So I realized in minutes that nobody else on the bus gave a shit about birds (reindeer, foxes, sure) so I quit calling out stuff I was seeing on the bus… so this is my post about birds. I am a potato photographer so no pics.
On my lifetime list now:
Common wagtail. They are ahem common.
I did NOT see a skua. Whatever it was, it wasn’t a skua. Skuas are fucking ginormous and whatever this was it was much smaller.
Ravens every day.
Northern Diver – saw that one SUPER close, from the bus, under perfect light, breeding plumage like jewels nested on a grey silk pillow.
Waders (they like to sit on posts next to the shore so they were easy to spot)
I saw TWO ptarmigan, once the first day and once the second last day; first one was snow white and the other was coming into breeding colours.
So many arctic terns, including in a nesting area, and man do they squeak.
I never saw a golden plover to identify it but the little fuckers never shut up and are beloved as the Icelandic sign of spring.
Pink footed Goose
King Eider!!!! man you cannot miss those suckers. Those I only saw on the East coast, right on the ocean.
BARROW’S GOLDENEYE they breed in the Lake of Midges and I saw a breeding pair in still water at the side of the road in that part of Iceland. They went by pretty fast but there’s nothing else in the Icelandic bird pics that matches.
so there you go mOm you can start looking at the pics on line.
