ICELAND
I visited Iceland in May/June 2013 with a colleague. We started in the south west near Reykjavik and then
drove to the north east to the area around Lake Myvatn.
As you can see in the image below, it was still cold there, with snow on the ground and frozen lakes. The
Whooper Swans seem to be having a 'domestic' about why they have arrived so early to breed!
Iceland Ducks
The gallery below shows images of various ducks. Goldeneye, Long-tailed Ducks & Eider can be seen in the UK
in winter, but Harlequins are the special duck of Iceland. They pair up and nest along the fast-flowing
rivers in northern Iceland and then the drakes move to the coast.
Black-tailed Godwits
Iceland is a main breeding ground for these Godwits, many of which come to UK in the winter.
Slavonian Grebes
A few pairs of these Grebes breed in Scotland, but they were relatively common in Iceland,
and it was lovely to see them in their full breeding plumage.
Red-necked Phalarope
A few pairs of these attractive little waders breed in Scotland, but they were quite common in Iceland.
