Pictures of some of the vagrants that come to Iceland, mostly birds that have strayed or been driven off course during seasonal migration between other countries.
Common Kingfisher
A Common Kingfisher stayed near Mógilsá, a stream in Kollafjörður, for a few weeks in August and September 2019. This was the first bird of this species ever seen in Iceland. The kingfisher was very shy and avoided people as if they were plagued. The Common Kingfisher is widely distributed over Europe, Asia and North-Africa.
Bohemian Waxwing
Bohemian Waxwings are irregular visitors in Iceland and sometimes come in groups in autumn and winter. They breed within the boreal belt of coniferous forests in Scandinavia, Russia and North-America. The waxwings eat rowanberries and other fruits when they stay in Iceland, as well as apples which kind people give them in their gardens. I took these pictures in a garden in Seyðisfjörður, a town in East-Iceland.
Grey Heron
Grey Herons are widely distributed in Europe and Asia. They are common visitors in Iceland in winter. Most of them are young birds from Norway and they can be seen on shores, rivers and lakes. They often stand motionless for hours on river banks, waiting for fish.
Other vagrants
It’s fun to watch the birdlife in Sólbrekka, a grove at Suðurnes, close to Keflavík. Guðmundur Falk, a bird photographer, has been feeding birds regularly in Sólbrekka and he says that many vagrants come there, particularly in autumn, when we have the best chance to see vagrants from America. Among the vagrants seen there is a Swainson’s Thrush, which is a North-American species and very rare in Iceland.
