Arctic adventures day 1 FinlandArctic Adventures Day 1 After a few months in the planning it was time to depart for 9 days north of the Arctic Circle. Planning was done using old trip reports from the internet and a few books. I mainly used Gosney guide to Lapland and also Birding Varanger the biotope guide to the best birding sites in Varanger. Gosney is a bit dated but still useful at times. The Biotope guide was excellent with some brilliant pictures. This time of year in the Arctic circle the sun doesn’t set. This meant we had the potential of 24 hours a day birding and could tailor our day depending on the weather. Lucky for us the weather across our trip was awesome and we only had a few spots of rain across the 9 days My five year old daughter Isabelle was kind enough to lend me one of her unicorn sleep masks which came in very handy across the trip. We flew Finnair from Heathrow to Helsinki were we had a 4 hour wait until our connecting flight to Ivalo (Lapland) which is inside the Arctic circle. We had boarded our flight to Ivalo when we were all told to leave the aircraft as there was some kind of problem with the aircraft. Another 2 hour wait before we were up and away. We landed in Ivalo and picked up our car for the trip which was a Toyota C-HR booked through Europcar. We set off for our first stop which was the House Sevetin Rautu in Sevettijarvi this was our base for the next 2 days. All our accommodation was booked through booking.com. It wasn’t long before Adrian had spotted his first nest. Somehow he had spotted a Black-throated Diver sat on from the back seat of the car. We stopped and turned around to investigate further. Sure enough there was a nest containing 2 eggs the bird had snuck off without us seeing. I tried to take a few pictures from the shore as it was just off the mainland on a small area of reeds but I was having issues with my camera for some reason the auto focus wasn’t working and the lens was making a horrible noise. This is isn’t what you want to hear within the first minutes of your trip. I tried a few different things but nothing would work it looked like something major was up. I used my other camera body and that was the same. By now I felt pretty shit and resigned to the fact I was probably going to have to rely on manual focus something I don’t really do. Months in the planning to an area I have wanted to visit for years and first stop and my lens was having issues. It sounded like something internal was knocking. Gutted was an understatement. We were also being eaten alive by the mosquitoes so headed back to the car to continue our journey.
After a bit of thinking time in the car i decided that if my lens was buggered I wasn’t going to let it define the trip. It’s been a pretty shit year for the family and we have had some tough times and this was meant to be a trip to briefly put those things to the back of my mind. If it’s broke then so be it I just need to rely on manual focus and enjoy the trip for what it is. Just means I will have to come back again to tog the wildlife. Lucky for me I managed to get the lens working again but I didn’t feel it was getting the same results as I have had previously with the lens. Service required when we arrive back home. We arrived at our accommodation just after midnight which is no problem here as it’s still daylight. It was basic but clean and tidy. It even had a sauna.
House Sevetin Rautu, Sevettijarvi, Finland, June 2023
First full day in Lapland and we planned to look for Dotterel on Mount Aliigas which is close to the border of Norway. We planned a few stops en route firstly at the Neljan Tuulen Tupa cafe which if you have read any trip reports for Lapland is the best place to see Pine Grosbeak. It wasn’t what I was expecting and you could only view the birds from inside unless you paid a fee to the visit the garden. We didn’t enquire about how much it’s was instead sitting in the window to enjoy a brew and see what arrives. There was lots of Greenfinch ,Brambling, House Sparrows and a few Red Squirrels. A Redpoll flew in but didn’t look like an Arctic one and we also had a brief glimpse of a male Pine Grosbeak what a beauty he was and my first lifer of the trip. It wasn’t long before a female was on the feeders right in front of us. I took the below photos on my phone. Whilst here we also had a brief glimpse of a male Northern Bullfinch. A slighter bigger version of the bullfinches we see back home.
Pine Grosbeak, Neljan Tuulen Tupa cafe, Finland 2023
Just passed the cafe is some bogs and pools which are said to be good for waders like Broad-billed Sandpipers, Spotted Redshank and others but none were seen we did however see these dragonflies. I am not 100% certain of the ID but doing about of research I would say they were Northern White-faced Darters. (Leucorrhinia rubicunda) also known as ruby whiteface. They found in Europe as far east as the Altai Mountains. They are predominantly northern in its distribution, being one of the few dragonflies common north of the Arctic Circle.
We carried on towards our destination stopping en route to check out a few of the roadside nest boxes we had started to notice. Every wood next to a pool or bog had a few big boxes ideal for Smew, Goldeneye and maybe owls. The first one we checked was in use and contained the nest of a what looked like a Smew. This was a great start and probably one of our only chances of finding nesting Smews this trip. We checked the nest box about an hour later after a walk through the neighbouring forest and the female was sat on. It was in fact a Smew. A quick record shot and we left her in peace. What a great start. Smew nest in a box, Finland, June 2023
Whilst walking through the surrounding forest I stumbled across my first nest of the trip and it was a beauty and one I had hoped to see. Adrian confirmed it as a Brambling. It was quite deep and was lined with toilet roll. Being nearby to a lay-by I guess the toilet roll was used by passers by who had been caught short. We didn’t investigate to hard to see how much of it had been pre used. The nest was probably about 7 foot off the ground. Good job I have long arms to take a record shot. It was comical watching Ricky and Adrian try take theirs.
Brambling nest, Finland, June 2023
Brambling nest, Finland, June 2023
Nearby was a small boggy area that held a pair of Grey-headed Wagtails, Reed Bunting, Tundra Ringed plover and out first butterfly of the trip. I didn’t have my macro lens on me so took a few record shots with my phone. I checked it with google lens and it came back as an Arctic Fritillary.
Surrounding landscape, Kaamanen, Finland, June 2023 We continued our journey west stopping at various lay-bys. We checked another nest box containing another female Smew. A part from the occasional fly past these were the only 2 Smew we saw the entire trip. I was hoping to be able to photograph a male on the water but this will have to wait for another trip.
We reached our destination by early afternoon and before heading up the mountain we hit the nearby town of Karigasniemi for some food. We took a wrong turn and somehow crossed the border into Norway without realising. We soon turned around and headed to a local hotel we’re I tucked into a Reindeer Pizza.
Lunch done we headed for the hills. Half way up the mountain we encountered our first Meadow Pipit nests a lovely c5 hidden under a rock and then a very impressive C6. Six’s aren’t common with meadow pipits so as they go it was a great find. Meadow Pipits seem to be everywhere.
Meadow Pipit nest, Mount Aliigas, Finland, June 2023
Meadow Pipit nest, Mount Aliigas, Finland, June 2023 Next on the agenda was Dotterel we knew they had been seen in the area in previous years so we stood a good chance. We tried out a thermal camera leant to us by Karle Burford. Sadly this was pretty ineffective due to it been warm and sunny every rock on the plateau glowed like a hot bbq coal. We continued across the mountain and up to the telecommunications tower at the top this is where Adrian first caught site of out first Dotterel. It was a beautiful female and was very accommodating. This was the first proper test of my lens. It seemed to be auto focusing and the results looked okay on the back of the camera but only at home on the PC would I really know. Ricky and I spent some time photographing it whilst Adrian had a look for her boyfriend. We spent about 30 mins with this bird at one point it just went to sleep.
Dotterel, Mount Aliigas, Finland, June 2023
Dotterel, Mount Aliigas, Finland, June 2023 Dotterel, Mount Aliigas, Finland, June 2023
We also had a pair of Snow Bunting join us for a few minutes. Not as showy as the Dotterel but a nice trip tick.
We took a different route down the mountain going over the top and down the steep slope to the east of the summit probably not the easiest route but Long tailed Skua had been seen on this side in pervious years. We had a mountain hare about half way down and then we caught site of a skua species. There was a pair in flight and looked to be Long-tailed skua we continued the climb down and soon saw one of them sat a few 100 feet in front of us. Boom long-tailed Skua a lifer for all of us. It allowed really close approach which probably meant its partner was sat incubating nearby. We sat with the bird for a while taking quite a lot of pictures whilst it posed.
Long-tailed Skua, Mount Aliigas, Finland, June 2023 Long-tailed Skua, Mount Aliigas, Finland, June 2023
Long-tailed Skua, Mount Aliigas, Finland, June 2023 On the drive back to the main road Adrian spotted a Redwing sat on. A quick inspection and we had found our first Redwing of the trip we ended up only seeing one more redwing nest. I guess we weren’t really looking for them after seeing so many in Iceland.
We had a few more stops on the way back to our accommodation. First was to let this Reindeer cross the road. Reindeer were seen all over Lapland. Most are semi domesticated and have been farmed for 1000s of years by the Sami people. It’s quite a site to see so many of these beautiful creatures just roaming around the Lapland area.
Other stops included a random sauna in the woods unsure if it was a public one but we didn’t hang around to use it. Here we also watched a Willow Warbler return to its roadside nest it was well hidden in the grass and a bit difficult to photograph. I also spent some time trying to tog the Brambling with not much luck. Was pretty cool watching them throw their heads back whilst they sang. I did spot another small bird feeding in the trees. I managed to get the bins on it to reveal another lifer a Siberian Tit it quickly disappeared but a great bird to see.
We stopped at a little lake at the edge of a small village here we had our first pair of Wood Sandpiper we watched them for a while but they appeared to be just resting and feeding. Nice birds to see but a bit distant for decent photos. Also around the lake were a few nest boxes the first was used but now empty probably Smew or Goldeneye, with the amount of down in there it was definitely a duck. The 2nd was an awesome find. I opened it up to see two fluffy chicks staring back at me. We believed them to be Tengmalm’s Owls, we searched for an adult bird nearby but no joy. Owls weren’t really on our list of targets due to the difficult nature of finding them in the finish forest. The advice is to get a guide but these come at a cost and where is the fun of having everything pointed out to you. As a group we love to get out and find our own stuff. Although that comes with a risk of not finding anything. Tengmalm’s Owl was another lifer for all of us and a good way to finish up the day.
Tengmalm’s Owl nest box, Finland, June 2023
Day 8 and 9 - Borganes to Floi - the final chapter
Day 8 Borganes - Floi Had it feeling this was going to be a great day more on that later......
Great-northern Diver, June 2022. Early start around the guesthouse looking for the usual suspects. I headed away from the small wood where i had some success last night with the Redwings and headed into the small open hills looking for waders. Adrian was off looking for his nemesis the Black-tailed Godwit. I spent a bit of time watching a pair of Oystercatchers and Ringed Plover but i think they were just feeding around a small pool on a piece of waste land. I did however find a lovely set of Meadow Pipits eggs. Not something I was looking for but always nice to see. In fact apart from a small area of Daffodils still in flower and some more Icelandic Poppies that was all i found. I planned to go back to photograph them but soon run out of time. lt was fast approaching breakfast time and time to move onto our next stop Floi.
Meadow Pipit nest, Borganes, June 2022
En route to Floi we stopped for Brekkie at service station where there was a well stocked pastry counter. It was hit hard and we all filled up for the day ahead. Next stop was at Pingvallavatn which is the 2nd largest natural lake in Iceland. It was where parliament was held between 930 and 1799. We werent there to learn history though lol!!! So on with the birds. Next we stopped on a road over looking the lake where we heard an Icelandic rarity the Blackbird. Its a new colonist of Iceland and I understand their numbers are slowly growing. It was lovely to hear the Blackbird singing among the numerous Redwings.
Road to Pingvallavatn, Iceland, June 2022
View across Pingvallavatn, Iceland, June 2022
Local fauna, Iceland June 2022 Next stop was a great place on the River Sog, the Sog is the river that feeds lake Pingvallavatn. Here in 2019 we had a river bank nesting Great-northern Diver so after our success with the 2019 Skuas we thought let’s stop and see. Amongst the millions of Black flies we found the Great-northern diver nesting in pretty much the same spot. A beautiful bird up close. She was sat tight so we didn’t disturb her for very long we took a few quick snaps before slowly moving on. The first pictures below are taken on my phone thats how close we were able to slowly move into. Im sure we could have touched her and she wouldn’t have moved. An incredible experience and why I love Iceland so much. It just keeps on giving. This was also a good spot for lunch i celebrated with a different sandwich we moved from beef to lamb. I might add that to buy these sandwiches I had to take out a small mortgage. Iceland is beautiful but bloody expensive.
Great-northern Diver, River Sog, Iceland, June 2022
Great-northern Diver, River Sog, Iceland, June 2022
Great-northern Diver, River Sog, Iceland, June 2022 Great-northern Diver, River Sog, Iceland, June 2022 (bit blurry but shows how stunning these eyes are) Great-northern Diver, River Sog, Iceland; June 2022 Around the river where plenty of Alaskan Lupins these were all over Iceland and had been introduced to stop soil erosion and now had spread across the country. In the south they were in full bloom but in our recent travels to the far north they were still not out in flower. Also on the banks here were some Water Avens. A common plant throughout Iceland and also found in the UK but as with most plants in Iceland it was a new one for me.
Water Avens, River Sog, June 2022
Next stop was going to be one of the a highlights of the trip. No trip to Iceland is complete without a stop a Floi bird reserve. It’s full of Red-throated divers and lots of other species and hardly a sole in sight. This year we bumped into a fellow British bird photography Connor and it was great to hear his stories from his trip across Iceland. It was also good to see the R7 in action which Connor was using. The AI for focusing on the subjects eye is awesome, this helped with flight shots. My 5D was useless trying to capture the incoming divers but Connors R7 performed really well. There is an R series lens on my wish list now.
My attempt at an incoming Red-throated Diver, Floi, June 2022 Before entering Floi we like to have a drive along the lanes that lead into the bird reserve. Here there are lots of open fields great for waders. It’s also great for birds on fence posts. I even managed to add a new bird to my collection the Meadow pipit.
Meadow Pipit, Floi, June 2022
Meadow pipit, Floi, June 2022
Redshank, Floi, June 2022
C1 Red-throated Diver, Floi, June 2022
C2 Red-throated Diver, Floi, June 2022 C1 Red-throated Diver, Floi, June 2022 C2 Red-throated Diver, Floi, June 2022 C2 Red-throated Diver, Floi, June 2022 It was now pretty late in the day and the light wasn’t great for togging birds on water there was however a Red-throated Diver sat on its nest adjacent to the footpath. You could just see it’s head and long neck through the long grass.
Red-throated Diver, Floi, June 2022 Tonight’s teas was yet another Pizza. It was pretty good and well worth the wait all the restaurants in Iceland were busy tonight some kind of public holiday.
Day 9 - The final day
Whilst walking around yesterday i spotted a family of Divers. 2 adults and 2 chicks these were going to be my subjects for the next few hours. I careful approached the small pool they were on and laid on the waters edge once they seemed happy with my presence i started to photograph them. It was amazing to watch these amazing bird interact with each other. The adults would fly off and bring back in small fish for the chicks when one was off feeding the other would keep a watchful eye on the chicks. They were so chilled that at points they were all asleep.
Red-throated Diver and chick, Floi, June 2022 Red-throated Diver and chick, Floi, June 2022 Red-throated Diver and chicks, Floi, June 2022 Red-throated Diver chick, Floi, June 2022 After spending a few hours watching the Parents feed and interact with the chicks I thought it best to spend some time with the stunning adult birds that would drift past on the small pool. I felt incredibly lucky to spent a few hours watching this family. At times i would slowly move my camera away and just watch these birds feed, preen and sleep. It was when they slept that I knew i was no threat to them and it felt like i was part of their world. I also felt incredibly wet and stinky. To keep disturbance to a minimum i was laid down on the edge of the pool which was a very damp and boggy area. My lens was hovering just above the surface of the water. I didn’t use a tripod and went hand held to try and get those low across the water profile shots. It was challenging at times as a 500mm lens isn’t light but i loved every minute. That light was always challenging due to the time of day and the ever changing cloud conditions but i managed a few keepers. Nearly a year on i still haven’t fully been through all my pictures as i took so many.
Whilst I was laid in the dirty water Adrian and Ricky had been off looking for Flois other breeding birds and had some success. No Black-tailed Godwit again but they did find. Golden Plover, Whimbrel and a Red-necked Phalarope. The Phalarope wasn’t to far from where I was with the divers So after i had taken my fill of pictures I had a look at the Phalarope nest. What a beauty and so tiny.
Red-necked Phalarope nest, Floi, June 2022
I then spent about an hour on a feeding pool watching and photographing Red-necked Phalaropes as they came and went.
A pair of Whooper Swans gave good views as well. They walk straight past where I was sat. Another nice bird to photograph.
Next stop was the coast in search of more waders and maybe some Gull colonies. We parked up near Eyrarbakki and we walked the strip of land in between the road and the coast. We had had some success nesting here last time so we were all hopeful of finding some good stuff. First stop was a small pocket of Lupins time on this trip was running out and I wanted to take some better photos of these beautiful plants.
I then spend a bit of time with a Golden Plover it looked to be nesting in the area as wasnt feeding and was pretty faithful to a small area. We had a look around but didnt find a nest. A 2nd bird was in the area so we were pretty confident there was a nest or chicks nearby.
Next we headed in the direction of a small black-headed gull colony we found in 2019. It wasn’t so small this year and as we approached 100s of Gulls took flight. It wasn’t just Black-headed Gulls but Lesser back-backed Gulls and Arctic Terns. It was quite a site we moved our way through pretty swiftly checking out a few nests as we went. Lesser have been known to lay some pretty special eggs and we did come across one nest that had 1 pale blue egg amongst the usual colour.
The Black-headed Gulls has a mix of Chick and eggs way to many nest to count but probably into the 100s and clearly a lot. bigger than 3 years ago.
Also in the area were a slection of waders a last chance to add to the growing list of photos i needed to edit on my return. Nothing particular good but a few more records of our trip.
Icelandic Horses, Iceland, June 2022 After several hours out and about we headed to our digs for the last night. A wooden house in Gljufurbustadir it was set in a beautiful location just outside the city of Selfoss. It even had a hot tub. Not my cuppa of tea. After a long shower to wash away the stinky bog water of floi we headed into Selfoss for a burger at Tommys burger bar and to pick up some beers to drink at our digs. If you are in Iceland and you see a Tommys burger Joint stop and have one they are bloody amazing. A good way to finish of another superb day in Iceland.
Gljufurbustadir hoilday homes, Iceland, June 2022 Gljufurbustadir hoilday homes, Iceland, June 2022 Gljufurbustadir hoilday homes, Iceland, June 2022 Gljufurbustadir hoilday homes, Iceland, June 2022 - my room give the tallest the small roof space lol Gljufurbustadir hoilday homes, Iceland, June 2022 Gljufurbustadir hoilday homes, Iceland, June 2022 Gljufurbustadir hoilday homes, Iceland, June 2022
Gljufurbustadir hoilday homes, Iceland, June 2022 Tea yes another burger.
1.30am out of the bedroom window and its still pretty light Flight home tomorrow and the end of another amazing trip to Iceland…… next stop Lapland 2023
Day 7 Snaefellsber, BorganesWe had our first proper breakfast of the trip in Blonduos. A mid trip treat wasn’t to bad but like much of Europe you can’t get a decent sausage or some lovely smoked bacon. We left the digs at around 8am. The plan was to travel around the Snaefellsnes peninsula hopefully getting as far as Olafsvik. Adrian and I had great success in this area in 2019 so really wanted to try our luck again and also to show Ricky what this beautiful part of Iceland had to offer. We had a few sites to visit but our first stop was on the edge of Blonduos. I had noticed a small patch of Icelandic Poppies growing on the edge of someone’s garden and as these are a rare and protected plant I wanted to try and photograph them. I suspect that these may have been planted but none the less they were stunning plants. I didn’t spend to much time here as I would hoping to find some genuine wild ones on our route today. Icelandic poppies come in 3 colours all of which were on show here.
We had a few hours of driving to do before our first stop which was a large lake just off the main road. 3 years ago we had an amazing experience with a pair of Great-northern Divers that had choose to breed on the edge of the lake. There was a small lake nearby the had a pair of Red-throats on and a pair of Whooper Swans has nested on the other side of the road. This year there were no Divers but the Whooper Swans had nested in the same location. I spent a little time here photographing the fauna and the surrdoing landscape.
Next stop was the ancient fishing village of Hellnar. We had a great encounter here 3 years ago with a pair of Arctic Skuas. We hoped that they may be site faithfully but didn’t hold out much hope. We had lunch at the foot of Bardarlaug which is an volcanic crater pool. We overlook an area of rough ground which is were the Skuas had breed. I was just tucking into my usually Roast and beef and onion Sandwich (bloody lovely grub) when Adrian called it. The Skuas appeared to be nesting in the same location as 3 years ago. We finished our grub and headed down.
Nice place for lunch
We reached the area were we suspected they were nesting in and the pair flew off and disappeared. This was unusual as if your anywhere near a Skua’s nest you are likely to get mobbed. The pair here last time mobbed us continually. We weren’t sure if there was anything here but Adrian walked into the area he had marked up from a distance and sure enough our first Arctic Skuas nest of the trip. Almost in the same location. Arctic Skua nest, Hellnar, Iceland, June 2022 We marked the nest up on What3words and moved out. The family was back on the nest before we had even got back to the road. We walked up the side Bardarlaug and checked out the crater again. It’s a beautiful spot. There was a couple of Gulls and Whimbrel in the area but not much else. Again I took some time to try and identify a few of the flowers in the area. There was a single Arctic Poppy on the roadside but was almost impossible to photograph in the strong wind. Shame as it was the only one we saw on the trip.
Next stop was another site we had Arctic Skua’s on 3 years ago. It was in between Hellissandur and Rif. Astonishing it was in the edge of an Arctic Tern colony. Sure enough it was there again. Right on the edge of the tern colony. We walked out to it and this time we got attacked. The incubating bird was trying to distract us by pretending to be injured similar to what the waders do. A C1 this time and after a few pictures we moved out. The incubating bird was back in within seconds of leaving so I sat up nearby and photographed them at the nest.
Whilst doing this the none incubating bird came and sat next to me I was so close to it at points I couldn’t focus on it. I had to try and wiggle backwards with out spooking the bird. I managed to and the I liked the results. It was raining very lightly and the cloud was very low. This made a lovely effect on the skuas head as the rain formed little droplets on the birds feathers.
Arctic Skua, Rif, Iceland, June 2022
We then spent the next hour or so checking out the surrounding area. There were possibly as many as 5 pairs in this area. There was also a couple of whimbrel. Whimbrel are everywhere in Iceland and you kind of take them for granted. They are also very skittish and as difficult bird to get close enough to, to photograph. I did however manage to creep up on a lone bird. Whimbrel, Rif, Iceland, June 2022.
I headed over to a small pool where I had photographed Red-necked Phalaropes a few years back. Adrian and Ricky went off looking for other waders. Ricky found a few more snipe nests to add to his tally. I didn’t have so much luck the Phalaropes they weren’t in great numbers and the pool only held one pair. Also on the pool were a pair of Whooper Swans.
Red-necked Phalarope, Rif June 2022
Snipe nest - Rif June 2022
After a long day in the field it was time to head to our next overnight stop. A place we had stayed at in 2019 it was Laekjarkot Rooms, near Borgarnes. Basic but comfortable accomadtion. The real bonus here was you could walk stright out the rooms and into some great habiat. We stopped first in Borgarnes for some grub. A stunning burger which was pretty decent after a long hard day
Laekjarkot Rooms, Borganes, Iceland, June 2022 After heading back to our digs i headed out into the adjcent woodland to look for Redwings. Also in the area were Ptarmigan, snipe and Golden Plover. It wasnt long before I heard my first Ptarmigan but sadly it was located. I did however find numerous Redwings nest in different stages and also a Redpoll nest with large chicks and a beautful one with very young chicks and eggs
Redwing Nest, Borganes, June 2022
Redpoll nest, Borganes, June 2022 The sun was setting fast and it was time to head back toward the digs but not before a few snaps of the local landscape
Day 6, Leaving Raufarhofn and the journey to BlondousDay 6 Weather was a bit different this morning!! No it was still very dull Overcast and cold but this morning we had wind. Adrian and I left the nest hotel early and headed to the lighthouse area for some more Purple Sandpiper fun. We parked up and got out the car and then quickly got back in the car!! Oh my days the wind which we know was strong was off the scale and it had a bite to it. It was bloody freezing!! We couldn’t even hear each other talking so there was no point trying anything in this. You couldn’t even hold your binoculars up. It Would of been impossible to see or hear anything and it wouldn’t be good for any birds we came across. We went back to Raufarhofn and drove to the lighthouse in town. We had been told the pools around here were good for Red Phalaropes. There was a pair of Long-tailed Ducks on a small pool but not much else apart from good numbers of Red-necked Phalaropes. We parked at the Lighthouse and I got out. Adrian did the right thing and stayed in the warm.
As I traveled back to the hotel I notice the pair of Long-tailed Ducks were still on the small pool. There was also a few pairs of Red-necked Phalaropes. The light was horrendous and although those duck showed really well the photos didn’t do them any justice.
Long-tailed Duck, Raufarhorn, Iceland, June 2022 I headed back to the hotel and took a de tour for the Glaucous Gulls again. Light wasn't much better sadly. Next I picked Adrian and Ricky up and we headed onto our next destination. Raufarhorn had delivered our main target and will live long in the memory. We will be back in the future as we have unfinished business here. Maybe next time we will come back mid June and see what we can find.
We started the journey to Blonduos, this was to be our next stop. It was a 5 hour journey but we planned a few stops en route. We were just on the out skirts of Kopasker when I spotted something a head of us in the road. In Iceland this could only be one thing. I shouted Arctic fox having not seen anything for the last 2 hours I wasn’t sure if I was imagining it. As we pulled up along side it, it was clear to see it was an Arctic Fox. A first for me and something I was keen to photograph. Sadly this one disappeared pretty quickly into the birch but was great to see. It appeared to be carrying some kind of prey but no idea what. Next stop was the town of Husavik, we stopped for some food and fuel and then stopped again on the south of the town at another Biotape bird hide that over looked a small lake called Kaldbakstjarnir. There were a few bits and pieces on here but no Great Northern Divers, which is what we hoped for. It’s was a nice spot for lunch and we were serenaded by Redwings and Redpolls.
As we came down from the high roads into the valley were we saw the Pink-footed Geese in we thought about stopping but didn’t see anything like the numbers we saw on the way through. We decided not to stop which as we found out from a nesting contact was a big mistake. They found a few nests in this area a few days after we pasted through. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Another stop for another trip. We wanted to spend some time at a favourite spot for me. The small lake near Blondous. Firstly I wanted to prove that the Coot was there. I knew it had been seen by others as during the trip I had been invited to an Icelandic rare bird WhatsApp group and I had seen it pop up a few times on there. I just had to prove it to the doubters I was travelling with. I had been the butt of their jokes for a few days now. We arrived at the lake. No coot but all the other stuff was there. Ricky and my plan was to photograph the Slavonian Grebes we picked different pairs and what about our business. Adrian went towards the river and was on the look out for his bogie bird, Black-tailed Godwit. I spend some good time with a pair of the Grebes and watched one catch a small fish. It was amazing to watch and I managed a little series of photograph’s
My main aim was to try and catch them on the closest point were they swam down a small channel. They did it once but the photos from the fishing trip came out better. The light was a bit harsh with the sun being so high in the sky. I am sure a return trip later this evening would be a lot better.
After an hour or so we met back up together. Adrian hadn’t had much luck but was watching a pair of Red-necked Phalarope on another small pool. Another one flew in that looked different not only in colour but also in stature. It had the look of a Wilson’s Phalarope. I have only seen a winter plumage one a few years ago so opened up my bird guides app and went in for a closer look. It looked pretty good and we all were willing it to be, but sadly it turned out to be a Red-necked Phalarope. We found a few plants around the edge of the lake and what looked like an Orchid spike. Iceland has 5 Orchid species I think but we would be too early to see them flowering.
Unknown Orchid, Iceland, June 2022
Common Butterwort, Iceland, June 2022
Horsetail, Iceland, June 2022 We headed to our digs which was in Blonduos. Blonduos is a small town at the mouth of the River Blanda. We stayed at the Kiljan Guesthouse which was very pleasant. Clean, tidy, comfortable and did good food.
Kiljan Guesthouse, Blonduos, June 2022
After dropping our stuff off we walked along the river and checked out the bird hide. We saw some good stuff. A Glaucous Gull, Red-throated Diver, Harlequin Duck and plenty of the common stuff. We carried on further up and there were huge numbers of Greylag Geese with goslings. Some had neck rings on with looked a bit strange. We headed back for tea at our digs which was nice and enjoyed a pint of Gull.
After tea we checked out a few farm tracks for birds on posts. We had some good views of Common Snipe and Common Redshank. I never get bored of togging these. The Snipe just sat the quietly whilst the Redshank who are probably defending chicks are very vocal. Common Snipe, Blonduos, Iceland, June 2022
Common Redshank, Blonduos, Iceland, June 2022 Ricky headed off to bed and Adrian and I headed to our favourite little lake. The weather was great and I hoped for some good light as the sun set. As we approached the lake the infamous Coot was back on the lake and this time Adrian saw it. I wasn’t imagining it lol. I wasn’t going to waste any time togging a Coot. One of the nesting Red-throats was on the water and showing pretty well so I took up position and waited for it to drift into the clear water. It wasn’t playing ball and I didn’t have a lot of time to wait. The Slavonian Grebes were the target here as I had a date with the Red-throats later in the week in the south of Iceland. I moved off and worked my way along the bank. There were 2 floating Slavonian Grebe nests on the lake both were empty but the birds were sitting on them so clearly going to be laying up soon. I didn’t want to disturb them so I cautiously approached the nest that looked to have had the best photo opportunities. I slowly worked my way along the bank crawling on my hands and knees. The birds weren’t bothered by me and I managed to get pretty close.
It was pretty cool to be within a few meters of a pair of these magnificent birds. Something you wouldn’t be able to do back in the UK at this time of year due to their rarity. At times I was to close to focus on the birds but now I was in a good position I darent move. This was another of my highlights and I was very happy with the results. I hadn’t done very well with these Grebes before.
Slavonian Grebe, Iceland, June 2022 My plan on this trip was to do a lot more video and I took a tripod with me to enable me to do this. I did a few videos but always seemed to forgot to take my tripod out with me. Below are some dodgy handheld videos. Work needed on these lol.
Slavonian Grebe, Iceland, June 2022 As the sun set it cast a lovely orange glow across the lake. Sadly it disappeared behind the neighbouring mountains to quickly. What an evening it wasn't quite over as Adrian on his travels had come across another Snipe nest on the roadside.
En route back to Blonduos we took the farm tracks to see if there were any waders on posts again. We had lost the light to the mountains at the lake but close to the coast we still had a bit of day light left. We found Snipe, Redshank and a new bird on a post a Redwing.
Snipe, Blondous, Iceland, June 2022 We finally headed back to the digs and off to bed it was fast approaching midnight as the sunset across the Iceland sea. Another awesome day with some decent weather at last.
Day 5 Purple Rain…. Raufarhorn and the Purple Sandpiper hunt continues
Day 5 weather still overcast and chilly but we are full of hope as we head out to the Tundra again on the hunt for Purple Sandpipers. Wasn’t a to early start and we are nesting by 5.30am. First stop was the roadside Purple Sandpiper from last night. I wanted to try and get a picture of the bird incubating the eggs and to try and show how difficult these birds are to see when sat on the open tundra. The visit was brief to avoid further disturbance.
Unsurprisingly the next few nest of the day are Eider Duck we must be well into the 50s now. Still they are a cracking nest to look at when the haven’t been raided for the down.
Eider Duck nest, Raufarhofn, Iceland, June 2022
Next up is another Ringed Plover which we nearly parked on top of. They seem to love the edge of the gravel tracks this one just happened to be where we turned the car around. Ringed Plover nest Raufarhofn, Iceland, June 2022
We walked another few miles across the tundra in an area we know had been successful for another person a few years ago. We walked as far as we could until we reached a large lake. The lake had 3 Great- northern Divers on and although distant and no good for photography it was good to sit and watch these bird interact and call to each other. We crossed back over the road and had a pair of Purple Sandpiper calling and another possible scrape.
More Eider duck nest were found and again most unmarked we did come across the occasional nest marked up with red flags.
It was now approaching 8am so it was time to return to base to pick Ricky up. Ricky had been up to the Arctic Henge for a look and whilst up there he had come across a Snipe nest which he had marked the location of for the scientists and us to have a look later. At our base we met one of the local research’s from the rif station based here who had gave us some great information about the Purple Sandpipers and a good place to check out. So that was the plan. It’s such a pleasure to meet these fellow birders in Iceland who are more than happy to share information with you. He was also happy to tell us about certain protected and very rare species in the area. You don’t get this kind of information back home. The area he mentioned for the Purple Sandpipers was the lighthouse at Hraunhafnartangi which is the most northerly point in mainland Iceland.
When we arrived we watched a couple Eider down collecting. Shows there is big money in it as they drove a brand new Tesla. We avoided them and walked towards to the lighthouse it wasn’t long before we had Purple Sandpipers joy flighting over our heads and we had a colour rung bird close by on some rocks. Purple Sandpiper, Raufarhofn, Iceland, June 2022
We had a lovely Ptarmigan posing on a bird mound so walked over to take some pictures. It was just out of view and I was waiting for a better opportunity when we had another Purple Sandpiper nearby so I didn’t give the Ptarmigan as much attention as I should of. Ptarmigan, Raufarhofn, Iceland, June 2022
A few quick snaps and we were back watching the Purple Sandpipers. Adrian had watched it going across the rocks were I managed a few pictures of it. They are such stunning birds and fast becoming one of my favourite waders.
Purple Sandpiper, Raufarhofn, Iceland, June 2022. All of a sudden it vanished. We slowly walked across the ground looking on the rocks hoping it would pop back up. No joy. I continued to move forward and and out the corner of my eye I caught what looked like another rock bird but this time it wasn’t it was a bloody Purple Sandpiper sat on the deck and doing one thing and one thing only incubating eggs. Wow wow wow we had found what we were looking for and it was almost at the point Adrian had lost it to view. The bird aware of our presence but so sure of its camouflage just walked away from us and sat down on its nest. It was at this point I thought to myself how many of these had we walked pass already it was so well camouflaged up against a nearby rock and even though I was pretty much stood on it, it hadn’t budged an inch. Time was of the essence now as we didn’t want to disturb this bird to much so we all took a few photos of it sat on the nest. I managed to use my Macro set up to get within a few inches of the bird to capture the below images.
Purple Sandpiper on the nest, Raufarhofn, Iceland, June 2022 Ricky and the Purple Sandpiper, Raufarhofn, Iceland, June 2022 What we did next won’t please all birders and I do get the reasons why. But I was here with a very experienced and well respected bird nester who has volunteered for the BTO and RSPB. Without his knowledge and experience we would of left this bird alone. I am sure some people will react to this in a negative way but all information from this nest was passed on to the research team in the area. With his judgement we slowly ushered the bird of the nest. The bird did the most amazing display to try and attract us away from the eggs. It pretend to be injured which would hopefully deter a predator away from the eggs. It called as it moved away to a nearby rock. We quickly took some pictures of the nest and logged the location via what3words. We then moved away before we had even got 5 feet away the sandpiper was already on the move back to the nest. We watched it back on before moving a good distance away and celebrating our amazing find. This did mean however I couldn’t go back to tog the very showy Ptarmigan as it was close to the Sandpiper.
Video of the Landscape of the nesting Purple Sandpiper, June 2022 We were now excited to find what else the area would offer up so we continued across the tundra towards the lighthouse. We found numerous more Eider Duck nests. Don’t worry I won’t bore you with any more pictures of them. If only we could turn ones of these Eiders into a Long-tailed Duck. Alongside a few more terns, terns are a good sign as Red Phalaropes often nest on the edge of Arctic Tern colonies, I guess from protection. When we stumbled across one it was also interesting to see how they would react. Me being the tallest often bore the brunt of their attacks. They wouldn’t stop attacking you until you were well clear. As I write this I wonder if we missed anything as I was so focused on not being hit that we could of walked past numerous sitting birds. Especially with what we had just witnessed. At one point we came across a male Eider Duck he was sat in the middle of nowhere, well to be fair that could be anywhere out here. He aloud a close approach and showed no sign of moving which is unusual for Eider Ducks. It did allow for a few pictures of these stunning birds. I did wonder as I photographed him if he may have been struggling with avian flu. There was no obvious signs apart from his lack of movement. We had already seen some evidence of this around Raufarhofn with numerous dead sea birds and a very poorly Fulmar on one of the local beaches, that I am certain with struggling with the effects of bird flu.
After moving on for the Eider Duck we headed back towards the coast. We came across a pair of Dunlin who seemed to be on territory but not much else. We left them to it. Also came across a showy Ringed Plover that posed lovely in the drizzle.
Later we came across another pair of Purple Sandpipers. We watched then for a while unsure of what they were up to. Adrian was adamant they were bound to be nesting somewhere nearby. Eventually we lost both birds and continued across the Tundra fairly confident one was nearby. I think we had gone about 20 foot further on when I stopped dead in my tracks as a Purple Sandpiper came up at my feet and did the same behaviour as the last one leaving the nest. It was clearly trying to draw me away from the area by pretending to have an injured wing. Such a clever way of protecting their eggs from predators. We weren’t to be drawn away and quickly located the nest. It contained another beautiful set of 4 eggs. I don’t think I had seen Adrian as happy as this since England had stuffed Wales at the millennium stadium a few years ago. What a day we were having 2 Purple Sandpipers in just a few hours. We quickly took some pictures and then tagged the nest to pass on to the team of researchers.
Below is a Video of the territory we found this Purple Sandpiper in. If you listen carefully you can hear inbetween the noise Arctic Terns the beautiful sound of a Purple Sandpiper. Something we don’t hear very often on our shores. The 2nd video is the Purple Sandpiper trying to deflect us away by pretending to be injured.
Purple Sandpiper Territory, Raufarhofn, Iceland, June 2022
For the next few hours we walked around the area have multiple interactions with individuals and pairs of Purple Sandpipers. This was definitely a hot spot for them. It was amazing to watch these birds in their habitat go about their business with a gentle approach I managed to get some pictures I was very pleased with the ones that showed their display behaviour. It was such a joy to observe them interacting with each other. I love their little calls and to see them joy flighting is awesome. Just wish it would stop raining.
Purple Sandpiper, Raufarhofn, June 2022
It was now approaching 5pm and we had put in some decent hours in the area with some great rewards. We headed back to the car watching 2 singing male Snow Buntings. One was very territorial and kept seeing of the other male. Adrian was watching a female that disappeared but sadly drew a blank on any nest. Was great to see so many snow buntings in such a small area. Was also strange to see these much like the Purple Sandpipers and Ptarmigan breeding at sea level. We are use to seeing these birds breeding on the highest peaks in Scotland. After my previous attempts of a Ptarmigan were trumped by a Purple Sandpiper it was good to see another one, probably the same male nearby.
I know your probably bored of Purple Sandpiper pictures but as we went back to the car we came across a social gathering of these little waders. There we at least 6 in the same area resting on a large boulder next to a small lake. One took some time to bathe and was pretty cool to watch.
Toilet Duck, Raufarhofn, June 2022 Final stop was the Dunlin Ricky had found yesterday. The Arctic Skuas were still on territory which was good to see and even better the Dunlin had completed the set.
We headed back to the hotel and passed on all our findings to Jose and co who were very excited to follow up on what we had located. We then headed out for some tea. I nailed another superb Pizza. Cost a small fortune but was well needed. After tea we jumped back in the car to head out to check Ricky’s Snipe nest as we went to drive off Adrian said stop. He had seen a Ringed Plover acting for suss. We watched it back on to its nest from the car just a few meters from where we were parked on a piece of rough ground in the car park. Amazing what you can find sat in your car. Ricky also relocated the snipe nest in the car park of the Arctic Henge again. Pictures of both below.
Ringed Plover nest, Raufarhofn, June 2022
Snipe nest, Raufarhofn, June 2022 After another stunning meal at the Hotel Nordurljos I headed back out alone on to the tundra. Others had an early night and so should of I as I don’t think anything else would top what a day we had already had. The weather was now really shite and that early night was calling loudly. You’re only here for such a limited time that I went for it anyway. Saw a pair of Ptarmigan on the track towards the lighthouse and a pair of Oystercatchers had chicks on one of the beaches. I had stopped at the beach to try and tog a lone Red Knot but the light was so bad I gave up and headed for home.
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