Náttúrufræðingurinn - 2002, Page 21

ENGLISH SUMMARY
The BIRD LIFE OF BORGAREY/AR AND
Borgarskarfasker in Borgarfjördur
In summer 2000, a complete survey was under-
taken of the bird life of Borgareyjar (three small
islets) and Borgarskarfasker (five skerries) in
Borgarfjörður, West-Iceland (Figs 1 and 2). A
survey of these bird islands had never been car-
ried out before. Only very limited and incidental
information is available from former years.
Eleven bird species were found breeding on
the islands, altogether about 4,000 pairs. By far
the most numerous species was Puffin with
about 3,800 pairs (Fig. 3). Puffin and Kittiwake
numbers were estimated using “Apparently Oc-
cupied Nest-site” as the counting unit (cf.
Nettleship 1976). The numbers of each species
are shown in Tab. 1.
Prior to the survey Shag and Kittiwake had
not been known to breed on these islands during
past decades. However, Shag bred there till
around 1930 (Einar Friðgeirsson [ —1921—1928],
Asgeir Bjarnason 1938, Arnþór Garðarsson
1979, Ævar Petersen and Sigurður Ingvarsson
1995). Fulmar was breeding in 1975 but prob-
ably started only a few years earlier. The state-
ment by Bjarni Sæmundsson (1934) as to the
breeding of Fulmars on Borgareyjar is obviously
erroneous. The first account of Eiders breeding
stems from 1570 (íslenskt fornbréfasafn XV)
and Puffins have probably nested there for cen-
turies.
Greylag Goose, Mallard, and Red-breasted
Merganser nest on the islands, in association
with the seabirds, especially where lyme-grass
Leymus arenarius covers the census area, as on
Borgareyjar.
The Great Black-backed Gull and the Black Guil-
lemot have probably nested on these islands for
centuries. Lesser Black-backed Gulls were re-
corded from these islands for the first time during
the present survey. They have bred in this general
region for only some two decades and have been
increasing continuously (Ævar Petersen 1998,
Kristinn H. Skarphéðinsson 2000).
■ ÚTGEFNAR HEIMILDIR/
PUBLISHED SOURCES
Arnþór Garðarsson 1979. Skarfatal 1975.
Náttúrufræðingurinn 49(2-3). 126-154.
Arnþór Garðarsson 1996. Ritubyggðir. Bliki 17.
1-16.
Árni Magnússon og Páll Vídalín 1709 (1925 &
1927). Jarðabók Árna Magnússonar og Páls
Vídalíns. 4. bindi. Hið íslenska Fræðafjelag,
Kaupmannahöfn. 498 bls.
Ásgeir Bjarnason 1938. Annálar Mýramanna
(Þættir Ásgeirs Bjarnasonar frá Knarramesi).
Bls. 107-134 f: Héraðssaga Borgarfjarðar II.
Reykjavík. 337 bls.
Bjarni Sæmundsson 1934. Zoologiske Med-
delelser fra Island. XVI. Nogle ornithologiske
iagtagelser og oplysninger. Videnskabelige
Meddelelser 97. 25-86.
Búnaðarsamband Borgarfjarðar 1993. Byggðir
Borgarfjarðar III. Mýrasýsla og Borgarnes.
423 bls.
Fasteignabók 1942 (1942-1944). Reykjavík.
xii+108 bls.
Fiskiskýrslur og hlunninda 1925-1927. [Upp-
lýsingar um fýlaveiði]. Hagskýrslur Islands
43, 47 og 50. Hagstofa Islands, Reykjavík.
íslenskt fornbréfasafn (Diplomatarium Island-
icum) XV: 618.
Johnsen, J. 1847. Jarðatal á íslandi, (með
brauðalýsingum, fólkstölu í hreppum og
prestaköllum, ágripi úr búnaðartöflum 1835-
1845, og skýrslum um sölu þjóðjarða á
landinu). Kaupmannahöfn. xvi+468 bls.
Jón Helgason 1967. Hundrað ár í Borgarnesi.
Iðunn, Reykjavík. 352 bls.
Kristinn B. Gíslason 1995. Þegar minkurinn nam
land í Breiðafjarðareyjum og afleiðingar þess.
Breiðftrðingurinn 53. 53-58.
Kristinn H. Skarphéðinsson 2000. Fuglalíf í
Mýrasýslu. Bliki 21. 15-30.
Kristín Ólafsdóttir 1939. Örnefni í túni og
högum í Rauðanesi á Mýrum. Blanda VI. 392-
398.
Lúðvík Kristjánsson 1986. íslenzkir sjávar-
hættir V. Bókaútgáfa Menningarsjóðs,
Reykjavík. 497 bls.
Nettleship, D.N. 1976. Census techniques for
seabirds of Arctic and eastern Canada. Cana-
dian Wildlife Service Occasional Paper no. 25.
31 bls.
Ólafur Pálsson 1859. Brauðamat á Islandi 1854.
Bls. 430-543 og 593-851 í: Skýrslur um
landshagi á íslandi. 2. bindi. Kaupmannahöfn.
Sigurður Stefánsson 1917. Æðarvarp að fornu og
nýju. Búnaðarrit 31(1-2). 1-61.
Sveinn Níelsson 1869 (1950). Prestatal og prófasta
á íslandi. 2. útg. með viðaukum og breytingum
eftir Hannes Þorsteinsson. Björn Magnússon
sá um útgáfuna og jók við. Hið íslenzka
bókmenntafélag, Reykjavík. xviii+396 bls.
Ævar Petersen 1998. íslenskir fuglar. Vaka-
Helgafell, Reykjavík. 312 bls.
195