10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 22, 2015

Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was a long overdue but still unexpected sighting at Baisley Pond Park in Queens, an Iceland Gull. I was most impressed this weekend with a Carolina Wren that would be much better off south of the Mason-Dixon line than it is here in Rochester. How about you? What was your best bird of the weekend?

Iceland 176

Iceland 2015 Birds Experience 176

Critter News

FEBRUARY 12, 2009

What about Norway and Iceland? Iceland recently announced a quota of 100 fin whales - an endangered species - which is a dramatic increase its original self-assigned quota of nine. Tags: norway iceland whale Japan whaling. And they flagrantly continue killing. They also almost doubled their quota of Minke whales. ".

Whales 100

Whales Whaling Norway Iceland 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 8, 2014

Once considered a subspecies of Iceland Gull , it is now known to be nothing more than a hybrid between the white-winged Iceland Gull and the black-patterned Thayer’s Gull. And this is where your lists hit the fan: what was that bird again you put on your year/life/whatever list as “Iceland Gull”?

Kazakhstan 165

Kazakhstan Iceland Mongolia Wisconsin 165

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 20, 2015

And, most recently, I returned to Bush Terminal Piers Park, where I saw an Iceland Gull a few weeks back, to try once more for the long-staying Eurasian Wigeon. All the usual gulls were around, but nothing that my inexperienced eye could pick out as a rarity, not even the Iceland Gull from last time.

Iceland 161

Iceland Owls Ducks Montana 161

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2012

Pied Wagtail – male Our Pied Wagtails are a different race to the familiar White Wagtail of Europe many of which will also pass through Britain heading for Iceland.

Iceland 181

Iceland Europe Species Birds 181

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2013

First was an awesome stay in Iceland. Here’s his second stop: Our second destination after Iceland was St. Petersburg on Iceland Air, which saved us time and helped us avoid a night’s stay at a hotel. Between finishing one graduate program and beginning another, he embarked on a whirlwind tour of Europe. Petersburg, Russia.

Russia 150

Russia Iceland Europe Birds 150

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 11, 2011

Over Thursday and Friday we also began to see large numbers of Northern Wheatears on the British east coast and small numbers of Lapland Buntings on the west coast appear.

France 221

France Estonia Ireland Finland 221

10,000 Birds

APRIL 15, 2024

Another location factor is highlands versus lowlands – Whooper Swans breeding in Icelandic lowlands had a much higher breeding success than the highland birds ( source ). It states that populations of Whooper Swans grow 30 times faster inside nature reserves than outside.

China 210

China Iceland Whales Whaling 210

10,000 Birds

MARCH 4, 2013

Sure, we got a couple of young Iceland Gulls that didn’t stay with the boat for long and, yes, a couple of nice Lesser Black-backed Gulls were cool, but no Black-legged Kittiwakes , no Glaucous Gulls , and nothing else other than Great Black-backed Gulls , Herring Gulls , and a few Bonaparte’s Gulls.

New York 147

New York Iceland Puffins Albatross 147

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 12, 2012

Perhaps the biggest event of this winter has been the late winter occurrence of hundreds of ‘white-winged gulls’ from Shetland to Dover and seemingly at all points in between we, in Britain & Ireland, have been inundated with Iceland Gulls and Glaucous Gulls in recent weeks.

Ireland 155

Ireland Iceland Japan Albatross 155

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2019

Remarkably, al-Maghrib’’s Kitab al-Juhrafiya ( Geography ) even makes mention of Ireland and Iceland, islands at the edge of the known world at the time, and identifies these places as sources of this coveted falcon. Image: Portrait of a Gyrfalcon, Viewed from Three Sides , by the Lombard Master (fl. 1540 – 1560).

2016 100

2016 Iceland Falcons Egypt 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 12, 2012

European Golden-Plovers ( Pluvialis apricaria ) on their breeding ground in Iceland CC-BY Elma Morphological analyses placed the tundra plovers squarely among all the other plovers — including dotterels , Killdeer , and Snowy and Kentish Plovers — for many years.

Family 185

Family 2007 Iceland Louisiana 185

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2013

It breeds in a broad and not quite coherent band from Iceland in the west through central Europe and southern Scandinavia all the way to eastern Russia, wintering in Africa, parts of India, and Southeast Asia to Australia.

Germany 174

Germany Russia Iceland India 174

Critter News

APRIL 8, 2010

Tags: norway iceland whales Japan whaling endangered species.

Whales 100

Whales Whaling Norway Psychology 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 3, 2016

Listen up, listers: If you’ve got an Iceland list, you might need to amend it … the country has gained six new nesting species in the 21st century. It’s a sad day for nestcam watchers, as a Bald Eagle nonchalantly snatched one of Rachel and Steve’s Osprey fledglings. But thankfully, there’s other bird news that’s more positive.

Bald Eagle 100

Bald Eagle Iceland Eagles Birds 100

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 3, 2012

The gulls were basically roosting at least 20 birds deep, often more, for as far up and down the beach as we could see and more were flying in continuously.

Pelicans 163

Pelicans Iceland Wildlife California 163

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 19, 2013

. “Climate change is likely to be driving this change because godwits nest earlier in warmer years, and birds that hatch earlier will have more time to gain the body condition needed for migration and to find good places to spend the winter, which can help them to return early to Iceland when they come back to breed.”

Taiwan 188

Taiwan Iceland United States Chickens 188

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 30, 2011

While on a residency in Iceland, during which I pursued interests in music and invention, I brought a camera to record little moments in a strange new landscape. It was kindled by my grandmother when I was a child but lay dormant until I’d spent enough time in San Francisco to feel at home.

San Francisco 201

San Francisco California Condor Coyotes Iceland 201

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2024

Black-tailed godwits winter in large numbers on the estuaries of both Norfolk and Suffolk, and we know that nearly all these birds breed in Iceland. Most of the Icelandic population winters in the British isles The sightings stopped, but then on 18 February 2019 EY70 137 was observed on Lady’s Island Lake, Wexford, Ireland.

Lithuania 130

Lithuania Morocco Iceland Ireland 130

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 9, 2014

It breeds in Greenland, Iceland and Svalbard and overwinters (singly and at mountain top hot springs – if Hollywood is to be trusted) along the coasts of northern Europe. discovered that the usual flock of several thousand Pink-footed Geese was wintering in the Broads National Park.

Geese 204

Geese Barn Owls Serbia Sheep 204

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2015

The Iceland Gull at Wanchese was a no-show. The addition of Blue-winged Teal and Marsh Wren at Bodie Island, owl-less during the day, pulled me to 198. The ducks, like this Northern Pintail , are plentiful and unworried at Bodie Island. It was then that things started falling apart. The Little Gulls at Jeanette’s Pier were out to sea.

North Carolina 170

North Carolina Alligators Geese Owls 170

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 26, 2012

Whooper Swans ( Cygnus cygnus ) The Whooper Swans of the UK and Ireland generally come from Iceland. The site is an important wintering site of Whooper Swans , a large Arctic migrant that is found across the northern extent of Eurasia. They are popular birds, and are the National Bird of Finland.

Finland 104

Finland Ireland Iceland Birds 104

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 18, 2018

But Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was incidental, non-waterfowl find along the way, an Iceland Gull at Jacob Riis Park. They found twenty-four species of ducks, geese, and swans, not bad for a half-day. He’d share a photo but his computer has died leaving him with a camera full of images and nothing to download them to. How about you?

Iceland 113

Iceland 2018 Geese Birds 113

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2014

I asked if the butterfly stood a chance of returning to the shore, to find out that it is a long range migrant, braving the winds of the North Atlantic while traveling all the way from Africa to Iceland! After a light seafood lunch and some local brew, we went to the hills surrounding the Finikas.

Greece 231

Greece Malta Croatia Italy 231

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 25, 2018

All manner of spring species are turning up in the Finger Lakes region, but I’m still working on winter stragglers, which makes a self-found Iceland Gull my favorite of this weekend. Have you recognized how different your immediate surroundings are compared to the beginning of the month?

Iceland 100

Iceland 2018 Owls Birds 100

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 24, 2019

As promised, I teased a single Iceland Gull out of an endless horde of more common gulls. The shortest month of the calendar year tends to be one of the less birdy as well. Still, twenty-eight days hardly suffice when the world offers so much to see.

2019 100

2019 Iceland United States Wildlife 100

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 12, 2014

In June of 2013 he embarked on a whirlwind tour of Europe, spotting birds in Iceland , Russia , Finland , and, as you’re about to find out, Sweden: We took a quick flight from Helsinki and arrived in Stockholm, Sweden, arriving at our fourth country on this trip.

Sweden 165

Sweden Denmark Geese Finland 165

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 20, 2012

We finally connected with a decent gull there when we spotted an Iceland Gull but the real highlight of the bay was the flock of Greater Scaup that took to wing as we steamed past.

New York City 161

New York City New York Jamaica Seals 161

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 28, 2012

The same massive gull flock that would bring tears of joy to the eyes of some birders (indeed, this flock contained both Iceland and Slaty-backed Gulls ) strikes fear into the hearts of others. Abbott’s Lagoon, Point Reyes National Seashore, CA. Some flocks are not for everyone. Fort Baker, Sausalito, CA.

North Dakota 161

North Dakota LACS Oakland Iceland 161

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 12, 2017

My BBOTW was definitely that Iceland Gull. I thought I’d have to settle for a surprising number of Great Black-backed Gulls amidst flocks of Ring-billed , but for once in a very, very long time, I pulled a white-winged gull out of that flock. we birders Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was a pleasant surprise.

Iceland 100

Iceland 2017 Birds Experience 100

4 The Love Of Animals

MAY 11, 2010

The plan can mean not only reversing the current ban on whale hunting by Norway, Iceland, and Japan for the next ten years, but will allow whaling in the internationally recognized whale sanctuary around Antarctica. Whales are facing more threats today than ever before, largely from commercial whaling.

Whales 100

Whales Whaling International Fund For Animal Welfare IFAW 100

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 2, 2024

These birds all breed in Iceland My visit to Brancaster concluded with a magnificent fly-over of Pinkfeet as skein after skein passed high overhead, all heading west. The geese feed on the unwanted tops of the sugar beet that are left in the fields when the beet is harvested, a clean-up service that the farmers are happy with.

Geese 181

Geese Russia Unwanted Breeding 181

10,000 Birds

JUNE 20, 2011

I was particularly pleased with the Ruby-throated Hummingbird , and the fact that I managed to rack up Glaucous , Iceland , and Lesser Black-backed Gulls on my pelagics. I now have 10 photos in my Crappy Bird Pics gallery of 9 different species.

Delaware 170

Delaware Iceland Birds 2006 170

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 11, 2014

First was an awesome stay in Iceland. Between finishing one graduate program and beginning another, he embarked on a whirlwind tour of Europe. Of course, birding was on the itinerary! Next came a stop in Russia.

Finland 164

Finland Estonia Birds Europe 164

10,000 Birds

JUNE 26, 2019

This is thought to be derived from súla, which is an Old Norse and Icelandic word for the gannet. I have to question why we continue to use a name that is somewhat antiquated, quite frankly a little silly, and has every 14 year old bird watcher around the world giggling. Where exactly, did it come from?

Iceland 122

Iceland Family Humane Groups 122

10,000 Birds

APRIL 11, 2011

Iceland Gull – Seen at Breezy Point in the middle of a huge flock of gulls on the same day as the Black-headed Gull , Short-eared Owl , and Redhead. Turkey Vulture – Wow! That is all I have to see about this bird which I spotted from my apartment. I don’t think I will ever have a day with four new Queens birds again.

Jamaica 156

Jamaica Owls 2010 New York City 156

10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2012

I say this not only because he is president of the Grosse Pointe Audubon Society and because his official bio says he “has traveled across North America and to Cuba, Iceland, and Thailand to view and research birds”. William Rapai (pictured left) is a newspaper reporter and editor who is clearly also a birder.

Michigan 226

Michigan Bahamas Endangered Species Research 226