Iceland Day Four

Today we spent the day at Husavik, the coastal town where the film Eurovision, the Story of Fire Saga was set. It was a family day so I had to sneak in a few snippets of birding. It would have been great to go through all the gulls and seaducks properly but I did pretty well with a few minutes in between visiting the Whale Museum, the Eurovision Exhibition and Lunch at the Gamli Baukur and shopping. 

The drive from Myvatn to Husavik was stunning, we were the only car on the road crossing wild tundra. 

Managed to score another main target of the trip- Harlequin Duck. Pretty good scope views but no good for photos unfortunately.

Ebird list from today HERE

Male and female Harlequin Ducks and Eider

3rd-winter 'Kumlien’s ' Gull

2nd-winter 'Kumlien’s  Gull'

Adult Kumlien's Gull

A nice little selection of  adult and first-winter Iceland and Kumlien's Gull. The first-winter in top right appears to have a dark wash at the base of the primaries suggesting 'Kumlien's'.

Adult Iceland Gull- About 45 Iceland Gulls and 6 'Kumlien’s Gulls'

Adult Glaucous Gull (front bird) 

Adult Glaucous Gull x Herring Gull aka ‘Viking Gull’  (hybrid as some dark streaks in outer primaries and small size ) with Herring Gulls 

Black Guillemot

Male Long-tailed Duck

Female Long-tailed Duck

Purple Sandpipers

Adult and 2nd-winter Kumlien’s Gulls, Iceland Gulls and Herring Gull

2nd-winter Kumlien’s  Gulls (above and below)

2nd-winter 'Kumlien’s Gull' 

Adult Iceland Gull

First-winter 'Viking Gull' - at least two of  these

Herring Gulls in Iceland are argenteus but many show several features associated with American Herring Gull smithsonianus suggesting there might be some historical introgression. The bird on the left could actually be an American Herring Gull from that view with contrasting pale head and rather concolourous dark underparts, retained juvenile scapulars and a largely dark tail from what can be seen. However in other views the bird showed coarsely marked undertail coverts indicating it is one of these smith-like  'Icelandic Herring Gulls'.

Husavik- a stunning place

The drive across the frozen tundra- a mad place. Great that there are so few tourists out here this time of year