One fine day in the beginning of July 2020, little Hanna and I were walking along the shore of Snæfellsnes, in the western part of Iceland, when an adult White-tailed Eagle flew towards us in search of food. Since we don’t look very delicious the eagle continued its journey. Shortly afterwards, three young White-tailed Eagles appeared and hovered over us. Two of them started fighting in the air, as energetic youngsters tend to do, but fortunately nobody got hurt.
We were not near an aerie so I picked up my camera immediately, as is customary in such situations. Otherwise I would have had to ask for permission from the Environment Agency in Reykjavík because White-tailed Eagles are protected in Iceland and it’s forbidden to get closer than 500 meters from their aeries.
We sat down and two of the young eagles flew over us and gave us a good look. Later the adult one came back and hovered over us. At least three of the birds were ringed and I sent some of my pictures to a specialist at the Icelandic Institute of Natural History. He found out that none of the eagles was tagged in this area. The adult bird was eleven years old, tagged as a chick in an aerie in the southern part of Snæfellsnes. One of the young ones was two years old and tagged in Hvammsfjörður. The other one was one year old, tagged in Húnaflói, in North-Iceland. The specialist said it was unusual to get so close to so many eagles in this area on a bright and beautiful summer day.
Here are pictures of the White-tailed Eagles, along with Gyrfalcons, Merlins and Short-eared Owls.
Adult White-tailed Eagle
Young White-tailed Eagle
Gyrfalcon
The Gyrfalcon, the largest of the falcon species, is most common in Þingeyjarsýslur, North-Iceland. Up to a quarter of Europe’s Gyrfalcon population breeds in Iceland. In a good year there are only around 400 breeding pairs in the country. Adult Gyrfalcons stay in their territory the whole year but the young birds travel widely and stay on the shores in winter, some near Reykjavík.
Merlin
The Merlin is the most common bird of prey in Iceland and nests in many parts of the country.
Short-eared Owl
The Short-eared Owl is the most common owl in Iceland, with around 300-500 breeding pairs. The best chance to see owls is in the twilight in summer, when they are hunting mice for their chicks. The Short-eared owl breeds close to Reykjavík but is most common in North-Iceland.
