So, here we are in Iceland at last, after all the doubts arising from the recent volcanic eruptions here. It’s 2nd June and 5.2 degrees Centigrade with a 14 mile per hour breeze, but the weather just gets better and better as we explore the north coast of the magnificent Snaefellsnes peninsula, which surges up from the deep blue sea. Along the road we stop to look at a field full of Whooper Swans, grazing like sheep, and as we progress westwards, there are birds everywhere including Ravens, Redshanks, Ringed Plovers, yellow spangled Golden Plovers, a Red-throated Diver and displaying Snipe, with plenty of Eiders and Glaucous Gulls relaxing on the beaches and thousands of busy Arctic Terns. One pool has Tufted Ducks alongside Scaup and nearby we are checked out by a pair of Arctic Skuas, one dark and one light with unusual Imperial Eagle style epaulets. We spot four pale-belied Brent Geese on their way northwest to Greenland and even get roadside views of a dazzling drake Harlequin looking as fancy as a Mandarin.
This afternoon we take the ferry across a smooth Breidafjördur Bay to the island of Flatey, spending both crossings on the sundeck under a cloudless blue sky. As we disembark, Black Guillemots are waiting just offshore, with Redwing and Snow Bunting singing from the rooftops, while Arctic Terns are screaming in every direction, and in the village pond we get front row views of courting Red-necked Phalaropes. What a glorious day, and the sun is still shining at bedtime (11.15pm)!
It’s a new day and the sun is still up there. A boat trip among the many tiny islands of the bay takes us straight to a pair of majestic White-tailed Eagles, one on the nest, while the other keeps a sharp eye on proceedings. Other close encounters include eye contact with nesting Kittiwakes and Shags, with some of Iceland's 11 million Puffins also on parade. As the afternoon warms up and the layers are peeled off, our exploration of the south coast of the Snaefellsnes peninsula produces black-bellied Dunlin and calling Whimbrel, and on the mirror-calm roadside pools we get more sightings of Scaup in addition to our first Slavonian Grebes, looking very smart in their bright breeding colours. Beyond an extensive lava field, we marvel at the geometry within the basalt pillars at Arnarstapi and on the cliffs nearby, there are Razorbills and also Common and Brünnich's Guillemots, sitting side by side on the same narrow ledge. However, the Black-tailed Godwit posing on a roadside fencepost just a few yards away from our vehicle, and yet completely unperturbed by its audience, is a real show stopper, even out shining the eagles, with its rich rusty breeding plumage and long yellow bill, and is unanimously voted bird of the day.
The 'heatwave' continues as we leave Stykkishólmur and head east through prime Short-eared Owl habitat, checking likely perches along the way. Lo and behold, a pile of rocks has a bird on top, which looks just like one more rock as it is exactly the same colour, but the red eyebrow which is only visible in the scope confirms that it´s a Ptarmigan! What a find. Eventually, we do connect with a Short-eared Owl, hunting low over the rough grass despite the bright sunshine. Far more unexpected, except for a tip off from the internet, is the drake Blue-winged Teal, on a roadside pool deep in the beautiful Öxnadalur Valley. We finish an interesting journey with a look at the magnificent Godafoss waterfall and arrive at our hotel overlooking Lake Mývatn in time for dinner, with the sun still shining and a Snipe calling incessantly from a lamp post in front of the hotel.
Our luck with the weather continues as we follow the sun in a clockwise direction around the big lake, starting with a walk up to the rim of the massive Hverfell crater, for a panoramic view of this outstanding landscape, with the blue lake dotted with craters as steam rises from nearby geothermal activity. Next stop is Dimmuborgir for a stroll through impressive lava formations including an archway known as 'The Church'. At nearby Höfdi, the woods are alive with singing Redwings and Meally Redpolls, which are far paler than our brown Lesser Redpolls back home. At Skútustadir, we circuit a lake within a lake, enclosed by craters, and realise why the larger lake is called 'Midge Water' as the flies here are swarming in their billions, making it a challenge to breathe without inhaling any! These insects are the reason for the prolific birdlife and so there are plenty of ducks. As well as handsome Harlequins behaving like South American Torrent Ducks on the fast flowing Laxá River, the lake has many Wigeon, Scaup, Long-tailed Duck, Red-breasted Merganser and Barrow´s Goldeneye, with a lovely glossy purple sheen to the head, and eventually we also find a pair of Common Scoter, showing very nicely in the sunshine. We also spot a couple of Great Northern Divers, get super views of stunning Slavonian Grebes, with bright red eyes that shine like gems, and enjoy seeing confiding little Red-necked Phalaropes virtually at arm’s length!
The eerie mist that shrouded the lake overnight clears in the morning to give yet another beautiful warm sunny day, ideal for highlighting the sulphurous colour of the bare ground at Hverir, where the Earth's crust is so thin that steam heated by magma gushes out from vents called fumaroles and pools of grey mud boil and plop like cauldrons of overheated porridge. At nearby Leirhnjúkur, steam rising from cracks in an unearthly lifeless landscape of crumpled black lava is reminiscent of the scene which might follow a nuclear holocaust, and yet even here a Wheatear is singing from the top of a crater! Away from the lava, we find another Ptarmigan, this time still in its white winter coat, as only the head has moulted into summer plumage. Driving through a dusty rocky desert, we reach a grand canyon where Dettifoss, Europe's mightiest waterfall, thunders 147 feet down a sheer cliff, and on the return journey back to Mývatn, we count enough Pink-footed Geese to make a football team. What an amazing day in an amazing place.
It’s time to go west, but we still need to find a Gyr Falcon and so, after a little searching of some cliffs near the lake shore, we have one of these ‘supercharged Peregrines’ in the scope. We also enjoy more good views of Common Scoter and Harlequins before we leave this fabulous area. En route to our next destination, we cross the North Atlantic rift between the Eurasian and North American plates at ƥingvellir. We are now at the famous Geysir, where a small group of onlookers gasp in amazement at each ebullient eruption. The pool of hot water ebbs and flows with a gentle welling action, gaining momentum each time, before exploding with clockwork regularity into a plume of steam as high as a house. The wow factor continues with a visit to Gullfoss, by which time we are running out of superlatives to describe the awesome natural wonders we have seen. After so much excitement it is time to chill out in the Blue Lagoon, “the coolest hotspot in the world”, where we emerge from the milky warm water looking and feeling ten years younger!
We are now in Reykjavík and before we fly home, there is just time for a whale watching trip in Faxalflói Bay, where we get very close to a Minke whale, which breaks the surface several times with a long black arc of a back. Iceland has certainly done us proud.
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