Sept. 14, 2014 - Iceland Birds
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Some of the birds I photographed in Iceland are not likely to be seen in the United States. Today’s group of photos includes six of them. This is a European Golden-Plover, a male in beautiful breeding plumage. This photo was taken on the Westman Islands. At 10½ inches, it’s a medium-sized shorebird but it’s not restricted to the shore. In fact, its nest is found in dry places like well-vegetated lava fields. Similar birds in the United States are American Golden-Plover and Black-bellied Plover.
The Ringed Plover is a small shorebird, only 7½ inches tall. It’s almost identical in appearance to our Semi-palmated Plover. This bird is only found in Iceland during the summer breeding season. While it is most likely to build a nest by the sea, it could be found almost anywhere in the country. In winter, Ringed Plovers migrate to southwestern Europe or western Africa. This photo was taken on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula.
A Redshank is about the same size as a European Golden-Plover (above). It’s appropriately named, with those brightly colored legs. This bird builds its nest in grasslands or marshes. Most Redshanks leave for the winter and go to western Europe. This photo was also taken on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula.
When we landed in Iceland and were walking from the plane to the terminal, the first bird species I saw was a White Wagtail. This is a small songbird, about 7 inches long. It’s found almost everywhere in Iceland and tends to breed near people (farms, urban areas, and so on). In winter it migrates to western Africa. This photo was taken in the town of Hellnar.
Northern Wheatear is another songbird that visits Iceland for the summer breeding season. A Wheatear is just less than 7 inches long. It prefers rocky habitat like lava fields. The nest is a woven basket in a hole or a crack in the rocks. It goes to western Africa for the winter. This photo was taken on the Westman Islands.
This handsome shorebird is a male Black-tailed Godwit. It’s a large bird, measuring 29 inches tall. Preferred habitat for this bird is a marshland. The female is less colorful but a little larger than the male. In winter, Godwits migrate to western Europe. I took this photo in the town of Borgarnes.
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