This post originated from an RSS feed registered with Java Buzz by Elliotte Rusty Harold. Original Post: My Iceland List Feed Title: Mokka mit Schlag Feed URL: http://www.elharo.com/blog/feed/atom/? Feed Description: Ranting and Raving Latest Java Buzz Posts Latest Java Buzz Posts by Elliotte Rusty Harold Latest Posts From Mokka mit Schlag

Over 6 days in Iceland, I managed to tally 34 species, including 5 life birds. Not bad at all, especially considering that birding was not the primary focus of the trip, I didn’t have a guide, my scope broke on Monday, and it was October just below the Arctic Circle:

• Common Snipe
• Eurasian Wigeon
• Red-throated Loon
• Common Redshank
• Dunlin
• Long-tailed Duck
• Northern Gannet
• Eurasian Oystercatcher
• Wren
• Eurasian Blackbird
• Redwing
• Common Redpoll
• Graylag Goose
• Mallard
• Mew Gull
• Red-breasted Merganser
• Rock Pigeon
• Whooper Swan
• Tufted Duck
• Common Raven
• Common Loon
• Common Murre
• Ruddy Turnstone
• Purple Sandpiper
• Iceland Gull
• Herring Gull
• Great Cormorant
• Glaucous Gull
• Great Black-backed Gull
• European Starling
• European Shag
• European Golden-Plover
• Black-headed Gull
• Common Eider

Most of these I saw multiple times in multiple locations. The only singletons were Wren, Common Redshank, Dunlin, Common Murre, Northern Gannet, and European Shag.

I also missed several species I thought would be easy:

• Snow Bunting
• Ptarmigan
• White-tailed Eagle
• Gyr Falcon

There were also a lot of really heart-breaking unidentified birds on the beaches and out on the ocean. The wind knocked my scope over onto the sidewalk and broke it on Monday, so my ability to ID species further out was severely limited. Sea watching at any distance really wasn’t possible, and shore birds were tough. I also left my 1.4x teleconverter home since I rarely use it since my camera won’t autofocus with it, but in this case it probably would have helped. Final thing I should have broght and didn’t were clothes that were suitable for lying down on the beach and crawling slowly toward the birds. On the other end, I didn’t need the long underwear or Patagonia fleece I did bring so there could have been room for this. :-(

Clearly I have to go back. However next time I’ll try to aim for breeding season, May and June. I’m trying to convince my wife that she should record her next CD in Reykjavik, but she wants to do it in the Bronx. Doesn’t she know that aren’t any life birds left in the Bronx? :-)