Náttúrufræðingurinn - 1976, Qupperneq 104

II. AN ANNOTATED LIST OF
BIRDS OBSERVED
The Great Northern Diver lias
only once been seen in the area (at Kví-
sker 18. 10. 1958) but two have been
found waslied up on the shore. On the
other hand Red-throated Divers
nesl widely within the area. On the
Breidamerkursandur they nest on most
ponds and streams, on the banks oi larger
rivers (Fjallsá) and even on glacial lakes.
In the marshes at Fagurhólsmýri a few
pairs nest on jtonds and they are also
known to have bred on moraine ponds
at the Skaftafellsá. They start visiting the
breeding grounds in mid-March if rivers
and ponds have become icefree. The first
egg dates for Kvísker are May 14—16, but
May 25—30 is the peak laying season.
The Horned (Slavonian) Grebe
is a casual visitor (3 records).
The F u 1 m a r is a common and long-
established breeding bird at Ingólfshöfdi.
However, since the turn of the century
tliey have spread to inland cliffs and
river gorges where tliey are now breed-
ing abundantly in about 25 different
places, even up to 36 krn froni the sea.
Tlie young leave the nest frorn August
20—Sept. 10. Many young from inland
nest sites alight on the lowland strip on
their way to the sea and fall easy prey
to the ubiquitous Great Skuas. Fulmars
are hardly seen during the last half of
September and through October, but in
November they again visit the nesting
cliffs and do so throughout the winter in
mild weather. During frosty spells they
are not seen at the nest sites. Leach’s
and Storm Petrels have been dis-
covered and ringed in some numbers in
August at Ingólfshöfdi by the Brathy Ex-
ploration Group. There are, however, no
signs that they may be nesting there.
G a n n e t s are írequently seen off the
shore frorn February to April. At Ingólfs-
höfdi they sometimes sit on the east-facing
cliffs but do not nest. In the summer
1959 30—60 gannets were frequently seen
there and 12—14 were seen in spring
1970. In the summer of 1973 30—50 gan-
nets again frequented Ingólfshöfdi and
some of them were seen carrying frag-
ments of vegetation in their bills, indi-
cating nestbuilding behaviour, but no
nests were built and no eggs were laid.
In summer 1976 the number of gannets
in this particular place had increased to
about 300 but still they were not nesting.
The Cormorant and the Shag are
rather infrequently seen in small numb-
ers at sea and there are 3 records of
Cormorants inland.
W h o o p e r S w a n s do not nest in the
area but are common on passage in
spring wlien they invariably migrate west-
ward between the icefield and the sea,
usually in flocks of 10—20 and occasion-
ally up to 40 birds. As a rule they begin to
arrive about mid-March but the peak pass-
age is in early April, although migrating
flocks are occasionally encountered until
April 20.
The geese are represented in Iceland
by two nesting species. Only one of these,
the Greylag Goose, nests in the Ör-
aefi where it is widespread and has in-
creased markedly in recent years. Greylags
also migrate tlnough the area in large
numbers in spring, following the coast
front east to west. They start to arrive
in the first days of April, although most
arrive April 10—15. They arrive in flocks
of 15—30, but occasionally up to 60 birds.
If tliey stop they frequent cultivated hay-
fields, botli in spring and autumn, especi-
ally in cold weather when 1000—2000
have been encountered in cultivated
íields of the area. On the Breidamerkur-
sandur 2000—3000 Greylags (moulting
adults and juveniles) have been counted
in late July. The second species nesting
in Iceland, the Pink-footed Goose,
is only encountered on migration, and is
less regular than the Greylags as its oc-
currence appears to depentl on the
weatlier conditions. Tliey rarely arrive
before April 20 and mostly from April
25-30. On April 28 and 29 1962 52 flocks
of Pinkfeet (2700 bircls) were counted on
their westward migration along the coast.
Pinkfeet rarely stop for any length of
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