Náttúrufræðingurinn - 2002, Qupperneq 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/
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