References:

A:         Iceland Trip Report per Steve Lister
B:         Edward Rickson Iceland ExPat.

Introduction

Having already identified that Voyages Jules Verne provided a fairly economic way of visiting Iceland as mentioned at Ref A, my wife and I along with John & Val Sanders decided we’d like to visit the island.  We had always planned to visit however; it was essential to plan it at a suitable time to see Brunnich’s Guillemot.  I contacted Edward Rickson, who although unavailable provided fantastic site information and administrative guidance on how to see the Guillemot – Many Thanks.

Daily Itineraries

Day 1

An evening departure at 2110 from London Heathrow saw us arriving in Iceland at 2250 (1 hour behind), in broad daylight.  It took us approximately an hour to get from the Airport at Keflavik to our hotel (Park Hotel) in Reykjavik.  We were safely tucked up in bed by half midnight.

Day 2

The tour was not solely for birding purposes so we undertook the tour provided with the holiday to Thingvellir, where we saw Redpolls, 2 Red-necked Phalarope, a couple of Whooper Swan and numerous Redshanks and Redwings.  Later at Gulfoss we saw a Northern Wheatear, whilst at the geyser at Geyser we saw a couple of Snipe.  Oystercatchers, Golden Plover and Fulmars were fairly common along the road.

Figure 1 - There she blows

Day 3

We hired a car today (City Cars £93.50 for one day), on the advice of Edward Rickson and headed off towards the Snaefellsness peninsula to the North West of Reykjavik.  During the journey we added Arctic Skuas (mainly dark phase), Ravens and several Ringed Plover.  Arriving at the seabird breeding cliffs just to the West of Aranstapi we soon caught a whiff of the guano and after a little searching located 12 breeding Brunnich's Guillemots with chicks.  Common Guillemots, Razorbills, Kittiwakes, Puffins and Greater Black-backed Gulls were also noted here and a light phase Arctic Skuas harassed them.

Figure 2 - Breeding Brunnich's Guillemott West of Arnastapi

Along the peninsula a juvenile Snow Bunting was seen amongst the lava flow and at Rif Harbour numerous Red-necked Phalaropes were seen on a roadside pond with a Black Guillemot and seven Purple Sandpipers being in the harbour.  The area was covered with breeding Arctic Terns and a solitary Dunlin put in an appearance.

Figure 3 - Red-necked Phalarope - Rif

During the journey back along the peninsula to Borgarnes we saw several Slavonian Grebes in full breeding regalia, two Red-throated Divers, many Whimbrels and several more Arctic Skuas.  In the Harbour four Icelandic race Black-tailed Godwits and circa twenty Dunlins were seen.

Day 4

A whale watching trip from Reykjavik harbour gave us more views of Puffins at Lundey Island along with more Arctic Skuas and our only Herring Gulls of the trip.  Later at sea a Great Skua was noted and numerous seabirds were disturbed by a breaching Hump Back Whale.  At least six Minke Whales were seen and during the journey back to port a singular Manx Shearwater was noted.

Figure 4 - Fulmar Reykjavic Pelagic

The rest of the day was spent in Reykjavik, sightseeing although a visit to the pond in the centre of the town revealed the presence of three Whooper Swans, a female Scaup and a first summer Iceland Gull.  Lesser Black-backed Gulls were very numerous here whilst the odd Black-headed Gull dived in between them.

Figure 6 - 1st Summer Iceland Gull - Reykjavic

Day 5

A 1000 pick up from the hotel and a mid morning visit to the Blue Lagoon brought nothing new and we soon departed Iceland on the 1610 flight, arriving at Heathrow at 2000.

Species List

Common Name	Scientific Name	Max	Remarks
Red-throated Diver	Gavia Stellata	2	Snaefellsness peninsular – roadside pond
Slavonian Grebe	Podiceps auritus	5	Snaefellsness peninsular – roadside ponds
Fulmar	Fulmarus glacialis	50+	Pelagic
Manx Shearwater	Puffinus puffinus	1	Pelagic
Gannet	Morus bassanus	4	Pelagic
Cormorant	Phalacrocorax carbo	3	Borgarnes Harbour
Whooper Swan	Cygnus cygnus	4	Seen throughout
Greylag Goose	Anser anser	15+	In suitable habitat
Common Teal	Anas crecca	2	Roadside ponds
Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	3	Seen throughout
Tufted Duck	Aythya fuligula	20+	Snaefellsness peninsula
Scaup	Aythya marila	1	Female in Reykjavik
Common Eider	Somateria mollissima	5+	Small family groups seen throughout
Oystercatcher	Haematopus ostralegus	4	Common throughout
Ringed Plover	Charadrius hiaticula	2	Snaefellsness peninsula
Golden Plover	Pluvialis apricaria	2	1s & 2s throughout
Purple Sandpiper	Calidris maritima	7	Rif Harbour
Dunlin	Calidris alpina	20+	Borgarnes Harbour
Common Snipe	Gallinago gallinago	2	1s & 2s throughout
Black-tailed Godwit	Limosa limosa islandicus	4	Borgarnes Harbour and 1s along the roadside
Whimbrel	Numenius phaeopus	7	Common throughout
Redshank	Tringa totanus	15	Common throughout
Red-necked Phalarope	Phalaropus lobatus	c700	Rif roadside pond and 2 at Thingvellir
Arctic Skua	Stercorarius parasiticus	5	Pelagic and common along the S peninsula
Great Skua	Catharacta skua	1	Pelagic
Black-headed Gull	Larus ridibundus	20	Borgarnes Harbour and several throughout
Lesser Black-backed Gull	Larus fuscus graellsii	30+	Reykjavik numerous around the capital
Herring Gull	Larus argentatus argenteus	2	Pelagic
Iceland Gull	Larus glaucoides	1	1st Summer at Reykjavik central pond
Glaucous Gull	Larus hyperboreus	40+	Common on the Snaefellsness peninsula
Great Black-backed Gull	Larus marinus	30+	Common on the Snaefellsness peninsula and during the Pelagic
Kittiwake	Rissa tridactyla	800+	Snaefellsness peninsula and Pelagic
Arctic Tern	Sterna paradisaea	1000+	Rif Harbour – common breeding species
Guillemot	Uria aalge	30+	Snaefellsness peninsula and pelagic
Brunnich's Guillemot	Uria lomvia	12	Breeding cliffs west of  on the Snaefellsness peninsula
Razorbill	Alca torda	20+	In the sea off the breeding cliffs west of  on the Snaefellsness peninsula
Black Guillemot	Cepphus grylle	1	Rif Harbour
Puffin	Fratercula arctica	800+	Lundey Is off Reykjavik and several at the breeding cliffs west of Aranstapi
Meadow Pipit	Anthus pratensis	2	1s & 2s throughout
White Wagtail	Mortacilla alba alba	2	1s & 2s throughout
Wren	Troglodytes troglodytes islandicus	2	at Thingvellir - breeding
Northern Wheatear	Oenanthe oenanthe	8	Snaefellsness peninsula and 1s & 2s throughout
Blackbird	Turdus merula	1	Male in the botanical gardens Reykjavik
Redwing	Turdus iliacus	12+	Common breeding around the S Geysir
Raven	Corvus corax	4	Common on the Snaefellsness peninsula
Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	12+	Common around the capital
Lesser Redpoll	Carduelis flammea	5	Around the old Parliament area at Thingvellir
Snow Bunting	Plectrophenax nivalis	1	Juv on the lava flow on the Snaefellsness peninsula

Summary

With the target bird in the bag the trip was a success.  Although Iceland is fairly expensive, with the correct timing and a little preparation and hunting around bargains can be found.  An interesting Island with many birding and tourist opportunities and I recommend a visit.