Sun 9th March 2014

The final post of the winter season - it is fairly certain that in the next few days I shall be seeing my first spring migrants arriving, especially as the sun has appeared from its months in exile. On 24th Feb I popped out to twitch a Red-necked Grebe off Rousse - the first I've seen for a few years. I also saw it the next day when it had a Black-throated Diver for company. From this headland two Great Northern Divers have also been seen regularly. The only other bird sighting of interest was finally seeing the juv Kumlien's Gull again at L'Eree on 25th. It was feeding in the field right next to the triangle and was showing very well from the car. I managed to finally get some good photos of all the important features, although my photography was cut short by a visit from "The Beast of the Claire Mare".

Kumlien's Gull - L'Eree, 25 Feb 14

Nursery-web Spider - Garden, 23 Feb 14

Brown-lipped Snail - Garden, 9 Mar 14

Capillary Thread-moss, garden

Sat 22nd March 2014

Wheatears have arrived and Spring is officially here. I found my first one feeding on the turf of Pulias Headland on 10th March, which is about an average, or perhaps slightly early arrival for me. In the previous couple of days, Meadow Pipits and Pied Wagtails were flocking and leaving the island northwards in small groups so it was not unexpected. The arrival of the first Wheatear is one of the most important dates on the birding calendar, marking the start of the New Birding Year. January 1st is not the New Year for us. In mid-winter the birds are just sat waiting, trying to survive until their next phase of life. But this Wheatear has already started its new year - it's had to travel thousands of miles to get here, racing to get a head start on breeding. Spring migration is the first stage in producing a new generation of birds, a rebirth - out with the old and in with the new. For me, the new year starts in March.

female Wheatear - Pulias, 10 Mar 2014

Following the Wheatear, the next summer visitors were two Sand Martins seen feeding above the local gardens on 14th. But spring migration does not just include the summer migrants, there are other, less obvious, species appearing. If like me, your local patch includes headlands, which rarely hold wintering birds, it is easy to spot new arrivals. There has been a couple of new Black Redstarts, a few more Stonechats appearing and migrant Chiffchaffs which seem to like the flowering Alexanders plants where there are lots of insects at the moment. On 20th, a brief 10 minutes at Fort Hommet produced 6 Chiffchaff and 2 Firecrests feeding voraciously.

migrant Firecrest - Fort Hommet, 20 Mar 14

Fort Hommet headland - the sheltered patch of Alexanders on the left is often very busy with migrants, especially in spring.

Diurnia fagella - Les Beaucamps HS, 13 Mar 14 - found on a window at school whilst on break duty. Luckily it was still there at the end of the day and I was able to collect it and confirm the identification. A new species for me, it is surprisingly rare on the island, with not very many records.

I don't generally like to reminisce on this blog about past birding escapades, as this is more of a diary really. However, I shall make an exception today, because almost exactly 20 years ago, on 12th March 1994, my afternoon's birding went totally stratospheric, when I bumped into a 2nd for the Western Palearctic. I was working in Israel at the time and the species in question was a Didric Cuckoo, and I don't think it has occurred anywhere since. I shall not go into detail about the find (click HERE to read about it) but it was so exciting, nothing in my birding since has come close.

The odd thing about the sighting was that I didn't have a clue what I was looking at. Whilst watching it, all I knew was that it was clearly a small cuckoo, but I had not an inkling which species it was. It must be very unusual that a birder sees a bird and can't even suggest which species it might be despite having a field guide to hand (unless you are in a far flung jungle or somewhere). If it had been from another family I may have suspected it was an escaped bird, but as it was a cuckoo, I thought that it was almost certainly wild. Digital photography was science fiction at the time, so I took some field notes. I couldn't get a lot of detail on it at first as it would not let me get very close, but the first afternoon's sketches are shown below. I could barely hold my pencil as my body was in some kind of rarity-fit.

When I returned to the volunteer's apartment I stormed in like a giddy idiot, demanded some books and quickly found a matching picture. It was dark and so no-one could go look for it that day. There were a few unfamiliar Israeli birders visiting at the time whose faces were a picture of dubiousness, but even if it was never seen again, I had these notes which couldn't really be anything else. Of course, I went out for some beers in the evening, with the great and the good of Eilat's birders searching the resort's bars trying to find me. The next day, the bird was relocated (much to the surprise of the poo-pooers) and it stayed for about a week.

I think I'd have to be very lucky to bump into something so rare and so breathtaking again, but I'll keep on trying until I do.

(photo scanned from Birding World)

Tue 8th April 2014

Spring has only been crawling in slowly and I have seen few summer birds so far. Right at the end of March I saw my first Swallow, passing over the garden on 31st, and the next day at Fort Hommet I had my first Willow Warbler. But apart from that, migration has been very weak until yesterday (7th) when 23 Wheatears were in one flock on the sea wall at Vazon. One of the nicest birds seen was the male Common Scoter off the rocks at Port Grat on 3rd.

So not a very productive early spring so far, but I broke up for the Easter holidays today and so maybe the next couple of weeks will be better. Not much typing today as I sprained my wrist playing football at the weekend and it is restricting my movements somewhat.

Small Bloody-nosed Beetle - Timarcha goettingensis - Fort Hommet, Mar 14

Sand Crocus - Les Ammareurs, Apr 14 - This species is only present at two sites in the UK, but is widespread in coastal turf in Guernsey. They were flowering in adundance in the children's playground by the golf course.

Hairy-footed Flower Bee - Anthophora plumipes - Apr 14 - a female, due to all-black body. I found this individual dead in the car this week.

Sat 12th April 2014

TRIP TO YORKSHIRE - part 1

In the Easter holidays, I took my two older children back to Yorkshire to visit the family. This wasn't a wildlife holiday at all but I did see some interesting things. Well, to be honest, any time I leave the island I see some interesting things - Rooks, Swans, Canada Geese - real exotica! We crossed on the ferry Wednesday evening and stayed overnight in a hotel part the way up. This journey was all especially exciting for my son who was too young to remember his last visit to the UK. Just seeing trains, or sheep, or yellow fields, or the amazing bridges - I realised that he has never really seen a proper bridge before, never mind driving over or under one.

The drive North to Leeds the next day (10th) went pretty quick and we relaxed in my parents house in Garforth for the afternoon. After tea, I went for an evening walk along one of my old routes, across the fields to Micklefield. I used to see Corn Buntings, Yellowhammers, Willow Tits and Grey Partridges in these fields but none were to be seen this time. These species are in decline but I suppose that I never used to see these every single time, but after all this time, that's how you remember things I guess. I carried on to the old Micklefield Mine site where, in the past I had found breeding Little Ringed and Ringed Plover, and wondered if they were still there. It was now a business/industrial estate.

The next day (11th), we went up to Roundhay Park for the kids to play, and visited the "Tropical World" place they have there. It is a 'hothouse' where they have some tropical species in tanks and lots lots of birds and butterflies flying free in large aviaries.

Red-billed Leothrix

Meerkat

I have somewhat mixed feelings about zoos and the like. Although it seems inherently wrong to keep creatures caged up, it really is a genuine way to get youngsters to connect with animals and care about what happens to them in the wild. I am sure many a conservationist has first got into nature through visiting zoos. I suppose that what is more important is to make sure that the animals that are in captivity, as inevitably some will always be, are kept in as non-cruel conditions as possible. Although, for some species this may be impossible.

In the evening, we popped out to find the new entrance to Swillington Ings, as I intended to have a proper visit there at some point. This was my old local patch but has changed immensely since I have last been, the old mine and slag heaps having been totally transformed by the RSPB et al. We found the new centre but there was a sign saying it had closed down due to issues over ownership - very peculiar. We had a quick look anyway, and I was amazed at the size of the place. With the massive reedbeds and lakes, it was as if someone had cut a chunk out of Norfolk and dropped it in the Aire Valley. Just as we reached the first lake a male Garganey flew in and landed in front of us - not a bad start. We didn't stay though but I would be returning later in the week.

Aidan with some swans

Saturday 12th, we had a walk at Temple Newsam in the morning, mainly to visit the farm. Was pleased to see two Jayswell in the woodland, and we found lots of the micro moth Eriocrania subpurpurella resting on Rhododendron leaves below the oak trees. Sparkling gold in colour, I have never seen any of this genus on Guernsey.

Eriocrania subpurpurella

Tue 15th April 2014

TRIP TO YORKSHIRE - part 2

On Sunday 13th, we headed out to East Yorkshire to my sister's village for a few days. Unfortunately I was just about 4 hours too late for a Crag Martin at nearby Flamborough - a further example of my terrible bird-timing of late. The village of Wold Newton is set in the northern Yorkshire Wolds, surrounded by rolling hills of chalk and open spaces. After all this time of them living there, I have only just found out that the largest ever meteorite to crash into Britain (and 2nd largest in Europe) landed in the village in 1795! It is a smashing area for farmland birds and I was especially excited to see that Tree Sparrows were common visitors to the garden and were in fact nesting in a box right over the front door.

Tree Sparrow - Wold Newton, 14 Apr 14

In the afternoon we all went for a ramble along the headwaters of the Derwent somewhere in the Forge Valley. The habitat was excellent with the floor of the woods covered in Ramsons and Golden Saxifrage. The kids had a paddle in the stream and found some White-clawed Crayfish and Bullhead fish, and there were various plants growing that I never see, a few being new species for me. It really was an idyllic spot where one could take a picnic and while away lazy summer afternoons.

Colt's-foot growing on the riverbank - Forge Valley, 13 Apr 14

Wood Sorrel growing on a tree stump - Forge Valley, 13 Apr 14

Mayfly larva (Ecdyonurus sp.) - Forge Valley, 13 Apr 14

The next day (14th), we spent most of the day at a local "Play-Farm" which was pleasant enough, and I was pleased to see a migrant Redstart on the edge of the Llama enclosure. In the evening I headed out to Flamborough for a relaxing (but pretty darn cold!) amble around the outer Head. With the earlier Redstart, I was hoping for some more migrants, and I thought there may be a very slight chance of the Crag Martin reappearing. However, the only summer migrant I saw was a single Chiffchaff. There had been a Tawny Pipit present in this immediate area during this time but the only day it wasn't seen was, of course, this day. Nevertheless, it was nice to have a stroll and watch the seabirds buzzing around the cliffs.

Flamborough cliffs - 14 Apr 14

Razorbills - Flamborough, 14 Apr 14

Kittiwakes - Flamborough, 14 Apr 14

Kittiwake - Flamborough, 14 Apr 14

Tree Sparrow - Flamborough, 14 Apr 14

Early next morning (15th), me and my brother-in-law went for a brief walk in the Fordon Valley, the small valley just to the north of their village. The habitat there looked great for later in the summertime, with a south-facing chalk bank overlooking the dead flat valley floor. We saw Corn Buntings, Yellowhammers, a Buzzard and some Hares, plus lots of interesting plants which were not flowering yet in the chilly North so were left unidentified.

Fordon Valley, East Yorks - 15 Apr 14

Yellowhammer - Fordon Valley, East Yorks - 15 Apr 14

Sat 19th April 2014

TRIP TO YORKSHIRE - part 3

Heading back to West Yorkshire (15th) gave me a chance to visit some of my old local birding haunts. Fairburn Ings was the first place that I ever went birdwatching when I was a nipper, probably 35 years ago now, and it hasn't changed a great deal since then, although the lakes have got gradually larger due to mining subsidence. I used to cycle down a few times as a teenager before I decided that an RSPB Reserve was not the best place to have as a local patch as it was nearly always too well-birded. I stopped first at Parker's Pond and the first bird I laid eyes on was a superb maleGarganey swimming into view, really close by.

Garganey - Fairburn Ings, 15 Apr 14

[ Go to  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qma6me_FMk8   to see a video of this bird]

The ponds had more wildfowl on them than I'd seen all year. There was a second male Garganey on one of the roadside flashes, and there were Goldeneyes and Goosanders still around, and I can't remember the last time that I saw a Brimstone Butterfly.

Brimstone - Fairburn Ings, 15 Apr 14

The next morning (16th) was devoted to a return to the location of my nascent birder - Swillington Ings. As mentioned previously, I was excited to make my first visit to the site since its new opening as a proper, gigantic reserve. When I used to go, we'd have to strain our eyes to look across the river to try and work out the identification of tiny dots on the private ponds on the other side. Now it seems you can walk everywhere round the site and there are lakes and reedbeds and superb habitats aplenty. 

This massive dragline greets you as you enter the reserve from the new entrance - a monument to times past.

I took most of the morning to walk around the network of paths around and in between the lakes. It was a great area but I wondered if it was now too big to have as a proper local patch, where you could quickly pop into when you are passing. This now would take ages to check properly - depends on how much time you have available I guess. It was great to bump into Graham, one of the regulars from back then, and was pleased he recognised me after all these years. There were plenty of wildfowl to be seen incuding a few Goldeneye and Goosander, and there was a decent sizedBlack-headed Gull colony being somewhat noisy. Three breeding-plumaged Black-necked Grebes were swimming on one of the ponds, but the highlight was definitely the booming Bittern which was calling in the reeds just off the path. As a teenager, if you had told me that there would be booming Bitterns within a few miles of my house I'd have thought you were completely mad.

Here I am looking over Astley Lake, the main part of the original Swilly and the site of many a triumph, but also many hours of staring at nothing much. As an aside, it is incredible to think that, just yards from where I am standing here, I once counted a flock of 280 Ruddy Ducks.

The next day (17th) I had a bit of time in the evening, and so I thought I'd go for a little drive to the north of Garforth to see if I could find any Red Kites. The reintroduction programme had not started properly until after I moved away, and so, despite now clearly dirt-common to British birders nowadays, I still hadn't seen many in the UK. They were surprisingly easy to find despite a chilly wind and I saw one over Aberford village centre and another near Barwick. Also I saw at least 6 Buzzards in the area. I stopped at the site of the Batle of Towton, one of the bloodiest battles of the Wars of the Roses, where Yorkshire kicked Lancashire's butt (I simplify). Just a few miles from where I grew up and I'd never been before (although, I suppose that this kind of thing is more of interest to a middle-aged bloke than a excitable teenager!). A lone, migrant Yellow Wagtail flew low over the battlefield.

Due to appalling planning, we had to drive down from Leeds to Weymouth on Good Friday (18th). From house to hotel it took 9 hours which was an impressively long journey for a couple of kids from Guernsey - they did exceptionally well. We'd only been driving an hour when they decided to close the M1 near Sheffield! I had a total of 6 Red Kites from the roadsides in the Oxfordshire/Berkshire area mainly.  Our hotel was next door to Lodmoor bird reserve and we had Med Gulls, Common Sandpiper and a Cetti's Warbler.

Tue 13th May 2014

The first half of May has been decidedly ropey for birding. Last year May was hopeless and, so far, this year has been poor also - even the local bird race (which I had to miss this year) recorded the lowest totals for ages. When I was young, May was definitely my favourite month for birding. This was probably because every year we had a weekend in Norfolk during the month which was easily the most exciting trip of the year for me, full of exotic species. But recently, May has been relegated to at least my 4th favourite birding month, after September, October and April, and perhaps August too. Here on the island, most of the volume of migrant birds has already passed through, but we still keep pounding the headlands searching for rarities even though we are not seeing many birds. It can be quite frustrating, especially when you have very little time available but we try to remind ourselves that if we put in the hard work, eventually we'll get our reward. May is so unpredictable, you could be having a quiet day, then just walk round a corner and see something amazing, Fingers crossed.

Wheatears - Les Effards, 24 Apr 14 - at this time of year, migrants can turn up in unexpected places. There are no open spaces near our garden, so these three Wheatears perched at the top of a tall tree across the road to look around. Only the second garden record I think.

As if to prove that April is the new May, the final day of that month produced a decent rare bird, with a Black-winged Stilt at the Vale Pond. Not that I like to sniff at a rare bird, especially one less than a mile from home, but I ask again - why can't we get something just a little different? This is my fourth sighting in just a few years. I twitched it on the way home from work, but unfortunately it was on the far side of the pond. Just a one day job, it soon disappeared (probably because there is nothing to eat in the manky pond).

Black-winged Stilt - Vale Pond, 30 Apr 14

Here is a poor-quality video of the Stilt

The final week of April was actually quite good (although I missed the best couple of days). One of the best birds I saw was a fine Tree Pipit perched up at Pulias on the brambles showing really well on 23rd. It was early morning and it was too dull for photos. On the 30th there was a late migrant Firecrest showing in the pines at Fort Hommet, where the pair of Stonechats seem to have a nest since they go mad when anything goes near. You'd have thought they'd be quieter if they have a nest nearby rather than almost advertising the fact by scolding so loudly.

female Stonechat - Fort Hommet, 28 Apr 14

On 3rd May, I had a morning out birding and spent a quiet few hours at Pleinmont, where a singing Sedge Warbler was the best bird seen, not exactly what was hoped for after a 5:30 am start. Also time spent at L'Eree, Claire Mare and Lihou Headland was fruitless.

Pleinmont in the early morning light

Little Egret - Claire Mare, 3 May 14

Now the temperatures are rising, the wee creatures are becoming more active and I have found a few new species for my pan-species list. I've only been casually recording so far this year and will probably step it up after the month has ended. It has been rather busy for me this spring and I have/will be away for 4 weekends in less than two months, so free-time has been rare. I have got myself a new lighting set-up for my camera however, which means I don't have to rely on natural light or the camera's own unsatisfactory flash any more. Which means I should be able to take decent photos indoors which I have never been able to do before. Below are two of my first efforts, with the new LED attachment..

Arctosa perita - Rousse, 24 Apr 14 - a sand-dune species of wolf-spider - this one a very pale colour on the abdomen.

Agrypnus murinus - Rousse, 24 Apr 14 - a large click-beetle, just about to take flight.

Sun 25th May 2014

ICELAND  -  day 1

As we are taking 30 pupils on a trip to Iceland in October, the tour company involved put on a complimentary, three-day teacher's inspection trip to check-out the suitability of the locations - and I was extremely fortunate to be able to go! I was very excited about the prospect - the furthest I had travelled this century was to Aberdeen, and so was well overdue a visit to a new country. Although I did not expect to do any real birding, since this was a Geography-based trip to see plate tectonics in action, I was confident that we would be in the countryside a lot and I would see a few interesting species. The only new species possible was Gyr Falcon, but I thought this was a long shot. My other target was to see a drake Harlequin, since I had only seen a few grotty brown jobs before, many years ago in Canada. But to be honest, if you get a trip for free, you are happy enough with whatever you see.

The flight to Iceland was from Heathrow, which meant that I needed to set off the afternoon before, otherwise I would have not made it from Gatwick in time. So, a coach journey later, plus another short airport-bus trip, brought me to my hotel for the night near Heathrow. Walking out to buy a snack it tickled me to watch a few Ring-necked Parakeets flying around these suburbs. The next morning I had a hearty breakfast in the terminal and waited for check-in. I was planning to spend zero money in Iceland since meals were included, and so I decided not to buy any Icelandic Krona. It was a bit of a gamble, but I had packed a packet of Mars Bars in case of hunger emergencies. I met up with the tour leader and the teachers from other schools, and we were soon winging our way North.

Arriving at Keflavik Airport I soon saw what the weather forecast had indeed forecasted - miserable rain. It was a really bleak sight from the coach, staring out over drizzle-soaked lava fields. This corner of Iceland was very new, and there was little soil or plants visible, just moss-covered, jagged boulders. It wasn't long before we pulled into the "Blue Lagoon" car park. This was an open-air geothermal pool that they had made into a swimming baths-type place. So, with my bathers packed into my hand luggage, I reluctantly went inside (swimming and all it entails generally displeases me). Stepping outside into the cold rain in my trunks was the opposite of pleasant and I made a dash for the water and....ahhhhhhh.       

The Blue Lagoon Geothermal Pool

The most pleasurable swimming experience I can remember. Without the distressing coldness of the sea, but also without the bleach, verrucas and elastoplasts of Kippax Baths. I thoroughly recommend it, although it tastes very very bad! Whilst swimming around I noticed a small bird flitting around the rocks, and through the steam, I could just make out the white wing flashes of a Snow Bunting. Back outside the entrance, I could hear it singing through the now persistent rain - the first bird of the trip! I thought this species may be common here but this was the only one I would see.

Lava, salt and hot water at the Blue Lagoon

Afterwards we headed to the hotel in the town of Hafnarfjordur, on the southern outskirts of Reykjavik, where we dropped off our bags and took a drive out to a fishing village on a peninsula at Hlid. At last, with the rain slowing down and driving  close to the coastline I finally saw some birds from the coach window. There were lots of flocks of Pale-bellied Brent Geese in all the fields around here, staging on their way to their breeding grounds further north still. The shoreline was dotted with Eider and the odd flock of bright red Knot. Arctic Terns bounced around all over the place and two different Glaucous Gulls flew by offshore. The only passerines were a few Wheatear and Starlings. I was desperate to spend more time looking but, as would be the case at most of the stops, we were quickly ushered back to the coach.

Fisherman's Cottages at Hlid

We had a meal at the Viking restaurant at the Viking hotel in the Viking village, where we were entertained by a singing Viking (although I'm pretty sure he wasn't a genuine Viking). I crashed out at the hotel an hour or so later (perculiarly narrow beds for such a broad-shouldered nation). I was disappointed by the weather so far and hoped for better luck tomorrow when we were to head inland.

Mon 26th May 2014 (part 1)

ICELAND - day 2 (a.m.)

I woke up slightly confused and with a splendid headache, and saw that it was only 4:45. Peering outside, I was pleased that it was not raining, although it was dark and cloudy and looked like it was about to. Breakfast didn't start until seven and I was not going to just hang around in the room until then, especially as I was sharing with some other guy. So I wrapped up and headed out for a walk from the hotel. It was a bit chilly this early in the morning and there was an annoying wind but I was pleased to be out and about. I followed my nose and found a road out of town. Along many of the roadsides in Iceland, Nootka Lupin grows in abundance, which is apparently introduced from Alaska to help stabilise the volcanic ash flows.

roadside Nootka Lupins - Hafnarfjordur

Passing a small stand of birch trees I saw a couple of Icelandic Redpoll flying around the tree tops. I was interested in seeing what this sub-species looked like, but despite noting them at a few sites on the trip, they were only ever seen in flight. This may have been a good thing, as redpoll taxonomy can drive a man to madness. Striding out towards the coast it was clear that, whereas at home, the passerines are the 'everyday' birds, here in Iceland it is the waders that are everywhere. Just beyond the houses, in the rocky areas by the roadside, there were lots of Golden Plovers,Redshank, Whimbrel, Oystercatcher and Snipe. I suppose they are ubiquitous due to the lack of predators.

suburban Golden Plover - Hafnarfjordur

I arrived at a bay with some decent shoreline, where there was even more waders including Turnstone, Ringed Plover and c.40 fine breeding-plumaged Knot. There were also numerous wildfowl, with plenty of Pale-bellied Brent Geese feeding on the short grass, along with a few Greylag Geese which appeared to be nesting amongst the rocks. The first Whooper Swan seen was asleep by a pool and there were up to 5 Red-breasted Mergansers amongst theEider. There was a lot of Lesser Black-backed Gulls present plus a single subadult Glaucous Gull loafing offshore. It was a superb place to spend a relaxing hour's birding so I was glad I woke up so early.

Pale-bellied Brent Geese

wild Greylag Goose

Chilly early morning birding at Hafnarfjordur

I know little of Icelandic flora, but this may be Cardamine nymanni or Lady's Smock, an arctic version of the Cuckooflower.

Time was getting on so I walked back along the road, overtaken by an Arctic Skua taking a short cut. There were also a few White Wagtails and Wheatears in this area. After such an early start I ate well at breakfast and was thankful that they served proper tea. We packed up and headed inland. Skirting Reykjavik, I saw a few Redwings feeding on the grass verges and a group of Tufted Duck on a roadside lake. The first stop was to a Geothermal Power Station - interesting, but no wildlife - but later in the morning we crossed the first line of hils, arriving close to the shores of the massive lake, Thingvellavatn. The point of interest was Thingvellir, where the country is literally splitting in two and is the site of one of the earliest parliaments on Earth.

Thingvallavatn from Thingvellir

The habitat here in the interior was slightly different to the coast - lots more shrubs, small trees, heathers and dwarf willows in the cracks in the rocks - much greener. There were Redwings singing from the trees and rocks around the car park and I found a nest right next to the path. The sitting bird was totally unafraid of everyone walking past - even the non-birders of the party were impressed. A male Ptarmigan flew in and landed on the rocks right in front of me. Frustratingly, it came close but wouldn't keep still for a second before it flew off again along the cliff edge.

Ptarmigan - Thingvellir

Redwing on nest - Thingvellir

We walked down the main path, looking at the massive cracks in the mountain, which you could almost feel were moving apart in front of you. The tour guide was giving us some background to this, and to the history of the place, when I scanned along the river below us. There were a few Redshanks, then a couple of Red-breasted Mergansers, and then....... KA-POW!!

Drake Harlequin Duck - WOW!

Mon 26th May 2014 (part 2)

ICELAND - day 2 (p.m.)

Thingvellir

So this is where I saw the Harlequins, on the rocks below the waterfall, just where one would expect a Harlequin to be. There were two male birds and a female, the males resplendent in their Icelandic flag plumage. Definitely the best duck there is and a top target. I was well pleased but the other people on the trip didn't seem to share my enthusiasm for some reason. 

Harlequin Ducks - Thingsvellir

One of the cracks in the Earth's crust at Thingsvellir. The ground round here was like the top of a baked muffin, cracked and bulging as the heat expands it. Note the Red-breasted Merganser.

Roseroot - Thingsvellir

Moss Campion - Thingsvellir. Like these two, there were lots of 'alpine' plant species here that we only get in the UK on the higher mountains of Scotland, the Lakes etc. (also some Alpine Lady's-mantle in the top right I think)

After this stop, we headed across to the other side of the rift valley where we were to do some caving at  Gjabakkahellir. This involved a drive onto higher ground where the coach flushed another 3 Ptarmigan from the roadside and I saw my first 2 Ravens of the trip. There were fewer birds up on the tops, but we spent most of the time underground in the lava tube cave. This happens where a crust forms on the top of a lava flow but the river of lava carries on underneath. Then, this flow suddenly stops and gravity pushes the rest of the lava out of the tube (or something similar). You can see on the photo below how the rock has melted on the ceiling and was dripping from the roof (er, not whilst we were there though...). 

inside the lava tube caves at Gjabakkahellir

Afterwards we took in two more amazing sights, the geysers at Geysir, then the impressive waterfall at Gullfoss. At the former a couple of Icelandic Redpolls were flying around the visitor centre, but other than that there was little wildlife of interest. As my only previous experience of geysers was from cartoons, I was suitably impressed. I was expecting it to go off every half-hour or so, but it shot up every 10 minutes.

Geysir

Gullfoss

Afterwards, we headed south and drove along the southern coastal road. In these flat fields there were lots and lots of birds. They were mostly of just a few species but, from the coach, I was seeing a lot. On occasional roadside pools there were small groups of wildfowl, including many Whooper Swans and a couple of Wigeon amongst the more common species. Waders were seen in profusion, including quite a lot of Icelandic Black-tailed Godwits.

a Whimbrel by a petrol station

Our next stop was my favourite so far - the almost magical waterfall at Seljalandsfoss, and just as we arrived, the sun came out. This was the only sunny spell of the whole trip (apart from the last hour before the airport return). I could have taken hundreds of photos of this breathtaking waterfall that you can walk behind (see more on my Flickr album - click here: Flickr). All these cliffs, which were a few miles inland, had lots of Fulmar nesting colonies on them. This species is so common on the south coast of Iceland, there were generally a few in the sky every time you looked up.

Seljalandsfoss

We eventually made it to the hotel, which was more or less at the southern tip of the country, and had an evening meal. Not wanting to waste any time whilst we were here, a few of us decided to head out for a walk behind the hotel. It was almost 10 o'clock when we set off but with no darkness at this time of year we didn't need to rush back. 

View from the hotel window - the farm and Burfell behind that.

We headed out northwards and uphill behind the hotel, passing through a farmyard. In the fields all round here there were lots of breeding waders - Oystercatchers, Snipe, Redshank, Icelandic BT Godwits and Golden Plovers. There was even a godwit feeding in the farm pond, in amongst the building. In the farmyard, we picked up a friendly dog which joined us on our walk.

Oystercatcher nest in the middle of the farm track.

As we reached the end of the fields, a decision was made to scale the peak in front of us. I was not so sure, as it looked rather steep, and my knee was still painful from twisting it a week or so ago, and it has been years since I have climbed such a hill. Nevertheless, being a man, there was no way I would look like a wimp, so I followed the others up. As we were getting closer to the top, I saw that the Fulmars were racing in from the sea towards the summit, and were clearly breeding on the cliffs. I warned the others that I was worried that we were going to get showered with vomit. After a few rests and a few hand-and-feet climbs up the steeper bits, we eventually scrambled up towards the summit, still with the dog in tow. It may seem a little far-fetched, but this farm dog seemed to be protecting us from the Fulmars. They were coming in at our level and every time one came too close, the dog jumped up towards it, barking ferociously. I think it had been trained to do this. We finally made the summit and were rewarded with superb 360 degree views.

On the summit of Burfell, looking inland towards the glaciers.

Looking south from the summit towards the ocean, the hotel is the white horizontal building, and one of the Fulmar nesting cliffs can be seen on the bottom right.

Sitting up on the flat summit of the hill, waiting for a darkness that would never come, with hardly any wind and knocking back a few shots of "Valhalla" liqueur, was beyond peaceful. We could have been in another world completely, and I suppose we were.

The victorious mountaineers

Tue 27th May 2014

ICELAND - day 3

We woke up this morning to quite sunny weather, with the snow of the glaciers shining above the valley. Straight after breakfast we headed out to Reynishverfi beach and its pretty impressive rock formations. The lava had formed hexagonal Basalt columns and you could see how the rocks had been bent and twisted. As well as this, there were a few spectacular dark stacks and arches over the sea. The sand was a dark grey colour, and blackish when wet. It was an unusual place and is apparently popular with film-makers.

Sea stacks off Reynishverfi beach

Basalt columns

This was a good spot to look out to see but there was not very much variety out there. Plenty of flocks of Eider were bobbing about and there were groups of Puffin just off the beach. The Puffins were clearly nesting on the cliffs above the beach and were flying to and fro just above our heads. Again large numbers of Fulmar were nesting on all the cliffs of the area and were constantly going back and forth. There was also a Kittiwake colony here and a single Glaucous Gull flew by offshore.

Puffins - Reynishverfi beach

Pushing on, we headed back East along the coastal road, with similar species as before noted along the roadside. Two Short-eared Owls within a mile were seen hunting the grassy areas, my only ones of the trip. Our next stop was the Solheimajokull Glacier, where I was kitted up with crampons and an axe, for a walk across the ice. Another enjoyable escapade, the landscape on the glacier felt like another planet. The ice wasn't sparkling white, but with layers and layers of volcanic ash, it was greyish. The black triangular peaks on the photos below were not rocks, but were tiny pyramids of ice. Where there were little pockets of ash inside the glacier, the ice here melts slower to make these little peaks. We were limited as to where we could go, as the cracks in the glacier went down a long way, and what looked like tiny puddles, were deep deep pits. It is a shame that this glacier is retreating at about 100m a year, which is an incredible rate if you think about it.

Sherpa Lawlor ready for action

Solheimajokull Glacier

Whilst we were putting all the stuff back in the van, a dark-phase Arctic Skua came down and landed in the car park looking for scraps. Next was the wall of water that was Skogafoss, our third spectacular waterfall of the trip. More Fulmars were nesting in amongst the spray, and I found a pair of Harlequin Ducks on the river a little downstream. This time they ween't asleep but quickly swam away when I tried to get close.

Skogafoss

Pair of Harlequins on the river nearby

In the afternoon, the coach gained ground westwards, as the weather became gloomier. I saw little and the group stopped for some pony-trekking (well they called them "Icelandic Horses", but they looked like ponies to me). I wasn't keen at all on this, especially as they seem to have rammed loads of the animals into a tiny enclosure, and they were pushing and shoving each other against the metal fences. So I declined the offer and wandered off up a road towards some trees around some cabins. Despite being one of the most tree-covered areas I'd walked in, there was so few bird species around - lots of Redwings and Meadow Pipits, with a few White Wagtails and Wheatears along the road.

In the evening we arrived at Vatnsholt Farm to spend the night. It was a very nice hotel - but rather odd. The owner had a menagerie of animals 'out back' - including a rescued Arctic Fox, a Raven and some goats - and after dark he showed us a load of local TV clips of him with these animals dancing, talking, etc - very 'That's Life' stuff. There was a decent-sized lake down the hil, albeit a bit far away to see. There was little life on it though, just a few Whooper Swans, a small flock of Tufted Ducks and a male Pochard. I have since learnt that the latter is quite scarce on Iceland. There had been a few seen in the country during this time.

Wed 28th May 2014

ICELAND - day 4

Our final day in the country and looking at the itinerary, there was little promising planned for wildlife. After breakfast a small flock of Turnstone landed on a puddle below the hotel car park. We stopped first at some hot springs in a nearby town and ate boiled eggs for brunch cooked by heat from the Earth's core - that's a first. Then we headed back to the west coast on the bus. Driving through the town of Selfoss, I noticed a small flock of Long-tailed Duck on the river, which were the only ones seen all trip. Also, nearby, on a small roadside pool, I spotted a brief but distinctive Red-necked Phalarope bobbing on the surface. We eventually arrived in Reykjavik where the first stop was at a viewpoint over the city. This was surrounded by birch trees and there were plenty of Icelandic Redpolls flying around, some giving decent views as we were at treetop height. Again my attempts at seeing them properly were scuppered as we were hurriedly ushered back onto the bus.

Reykjavik

Later in the morning we headed to the far SW of the country to the Reykjanes Peninsula, which is the location of the airport. We stopped at "Leif the Lucky Bridge" which spans a split in the rocks caused by the spreading of the Earth's crust. To the left is the Eurasian plate, the right is the North American plate, and the gap gets wider. It's probably not exactly so, but it is more symbolic I guess. Named after Leif Eriksson who did indeed cross to America of course.

Leif the Lucky Bridge

After this, we visited the nearby hot springs and mud pools. The colours here were fantastic, with the different salts and sulphurs producing red, yellow and orange soils, and lakes of turquoise and green, and smells of a fine distinction. There were lots of Arctic Terns here. I wasn't sure if they were breeding but it did look like a colony in amongst the steam.

Arctic Terns by the geothermal mud pools

Arctic Tern

I thought that was it, and was expecting to go straight for our afternoon flight to the airport. But we were lucky and had a little time to spare and so we spent a while at the headland at the most south-western point of Iceland. There were lots of birds in this area. As well as the ubiquitous Arctic Terns, there were lots of Kittiwakes here due to the colonies present on the sea cliffs and the offshore stacks. This was a famous spot because on the seabird island visible out to sea, the last Great Auk in the world was killed and so the species became extinct right here. There is a statue to commemorate this. I scanned the sea just in case a lonely individual had survived, but the only auk on view was a Black Guillemot bobbing on the waves.

Kittiwake colonies on Reykjanes Peninsula

Kittiwake

Arctic Skua

So back to the airport and a flight home. Only an hour's delay and that was that (apart from 2 buses, another flight and a stay in a hotel). I was disappointed about missing out on Gyrfalcon but I was more than satisfied with the superb Harlequins. As a birding trip, I wouldn't say Iceland would be my first choice due to lack of variety of species, but of course I didn't go to the most interesting areas. But as a trip of astounding sights I could not fault it. Some of the group, who clearly go on big trips regularly, seemed pretty blase, but I was constantly amazed at what I saw and rarely kept my eyes off the bus window. So extremely enjoyable and I was grateful that I got the chance to go. I look forward to returning in October. It will be very interesting to see the different selection of species in the autumn.