Touchdown

7-30-10    U.S. air force personnel were transferring through the Flug Hotel in Keflavik. It was good to see guys in uniform defending the country.

   In that hotel I tried to use the internet to update the blog, but the webpage gave an error message saying that I did not have permission to see my own homepage. The night guy at the desk said a kink in the router would not let me visit personal blog pages. I demonstrated that I could visit certain other blog pages but not my own. He said that he had hacked through the router for his own needs but that the hotel day people had deleted his files. We went next door and updated the page from another hotel.

   No problems at the airport. Five hour 15 minute flight from Iceland to JFK. Then a flight from JFK to Charlotte. It began to scare us, because the sun seemed to dim and approach the horizon. Then, for the first time in two weeks, the sky was completely dark. In Iceland during the summer, the sun never really sets. It is light even at night. Here in the airport in Charlotte, NC. we see the darkened sky and know that we are home.

Taken from inside our plane as the sun went down

Taken inside the plane when the lights went out

   Glad to be back.

-Robert

What a Day !

7-29-10    The extreme southwest corner of the Iceland and end of our Icelandic adventure is very bleak with miles of moss covered lava rock formations. The sky today is totally overcast and the harsh wind is brutal along the coast. In the middle of this desolation outside of Grindavik is a huge tourist complex called the Bláa Lonið ( Blue Lagoon ) where tourists can soak their bodies in silica-suffused H₂O from hot springs. Below is a snapshot of the blue run-off from the lagoon itself.

The silica which makes this water blue comes from the molten magma which made it boil to the surface

   We went to the coast and climbed atop a breakwater which protects Grindavik, to peek at the birds behind. Still the Arctic Terns dominated. Here I am standing on top of the rocks with my spotting scope. I could not bear to stay up there more than ten minutes. The cold and wet sea breezes are brutal.

Bundled up in July

   Nice lunch of hot soup and haddock, with potatoes... Culinary note : We have never seen any variety of rice ever served in Iceland. They go for potatoes or noodles and lots of bread. No rice. I guess they'd have to import the stuff, which is their business. I am growing a little tired of potatoes.

   We saw a Snow Goose (Chen caerulescens) en famille. That bird is not supposed to be in Iceland, but we saw it across the street from the address Vesterbraut 12 in Grindavik, Iceland at 12 noon 29 July 2010.

   Throughout Iceland there are piles of carefully stacked rocks. Berry and I have a running debate as to whether these five foot high pyramids had a locational purpose or an ontological purpose. Were they constructed by the Icelanders to help themselves find something in the sometimes magnificent desolation that is Iceland, or were they religious displays or even just a Kilroy-was-here kind of "I-am-here" ontological kind of statement. Here are several excellent examples.

Locational... ?

...or ontological ?

   Driving to a mountain lake on Reykjanes peninsula, we ran across a terrific collection of "mud pots" ( some are called "paint pots"). These are hydrothermic springs formed by water seeping 1000 meters underground and then shooting up to the surface, super-heated by volcanic magma.

Bubbly mud pot

Berry examining the mudpots

   In Keflavik we saw Ruddy Turnstones (Arenaria interpres) at the harbor. From there we birded some great tidal marshes and caught sight of a female Merlin (Falco columbarius), a falcon-like hunter. She was perched on the side of a small hillock, from where she peeked out at the prey items. She preened her feathers and climbed to the top. When her tail began twitching, she was ready to pounce. It was a masterful display of hunting technique and we got to see the whole show. Amazing.

Merlin's vantage post

   The last several days have been a nervous search for birds which we have not yet observed. I thought we could concentrate on the mossy, stony hillsides to catch sight of the Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta). It is never a good idea to expect to see any specific bird. You basically see what you see when you're there, not the precise bird that you might want to see. We added a Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) to our list. He was right next to our car.

   We are exhausted from travel and we are packing to leave tomorrow on the plane. It has been a terrific vacation. Berry says that it's over, but is it ever really over ?

Our flight arrives at 11:30pm

-Robert

(photos by rfowler and bshelton)

Golden Circle

7-28-10    Today we did things every tourist in Iceland does. We travelled around the "Golden Circle" in southeast Iceland. Our first stop was Lake Þingvallavatn, Iceland's largest lake. Þingvallavatn is an important site for both nesting and migrating birds. We saw Purple Sandpipers, Redshanks, Red-Necked Phalarope, Arctic Terns, various Gulls, and lots of midges too... they attract the birds. We drove away from the lake to an historical Viking site, the Þingvellir Assembly Place. This is where in AD 930 the country's first government was formed. The center of government was ultimately moved to Reykjavik in 1843.

Viking meeting place

A meeting place with running water

There is a Redwing on the path behind the keep out sign

   From Þingvellir we drove to the Geysir ( pronunciation GAY-sear ), the original geyser from which all are now named. There were several hydrothermal vents that look like bubbling cauldrons. The whole place smelled like sulphur. Only one of the geysers burst forth regularly with an explosion of hyper-heated steam every six minutes.

Getting ready

Geyser blowing its top

Thermophilic algae and bacteria in the water make this one blue

   Ten kilometers from the Geyser site is the magnificent waterfall, Gullfoss ("Golden Falls"). This spectacular waterfall starts with melted ice from a glacier forming a river. The water then cascades down the first falls. Immediately it veers to its right and tumbles down another falls. There, the whole water system dumps into a deep ravine some 150 feet below the top.

Berry at Gullfoss Falls

   We ended up back in Reykjavik, where we had dinner and toured the city. We saw the house of the richest man in Iceland next to Tjörnin Lake. His father went bankrupt in the IceSave scandal. Tomorrow is our last full day in Iceland. We will be birding the coastal Reykjanes wildlife area. Then we'll choose a hotel near the airport.

-Berry

( Þ is an Icelandic letter pronounced like the diphthong th in our word "think" or "path" - Robert)

Birding the Southeast

7-27-10    Continuing down Highway 1 near the volcanos, we took a picture of the Seljalandsfoss waterfall. You can walk around behind it. We saw gray and white Kittiwakes nesting in the rocks around it.

Seljalandsfoss Falls

Look at the little people

   We drove down many country roads in the area of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano. We noticed that Red-Throated Loons seemed to like the solitude that the volcanic ash clogged fields provided. Also among the ashes we saw the Great Skua with offspring, the Common Loon, many Oystercatchers and the ubiquitous Arctic Tern.

   The water running thru the eruption site was clogged with gray silt. At one point we stopped our car when a Black-Tailed Godwit started walking close to us. I took out the digital camera and took this photo. The bird was about 15 feet away.

Black-Tailed Godwit

   In many places in Iceland there are what are called "Sea Stacks". These are vertical land formations formed by tidal erosion, leaving enormous stone islands just off shore. On these we saw Greater Black-Backed Gulls and Kittiwakes nesting.

Black Sand Beach at Dyrhólaey

Sea Stacks at Dyrhólaey

Rock Islands at Dyrhólaey

-Robert

(photos by bshelton and rfowler)

Foto Grab Bag

7-27-10    Yesterday was unusually eventful. We also saw a flock of some fifteen Barnacle Geese (Branta leucopsis) along the road near Skogar, while it rained. So I added them to our list. It is rare that they are here in Iceland.

   Also, we took lots of pictures of waterfalls and ice floes and volcanic ash and mountain glaciers. I will share some of them here.

The Moving Glacier

A car-sized chunk fell off and floated away

A glacier still frozen in the mountains

Another great glacier shot

Some fellow's personal waterfall

Eyjafjallajökull Ash

Some poor fellows farm under the volcanic ash

(photos by rfowler, bshelton)

Ice and Ash

7-27-10    ...when suddenly, we saw the Jökulsárlón Glacier. It was unbelieveable. Gigantic icecubes floating down the river and out to sea. We took pictures. They were the size of buildings above the water, but you could tell they extended deep underwater. There was a parking lot next to this huge conglomeration of ice.

   Arctic Terns fought over fish in the water just next to the icebergs. The hungry Great Skuas stared at the little terns. They swooped down and pecked at the Skua. So he changed icebergs, and it all would start again. It was an ice carnival.

Next to the Glacier

   Then four little seals came under the bridge to join the fun. They swam so gracefully in the ice cold water. So awesome. We took photos of it all.

Field of Ice

When we were wet enough and it was time to leave, we started looking for a hotel. This became an adventure itself. We had to drive through the ash left over by that volcano that had erupted recently. There were bulldozers moving it around as we drove by.

Driving thru the Ash

   The ash was about ten feet thick on the open ground. It was jet black. They have cleaned it up pretty good so far, but there is work to be done. We took these pictures out of the car window as we drove past.

Volcanic Ash

   We finally got a room. The reception fellow said the internet connection here was "virus". You guessed it. He meant to say that it was "wireless". Very funny.

-Robert

(photos by rfowler and bshelton)

Rainy Day

7-26-10    Up early and out to bird. It was raining. Not misty but wet all the way. There were thousands of Whooper Swans (Cygnus cygnus) in a fjord near the town of Höfn. We sent our clothes out to be washed by a local, so we are hanging around town to shop, eat lunch and get the laundry back. We just let it rain.

   We were parked on the coast near the harbor, drinking hot coffee in the fog, when Berry suddenly saw a large dark brown bird flying slowly over the pebble strewn beach. Several gulls were protesting and dive bombing the bird as it passed. Using the binoculars, I saw a white bar on both wings and a very thick bill. It was larger than a gull. The bird turned out to be a Great Skua (Stercorarius skua).

   It had been attacking the gulls in the harbor. This bird is a pirate, openly despised and feared by other birds. This was our first time to see one of these magnificent sea creatures. They breed in the moorish wetlands near the ocean.

Great Skua

   One of the legs of the tripod was loose, such that the scope slid down as you leaned against it. We went to a camera shop to try to get a socket wrench to tighten the leg. They did not have one, but directed us to a hardware store "down by the harbor". We found the store and bought some needle nosed pliers and fixed the leg of the tripod. Lunch at a local restaurant. Leek soup and lobster. We were getting our needs met.

   We headed south along Highway 1, away from Höfn toward Vík and it rained and rained. We encountered a ewe mourning next to the body of her young lamb which had recently been hit by a car, truck or bus. The irresponsible farmer had let his sheep graze in the tall grass along a highway. And the inevitable happened. The ewe stared out at the traffic zooming by in the driving rain, with great strength and much sadness. It was a poignant scene.

   We walked to the ocean in the rain too, because it was so close to the road, to stretch our legs and to satisfy curiosity itself. We got very wet. The beach was made of black sand and hand-sized to football-sized stones. We found a green bottle with a plastic cork and tossed it in the Arctic Ocean, but it kept coming back. The waves were crashing. It amazed me how the Great Skuas and Arctic Terns enjoyed the crazy cold wild rain. Just as we turned to go back to our car, a cute little seal peeked out of the waves at us. It is beyond wonderment how these little fellows adore the cold temps and driving rain.

   We drove on farther, thinking we had seen enough for one day, when suddenly...

-Robert

(photo by gthoburn)

Through the Mountains

7-25-10    We drove through Iceland's only National Forest, Hallormsstaðaskógur, next to Lake Lagarfljót this morning. Although the forest was small, it was cute and a leafy reprieve after the stark, bare mountains we drove through yesterday. In the forest were pine trees, dwarf birch, blue spruce and birch trees.

Hallorms... National Forest

   We saw a pair of Redwings (Turdus iliacus) feeding their young with reddish worms. The Redwing resembles our American Robin (Turdus migratorius). They are in the same Turdus family of birds.

Lake Lagarfljót

   We also saw some logs that had been carved to look like the mythical monster of Lake Lagarfljót. Fortunately, we did not encounter the actual monster.

Lagarfljótsormurinn

Leaving the National Forest, we drove east from Egilsstaðir through lovely mountains and valleys. We saw several waterfalls along the way as well as Black-Tailed Godwits (Limosa limosa islandica) and Golden Plovers (Pluvialis apricaria). A picnic lunch at the summit of some mountain where there was a rescue hut for people stranded in the mountains. This was followed by some hot tea and coffee at a tiny coastal town named Breiðdalsvik.

Rescue Hut and Picnic Site

The drive from Brieðdalsvik to Höfn was right along the east coast of the country and went through several tidal marshes. In these areas, we saw thousands of Whooper Swans (Cygnus cygnus). Two new birds for our list today were a Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) and a European Storm Petrel (Hydrobates pelagicus). Robert saw two Rock Doves (Columba livia) that I did not see. In Memphis, we call those "rats with wings".

The Gyrfalcon is the first raptor we have seen on this entire trip. We saw it coursing low over the hay fields in front of Berufjordhur, where Highway 1 meets 939. It suddenly pounced and landed. Several little birds scrambled to flee. The Gyrfalcon took off again and tried to swoop down on several Oystercatchers. They scattered. In all the commotion no one was hurt. The Gyrfalcon was still hungry. The smaller birds all felt lucky.

We steered into Höfn and got a room. Robert can't find his glucometer. I had the salmon. He had the lamb. Another great day in Iceland.

-Berry

Fun with a Camera

Here is a photo taken thru my spotting scope of the mamma and baby Horned Grebe at Lake Myvatn. The female is the red-orange one. The fledgling baby is to her left.

Female Horned Grebe and Fledgling

-Robert

Through the Desert

7-24-10    Leaving Husavik, we drove through a desert to get to Myvatn Lake. Amazing. It is all they said it would be. A thousand years ago volcanic activity closed off a small stream and it backed up to make several little ponds and one big lake, about 36 km around it on a paved road. That "paved road" bit will become a theme in Icelandic discussions. The quality of roads really depends on where you are in Iceland. Dettifoss, the largest waterfall in Europe, is at the end of a 38 km road full of boulders. They think they have plans in the future to pave it.

   Berry just read somewhere that the magma chambers in the ground near Myvatn have filled in again and it's only a matter of time till the "Big One" hits in this region. At that time, "paved roads" will be truly superfluous.

   Myvatn Lake is shallow and full of fly-like midges. You can see them on the water. Ducks love them. Berry and I wore our handy bug net face guards and used a repellant with Deet. Nobody got in. The list of birds we saw is long :

• Barrow's Goldeneye
• Slavonian Grebe
• Tufted Duck
• Whooper Swan
• Common Scoter
• Blue-Winged Teal
• Eurasian Wigeon
• Redwing
• Greater Scaup
• Common Teal
• Harlequin Duck
• Mallard
• Whimbrel
• Ringed Plover
• Meadow Pipit
• Redshank

   Midges are not birds. So they will not go on the list. Really, there were thousands of ducks stretched across the water. We were next to two people from Switzerland observing ducks and a family of Horned Grebes, momma and pappa and a little baby, parked themselves right twenty feet in front of us. The mother put a piece of fish in the baby's beak. Then the little baby fell asleep, putting its head on its shoulder and floating peacefully next to mamma. Cute.

Berry at Myvatn Lake

   We could have spent several days at Myvatn. We were exhausted when we left. Then the desert really began. Volcanic cones and empty desert. The earth in this region is as close to infernal as you can get. Berry walked to within ten feet of a geothermal vent. There was boiling hot (80-100*C) steam shooting up out of the earth. Here is a photo she took.

photo by bshelton

   The water in the pipes at the hotel comes from these same geothermal vents and, even at just 38 degrees C, it is scalding hot.

   Below are various photos of the terrain we drove through.










   Note from the road : They do not sell ice in Iceland. We have been throughout western and northern Iceland and again here in Egilstadir, no one will sell you ice for your cooler. No bags of ice are available. I think that's ironic. No ice in Iceland. There are no laundromats either. This little country is not really used to its people actually moving around the island, on the roads, with ice, needing to wash.

-Robert

(photos by rfowler, bshelton)

northern Iceland

7-23-10    Switzerland in Iceland

   Look at the map of Iceland and we are on the northern coast, a little to the right of center. The road from the hinterlands eastward into Akureyri, the second largest city in Iceland, is like driving thru the Swiss Alps.

Mountains near Akureyri, Iceland

   Towering mountains one after another and tremendously precipitous drops. There are snow caps above the treeline on most of them. Sheep graze on the steep lower slopes. And the Icelandic Transportation Dept has built roads down off the mountains at 18% grade, which is very steep. Zoom! When they want off of a mountain, they just hop off. A tour bus crashed the week before on these very roads.

   Akureyri, the city, is bustling with economic activity. I bought a new memory card for the camera. Here is a picture of me and one of Berry.

Robert playfully observing a Puffin

Berry smiling at Godafoss Falls

   The River Laxa runs thru Akureyri. There and east of there, it gave up loads of great shorebirds, including several new "life birds" for us. The Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) that we needed and several family units of Slavonian Grebe (Podiceps auritus) which is called the Horned Grebe in the U.S.

   We ended up in the town of Húsavík, on the Arctic Ocean. To prove that it truly is inordinately cold, at the bar we ate at, the waitress handed out wool blankets to the people drinking on the patio. The hardy northerners wrapped the gray blankets around their shoulders and quaffed their beer. The temperature is not too bad, but the wind is the thing. It cuts you like a knife. We felt that same wind, out on the riverside, scoping stoneturners. Berry says it definitely gets colder around 3pm, though the light doesn't change. The sun is just weaker here.

   Thousandth coincidence of our voyage. We drove into Húsavík and this town is celebrating a festival, just like that other town. This festival is called Mærudagar, "Candy Days". Each neighborhood in town chooses a color and everyone displays something with that color. Coincidentally, we have stayed in the green zone at both festivals. Our pictures of the decorations in the pink and green zones follow.

Berry holding the Memphis based magazine, RSVP, in front of plastic-covered bales of hay decorated for the Maerudagar festival in Húsavík, Iceland

Pink Balloons

Green Tires

   One note about restaurants in Iceland. There is no tipping here. Gratuities are added to the check, by the restaurant, automatically, whether the waiter does a good job or not. That is why you have to go to the counter to order your food... where is the waiter... and then ask the poor guy to go get your food when you're really, really hungry. It's not that the service people did not see you sit there. They are friendly people, friendly enough. No. It's just that they don't get paid any extra money to do any extra effort. They get tips whether you get service or not.

-Robert

(photo credits : oherjolffson, rfowler)