the cliffs at the very end of the peninsula (Svörtuloft) and cliffs at Þufubjarg/Malarrif at the south-west tip. There will be Harlequins along that stretch of coast for sure.
King Eiders have been seen recently at Kolgrafarfjörður (just east of Grundarfjörður), Keflavik, Akranes, Grindavik and hybrid drake Common x Kings at Grundarfjörður and Akranes. There are many more out there. Just find a big raft of Common Eider and there is every chance you will find a King Eider in late March.
Plenty of Orcas around Grundarfjörður and Kolgrafarfjörður at the moment, several thousand Glaucous Gulls I think Humpbacks were reported there too. I imagine both Common and Grey Seals can be seen in this area too. Bearded, Ringed, Hooded and Harp all turn up occasionally. Walruses too. I'll twitch Walrus, Harp and Hooded so I'd better give you my phone number just in case!

 

[pandachris]

Thanks Edward, great stuff and an exquisite photo. We managed Julie's first and my second Surf Scoter two weekends ago in the exquisite setting of Porthdinllaen, North Wales - I saw one for two seconds in a gale about 20 years ago - on mill-pond calm water.

Unlike you we've done an unusual amount of birding this year because one of our other avenues of entertainment has become trickier. We're up around 130 species for the UK which is very good for us as we don't travel more than about 30 miles normally, and don't really twitch - however I reckon we too might twitch walrus etc.

I expect that we'll be spending as much time as possible out of doors during our trip an most of that will be at the coast so we'll keep an eye open for anything that seems unusual. We'll be bringing phones so if you want numbers let me know.

 

[Edward]

Update: I saw the White-winged Scoter in the harbour at Njarðvík yesterday, there was also a 1w King Eider there earlier in the day but the birds tend to come and go and it had gone when I got there. The American Wigeon is on its usual pond (the most westerly of the series of ponds, i.e the one nearest the harbour). Very few gulls around yesterday, they are all at sea following the capelin fleet.

12 King Eiders at Akranes yesterday and at least 12 today (including six adult drakes) plus 3 Common x King hybirds. Harlequins there too. All these birds tend to be on the west side of the peninsula on which Akranes is located, rather than in the main harbour. There are about 3,000 Common Eider there at the moment, so just find these big rafts and you are in business.

 

[pandachris]

Tantalising. with luck by this time tomorrow we might have seen 3 or 4 or even 5 new species.

We spent about 4 hours sea-watching in Wales yesterday to get our eyes in. Virtually nothing about. A few Sandwich Terns and a small Gannet passage was about it, plus 20 seconds of one or two unidentified and distant dolphins and a probable Harbour Porpoise. Dense fog about 2 kms offshore probably didn't help. I'm sure there were more Gannets out there.

 

[pandachris]

It's not quite sunrise on our final full day in Iceland, a land that has already earned a place in my top 10 countries visited (and I didn;t even know I had one) so time for a quick recap of how it has been.

The trip was a birthday present for Julie and based on foreknowledge of Iceland our aspirations regarding what to see/do were more or less as follows:

1. Orcas - 1st for Julie, 2nd for me - done in spades - we've probably spent 6 hours or more watching them over the last three days.
2. Aurora Borealis properly - as above 22:20 on Thursday to 01:40 yesterday in cloudless skies. They were still in full swing when we finally gave up.
3. Gyr Falcon - not yet
4. Harlequin Duck - easy
5. White-beaked Dolphin - 3 yesterday
6. Barrow's Goldeneye - had to work for these but got some great help from Edward and eventually found three.
7. Brunnich's Guillemot - the magic of birding - spent twenty minutes looking at a raft of auks from the car in strong winds and saw several good candidates but we weren't 100% on them so finally gave in and went to get the scope out but when we stood up we could see auks on nest sites at the top of a nearby stack = 2nd bird we checked through binoculars was an obvious Brunnich's
8. a swim in the "Blue Lagoon" - later today

and from research and Edward's assistance we added the following:

9. White-winged Scoter - no luck on day 1 but the wind was fierce and we didn't try too hard. Hopefully another try today.
10. King Eider - we have looked at a lot of Eider but still no joy. Off to Akranes after breakfast and hoping that the current dead calm remains.
11. American Wigeon - first for Julie - really easy, despite the wind - the first wigeon that we looked at and one of the first birds we saw in Iceland.
12. Ptarmigan - surprisingly none yet, though we've heard a few. Would be a new species for Julie. We're up in the Scottish Highlands next month so I'll have to work extra hard to fins one or two.

It's getting lighter now so I'll demist our hotel window and see if the Orcas are about... no sign yet so I'll just have to content myself with the hundreds of Glaucous Gulls in all plumages that are feeding a few metres away.

Any birders fancying a trip to Iceland at this time of year would get encouragement from me. I'll do a full report later.

 

[ESTEBANNIC]

Pandachris, great information, looking foward to your report!o

Can you give me info on the whereabouts of the "Glacous Gull" hotel? :t:

I've still got a few days to go before the trip, just wondering, any recommendations on good places to possibly see Orcas around these dates?? (Edward?) I realise it must be very hit and miss.....

 

[Edward]

Pandachris, great information, looking foward to your report!o

Can you give me info on the whereabouts of the "Glacous Gull" hotel? :t:

I've still got a few days to go before the trip, just wondering, any recommendations on good places to possibly see Orcas around these dates?? (Edward?) I realise it must be very hit and miss.....

I imagine that the Glaucous Gull hotel is Hotel Framnes in Grundarfjörður
http://www.hotelframnes.is/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=55&Itemid=71
I was there the other day (birding outside the hotel, not staying there) and there were hundreds of Glaucous Gulls around and several Harlequins right below it too. I didn't see any Killer Whales but it was quite misty and I didn't stay long. But they occur anywhere along that coast and I've seen them in spring from the cliffs at Öndverðarnes at the end of the peninsula and also at Hellnar on the south side of the peninsula. Just look for large numbers of birds out at sea and you will often find whales there too.
You could also try looking for whales from the lighthouse in Garður in SW Iceland - last week there were Minkes, Humpbacks, Killer Whales and White-beaked Dolphins seen from shore in that area.

E

 

[ESTEBANNIC]

Great! Many thanks again Edward for the invaluable info. :t: Looking to book at the Framnes for a couple of nights. Really looking foward to the trip now as only a week to go... Got to see those Glaucous gulls!!o
Would Reykjavik be a good base to visit Vik as a day trip to see Puffins, or is it too far?

 

[Edward]

Great! Many thanks again Edward for the invaluable info. :t: Looking to book at the Framnes for a couple of nights. Really looking foward to the trip now as only a week to go... Got to see those Glaucous gulls!!o
Would Reykjavik be a good base to visit Vik as a day trip to see Puffins, or is it too far?

Yes, you can visit Vík in a day trip from Reykjavík, I've done it many times although it is 400 km there and back (it's light until 9:30 in the evening now so there is plenty of light for birding on a long day). There is also a lot to see on the way, especially in good weather, with big waterfalls and glacier views to look at and there should be some good roadside birding now as migrants are streaming to Iceland. There will be lots of geese (Pink-footed, Greylag, Barnacle and White-fronted) especially on side roads branching off from Road No. 1 such as down road no. 25 to Þykkvabær - junction just before Hvolsvöllur) and road 30 towards Flúðir.
Puffins can be unpredictable early in the season, they often vacate their colonies during the day but they will usually be found on the sea. You can try visiting the spectacular rock arch at Dyrhólaey (road 218) - worth it for the view; or the beach in Reynishverfi (road 215 just before Vík) which has a great back drop of columnar basalt, or Vík itself and cliffs towering over the village.

E

 

[ESTEBANNIC]

Just like to say a big thank you to Edward and Pandachris for the pointers.

We spent the first day in Grundarfjörður/Snafellsness with fantastic birding from our hotel window, Glacous gull a gem. The next day we did the whole Snafellsness peninsula, even though the weather was iffy we still managed some great birds such as Ptarmigan, Brunich's Guillemot, Harlequin Duck, Red brested Merganser and loads of inbound geese (Barnacle and Brent). Great and Artic Skua were also a plus.
The next couple of days we based ourselves in Reykavik and did the Golden Circle and the south coast to Vik. Puffins are just starting to arrive at their colonies in Vik, loads of geese in the lowlands as promised (Greylag, Pink-footed and White-fronted). The Reykjanes peninsula as Edward pointed out is great. We managed three Gyr falcons near Garður! o . Also loads of Wheatears about, quite a few of the dark version leucura. Plenty of waders near Grindavik, mainly Dunlin, Purple sandpipers and Turnstones. Also Snow bunting was easy to find along the coast.
Driving was easy, especially as used to Spanish roads and drivers and people really friendly :t:
Iceland is just amazing, the scenery increidible....will definitely be back!
B

 

[Edward]

Just like to say a big thank you to Edward and Pandachris for the pointers.

We spent the first day in Grundarfjörður/Snafellsness with fantastic birding from our hotel window, Glacous gull a gem. The next day we did the whole Snafellsness peninsula, even though the weather was iffy we still managed some great birds such as Ptarmigan, Brunich's Guillemot, Harlequin Duck, Red brested Merganser and loads of inbound geese (Barnacle and Brent). Great and Artic Skua were also a plus.
The next couple of days we based ourselves in Reykavik and did the Golden Circle and the south coast to Vik. Puffins are just starting to arrive at their colonies in Vik, loads of geese in the lowlands as promised (Greylag, Pink-footed and White-fronted). The Reykjanes peninsula as Edward pointed out is great. We managed three Gyr falcons near Garður! o . Also loads of Wheatears about, quite a few of the dark version leucura. Plenty of waders near Grindavik, mainly Dunlin, Purple sandpipers and Turnstones. Also Snow bunting was easy to find along the coast.
Driving was easy, especially as used to Spanish roads and drivers and people really friendly :t:
Iceland is just amazing, the scenery increidible....will definitely be back!
B

Great to hear that you had such a good trip and managed to pack in so much into four days, especially the three Gyrs. You have four birds there that I still haven't got on my year list (Puffin, Dunlin, Great Skua and Brünnich's Guillemot) and I've only seen one Wheatear. It's been a cold spring and a lot of birds have yet to arrive. I recommend you come back a month later on your next trip when all the migrants will have returned.

E

 

[Bryn Mayr]

Layover

We'll be having an 18-hour layover with my 15 year old son who is a birdwatcher - September 1-2, 2012. Edward Rickson suggested a tour of Garður, Sandgerði, Hafnir, Reykjanes lighthouse and Grindavík for birding. Can anyone tell me what birds to look for in these areas at that time of year?

Thanks for any info/links!

 

[Nohatch]

Hi Bryn,

With full day (and your own transport?) you could do a lovely trip around the Reykjanes peninsula for some birding and volcanic/geothermal sights, finishing off at the Blue Lagoon if that's your thing (will be quiet that time of year). At a stretch you could also take in either Reykjavik or the Golden Circle. The capital is nice and there's good birding in the harbour and at Seltjarnarnes; the Golden Cirlce has amazing sights (waterfall, geysir) but birding is not so great.
In September most of the breeding species will have left, but you should look out for wintering loons, ducks and waders, White-tailed Eagle (if you're lucky!), Gyrfalcon, Rock Ptarmigan, wintering gulls (incl. Glaucous and Iceland Gull), auks and Snow Bunting.
Let me know if you need any help setting up a trip (and I'm sure Edward will have some great local knowledge to add!)

N

 

[Edward]

Hi Bryn

If you do travel round the Reykjanes peninsula on these dates then the birds you may see out at sea in Garður include: Great Cormorant, Northern Gannet, Manx Shearwater, Common Eider, Red-breasted Merganser, 8 species of gull, Great Skua, Parasitic Jaeger. By the lakes in Garður there will be Eurasian Wigeon, Mallard, numerous gulls, European Golden Plovers, Common Redshank, Eurasian Oystercatcher etc. On the beach by the lighthouse there may be Purple Sandpiper, Dunlin, Ruddy Turnstone, Red Knot, Sanderling, White Wagtail, Meadow Pipit and Northern Wheatear. Merlin and Gyr Falcon could occur anywhere in the area.