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)