Iceland Day 3 and 4
Day 3
Day 3 started with an early start on route 54 to Snaefellsnes again. It was well over 20 miles before we saw another car in any direction. The first thing you notice about Iceland is out side of Reykjavik there are not a lot of people. I swear I read a fact that over 50% of the population live in and around the capital the rest spread out over this vast Island. First stop was a small lake where we found a pair of Breeding Red-throated Divers. There was also a Slavonian Grebe nearby, our first of the trip. We took a side road off the 54 looking for Snow Buntings, Ptarmigans and hopefully even an Arctic Fox. The whole area is good for these. We didn't see any from the roadside so parked up and had a walk around the area. I took the coast path whilst Adrian took advantaged of the car parks fine facilities. I was about 1/2 mile along when I had a call from Adrian who had an Arctic Fox in his sights. A quick dash along the path and i was back looking for Adrian he was a out of sight and It took a while to locate him. Sadly when I did it was to late, the Fox was long gone. We hung around for a while hoping to catch a glimpse of Iceland only native land mammal but it wasn't to be. One for another day or Trip maybe.
After not finding much else in the area we carried on round to Rif where there is a large Arctic tern colony. It was raining a bit now so we pulled up just out of town in a small car park off the main road. Good place for some lunch and to watch the numerous terns flying around. We tucked into our over priced Sandwiches and watched the world go by. I had noticed a bird shaped rock in the distance something I am sure we all see a lot of and we had both had our fair share this trip. On closer inspection through my bins (yes i am a photographer who owns a pair of Binoculars) I noticed it was an Arctic Skua sat down. This could only mean one thing it must be sat on eggs. We waited for the rain to stop and strolled across and sure enough it was sat on 2 eggs. Its great watching the Skua try and take you away from its nest by using the, look at me I have a broken wing technique.
Arctic Skua - Olafsvik, June 2019
Arctic Skua eggs - Rif, Iceland, June 2019
I managed to take some photos of the bird before setting up my GoPro on the nest and walking away the bird was straight back on the nest. I got some great footage of the Skua returning and siting at its nest site.
Arctic Skua - Olafsvik, June 2019
Arctic Skua - Olafsvik, June 2019
By now Adrian had crossed over the road to check out some Coastal Pools we had saw from the road. He was sure these would be good for Red-necked Phalarope and he wasn't wrong. There was a lake about the size of a football pitch which had some Kittiwake, Black-headed Gulls and Tuffed Ducks on, There was a pair of Red-necked Phalaropes on the back of the lake. Around the lake was some small pools well more like deep puddles and these were packed with loads of these fearless tiny waders. It was amazing to watch these birds swimming around in circles stirring up food from the bottom. The area and the weather didn't make for great photography opportunities but it didn't stop my trying. It was wet and cold but I was fully waterproofed up so I laid on the bank and started to fill my memory cards. These birds were most of the time to close to focus on, they were clearly aware of my presences on the bank but completely unfazed by me. The following videos are filmed on my Iphone.
Red-necked Phalarope - Rif, Iceland, June 2019
After spending a while admiring these birds for a while I moved on towards another large lake to see if I could get some better pictures. Again the lake had plenty of bird life on it including a pair of RT Divers, Whooper Swans and loads of Phalaropes. I had noticed a small beach at the far end and this looked like a great area to improve on my Phalarope efforts. It was bloody freezing and the driving rain and wind made for some tricky conditions but the sun did show itself a few times. I spent about an hour laid on a small strip of black sand watching several Phalaropes just swimming around feeding, never sitting still and not at all bothered by some stupid human trying to photography them. I wonder what they thought as they swam past, just inches from my head. I did try to record the scene please excuse the background howling wind.
The session was well worth out and I was happy with some of the results. A Dunlin even came in and landed had a quick clean and a preen before departing. It was well worth getting wet and cold for. (At the time of writing this blog I have had issues obtaining certain files from the memory card hopefully more Phalarope and Dunlin pictures to follow)
Red-necked Phalarope - Olafsvik, June 2019
Adrian had returned from his walk about and we headed back to the car. It was always a hard walk if you left the beaten track as the ground was very uneven. On returning to the car the Skua was still sat on its nearby nest and a Tern mobbed us both something we had both noted on our way to the pools. We sat in the car and watched the tern return to its nest. A quick check produced one egg. It was well outside the main colony and probably soon to be brekkie for the nearby Arctic Skua.
Arctic Tern - Rif, Iceland, June 2019
The plan the rest of the day was to head towards Stykkishólmur where we had some over night accommodation nearby. Stykkishólmur is a small port were the ferry leaves from to get to Flatey Island. Flatey Island was an area we had both said we wanted to spend sometime visiting. Its the best place in Iceland to see Grey Phalarope. The weather in the North and Lake Myvatn was still bad and looked bleak for the rest of the week so a trip to Flatey would mean less time there but that didn't look a bad idea with the weather forecast looking so grim. A plan was set to visit Flatey and head north for a few day after and just take a chance with the weather.
That evening we headed into Stykkishólmur to scope out the port before heading to our digs. Just on the edge of town was a small industrial site. In the middle of some warehouses and a stable yard was a small lake with a pair of Red-throated Divers on I managed to get down to the water edge without alerting the birds but sadly the area just wasn't right for photography at this time of day. I would aim to return early doors. Our hotel was out of town deliberately picked as this would mean some potential birding sites that we could walk to. We were staying in a log cabin away from the main building and the area around it looked great. After some good nosh and a well earned beer from the hotel bar we headed out. I planned to take small track down to some pools and adrian went off piste around our log cabin. There was a gate and a cattle grid about 100m from our front door and I flushed a Golden Plover as i walked along the track. It did the please follow me I have a broken wing walk, which must mean there was a nest nearby. This was one I marked for Adrain for us to look for when meeting up later on. I had a long walk without seeing anything and was just about to turn around when i found a small pool with a pair of Red-throats!! Bingo. That would be my night sorted the cloud looked to be clearing and the wind had died slightly. But before i could make a plan of how to approach the lake they both flew off I wasn't sure why as I was still miles away but it wasn't to be. I headed on down anyway and could see some Black-tailed Godwits in the long grass something to report back to Adrian as they could be breeding nearby. I was then alerted to two Divers calling overhead these could possible be the same birds that had just flew off and sure enough they were landing on the lake again. They both seemed pretty skittish so I left them in peace vowing to return in the morning instead of heading into the town centre. On the way back I had a Ptarmigan flying around my head and the Golden Plovers by the gate were calling to each other. Which further alerted me that they must be nesting nearby. I could see Adrian in the distance so I headed over to him to tell him of my findings on route I flushed a pair of Ptarmigan my first female of the trip they didn't go very far so I left them aiming to return once I had checked in with Adrian. Turns out Adrian had covered a lot of ground and didn't have much reward so was keen to check out the Ptarmigan and the Golden Plovers. The Ptarmigan male was still about and was in a great place to try get some pictures. For the next 20 minutes I slowly approached the bird and got some shots I was happy with. The sun then came out and a beautiful golden glow was cast on the bird. The female was still nearby so the male was quite happy to sit tight whilst keeping a watchful eye on his female. The Following pictures were taken at around 22.45 and the light at teams was awesome.
Ptarmigan, Stykkishólmur, Iceland, June 2019
Ptarmigan, Stykkishólmur, Iceland, June 2019
Ptarmigan, Stykkishólmur, Iceland, June 2019
Ptarmigan, Stykkishólmur, Iceland, June 2019
Ptarmigan, Stykkishólmur, Iceland, June 2019
With still plenty of daylight left we left them alone and went to look for Golden Plovers the sitting bird left the nest as we approached and it didn't take Adrian to long to locate the nest
Golden Plover eggs, Helgafellssveit, Iceland June 2019
Day 4
There wasn't much improvement in the weather it wasn't raining although it was cold and windy. Started the day off by checking out the local pool for the Red-throated Divers sadly no sign. No sign of the Black-tailed Godwits or the Ptarmigan either. The Goldie was still there sat on her nest which was good to see. After an unsuccesful morning we headed to the port to get the 9.30am Ferry to Flatey. Its actual a car ferry that travels from Stykkishólmur to Brjánslækur and stops at the small Island of Flatey en route. The island houses are mainly occupied only during the summer and is prodominatley used for sheep farmer. The crossing was about 90mins long and we planned to get the 8pm crossing back and continue our Journey north. We arrived on Flatey full of promise and had read some excellent reviews about how much you could see on the island. Things were looking great as we docked a Snow Bunting was flying around the rocky shoreline and a Black Guillemot was cruising around the harbour. We arrived on shore with about 20 other foot passangers and set about exploring the Island. Redshanks were calling all over the Island and it wasn't long before we saw the first of many Red-necked Phalaropes in the pools that are dotted around the Island. We walked through the small village and there were a few Snow Buntings calling from the roof tops. It was a beautiful place. Adrian then spotted a Redwing carrying nesting material into a tractor and it didn't take long to find its nest just outside the engine.
Redwing nest site, Flatey Island, June 2019
Redwing nest site, Flatey Island, June 2019
We carried on walking towards the Tern Colony and this was as far as we could go the rest of the Island was off limits to protect the nesting Eiders, or so it says on the signs. Its also to protect the very rare breeding Grey Phalaropes. We then walked to the church were a few Snow Buntings were filting around the graveyard. We reached the coast line after a few minutes of walking and headed back towards the Harbour. There was a nesting Eider Duck here who sat unbothered by us as we walked past. Just before the harbour there was a small farm that had a few Snow Buntings feeding on some food waste. I stayed here to photography these whilst Adrian checked out the rest of the Island.
Snow Bunting, Flatey Island, June 2019
On his return we agreed that after an hour on the Island there wasn't much else to see and it would probably be a better Idea to get the earlier crossing at 2.30pm instead of 8pm. I am not knocking the Island as its a stunning place there just wasn't enough to keep us there and a lot more was off limit than we thought. Pretty much half this tiny island is off limits. Again not a moan and understand why it is. What was annoying was the lack of Auks we had both read about Puffins in and around the Islands we saw 2 very distant ones and also Black Guillimots a grand total of 4 also very distant. The discisons was made to leave and Adrian went off to watch a Phalarope I had flushed near the Tern Colony. I went towards the harbour and spent sometime with the Redshanks around there.
Common Redshank, Flatey Island, June 2019
After a good session with the Redshanks I headed off to find Adrian and en route found a pair of Snow Buntings feeding a chick on the beach. This was great to watch and was great to see a male Snow Bunting in Breeding Plumage. You forget how big these buntings are.
Snow Bunting, Flatey Island, June 2019
As I sat on the beach Adrian called to say he had found a Red-necked Phalarope nest. This was a must see as these birds in the UK are off limits were as in Iceland they are pretty common and all over the Island. It was a beautiful nest with 4 stunning eggs in. A few quick photos and we were off.
Red-necked Phalarope, Flatey Island Iceland, June 2019
We could see the ferry approaching in the distance and had a 10 min walk back to the harbour so set off. Had a tame Snow Bunting on the way back that was to close to focus on. A real shame as this would of made some great photos. I tired a few seneic shots on the way back to the harbour.
Flatey Island, Iceland, June 2019
Flatey Island, Iceland, June 2019
Flatey Island, Iceland, June 2019
Flatey Island, Iceland, June 2019
The Ferry arrived a bit quicker than we thought looked miles away when we were at the other side of Island. A quick dash was needed to ensure we didn't miss it. The Ferry back across to the mainland was pretty easy going and plenty of Auks were seen at sea as we crossed back over. Before we got in the car for the journey to our next hotel we checked out the Gulls that were flying close into the shore. No Glaucous but some good close flybys of some Fulmars who were drifting by in the strong wind.
Fulmar, Stykkishólmur, June 2019
Our next stop was a 2 hour drive away the North star hotel in Stadoarflot and we had plenty of time to get there so a few stops were needed. The road turned into a gravel track for a while and not much opportunity to stop we did have a few stops for some rare scenic shots
Our next time was just off Route 1 as we crossed a bridge we saw an Oystercatcher sitting just off the roadside with a rare safe place to pull over we thought it was a good area to check out. There was a river with some exposed gravel beds the Oystercatcher was sat on the gravel. It moved off as we approached revealling a set of 3 eggs. A tern also took flight and was sat on 2.
Oystercatcher, Iceland June 2019
Oystercatcher, Iceland June 2019
Arctic Tern, Iceland June 2019
Not much else was seen and after tea at the only restauarnt near to the hotel, a service station we hit the hay ready for an early start. The weather still didn't look great at Lake Myvatn but you couldn't come to Iceland and not visit Myvatn.
