Terns on the rocks

Here is a photo from the place we went to watch the seals right off of Illugastadir in Vatnsnes.

There was a long line of seals there but also a great amount of arctic terns out there, just enjoying themselves.

Slightly blushed

Have you seen my mini-movie about the sunset at Hvitserkur, Vatnsnes? I posted that a few days ago.

Here is a photo of the rock while the misty sunset began.

We did climb down towards the water. I can only recommend this. But you need some hiking experience to do so. And good shoes. 

 

The Sky last night

On the way to a party last night we stopped to take photos of the rain front moving in. I hope you like it.

Gestern abend, auf dem Weg zu einer Party, mussten wir dringend anhalten und Bilder von der Regenfront machen, die hereinzog. Hoffentlich gefällt's Euch.

 

The Feeding

An arctic tern feeding its chick, Vatnsnes, Iceland, 2012.

Eine Küstenseeschwalbe beim Füttern ihres Kükens, Vatnsnes, Island, 2012.

Dynamic Sky

This is the evening sky seen from the water front in Reykjavík, Iceland. I love the wide angle dynamic in the clouds.

Eagle Eye

This eagle I photographed on Photokina, the world's largest convention of photography. The birds were brought in for flight shows.

Square Burgers

We were taking the long road. Again. We have a tendency to overdue the walking thing in Reykjavík. We stay at the campground in Laugardal and then we want to take the bus. But we always pick a time it doesn't run or has just left, so we start walking. And then we walk to downtown. And we curse because we have done it again.

But the good thing? We came by the Hamborgarafabrikkan. And we stopped in for dinner.

Their burgers are square. And they are delicious.

You just can't miss the place if you like burgers.

They have a fun feature. There is a counter on the wall, that shows how many Icelanders there are. When we got there it read 320069.

While we had dinner, they made an announcement and changed the number to the most recent one plus one.

They use the counter for fun and it truely was fun watching them change it.

This is the building it is in. You can't miss it.

Coast Line

This is the southern coast of Snaefellsnes in western Iceland. The rocky cliffs and the roaring surf on their bottom make quite the show.

Rokkinn

Iceland rocks :)

This is a van in Reykjavik.

Arctic Terns

This is a selection of photos of the Arctic Terns that we got to watch on Vatnsnes, Northern Iceland.

In the next few days I will dig up photos of the chicks and the feeding action. This is going to be some exciting footage, really. Guess how exciting it was, to be on the path while the daggers they have for beaks were dashing down on us every few minutes at the latest. Watch your back, watch your head!

Rocks on Vatnsnes

We got to check out Vatnsnes this summer. The coast line is really interesting on that peninsula because there is a lot of wild life - especially birds - there, but there is a great population fo seals, as well.

Here is one of the odd rocks, off the coastline, but by far not the most odd. Check out the video about Hvitserkur I published in the blog a few days ago.

in the blue waters

Traveling Iceland means to go to the pools. Next to local pools and hot pots there are two baths that lure you in with blue, blue, blue milky waters. As different as they are, I can recommend them both.

The well known Blue Lagoon is near Keflavík in the south. It's a short busride from the airport and I ususally went there right before my flight home.

This one here, is more remote, loacted in Mývatn in the North of Iceland. But seriously, if you ask me, it is the nicer and more cosy feeling of the two.

If you want to see the Blue Lagoon, check out this posting here: Blue Lagoon.

The waters of those two places do not have much in common. The blue lagoon is saltwater, the Mývatn Nature Bath is freshwater. The minerals and ingredients are totally different. But they are waters from natural hotsprings or from underground and they are milky and turquoise.

Do you agree with me that the Mývatn Nature Bath is the better of the two? What is your experience?

Proud

This guy is really proud... and if you saw the postings of my last few days, you will know what he is proud of.

Reflective

Ships in the harbour of Reykjavík.

You can go anywhere

This little hint I found in the old village in the harbour in Reykjavik. This means what I thought: You can just go ANYWHERE! - But since you are in Iceland when you see this indicator... why would you want to, for the most part? There are a lot of locations in Iceland, though, that you should check out.

A fishing tern

An arctic tern fishing in the coastal waters of Vatnsnes. This stretch of water lies between a few lines of rocks and the final shore line. Along the coat we found a large amount of arctic tern chicks that were hopping around and flying short distances and waiting for food, brought by their parents. There were a lot of birds fishing for that reason. Just this one was nicely close to the shore, so I got good views and can share them.

Northern Iceland, Vatnsnes.

All directions

Iceland is pretty - in either direction, really.

I like these fun little photos you take along the way. They show if you are taking things lightly or if you are grinding your teeth at the view finder.

Berries - out to get you

Several times when we traveled through Iceland we saw the blue berry bushes and were twitching inside: There were no berries on them. Well, of course we were too early in the season then.

This year, though, when traveling in August, we got the whole deal. Blue berries in more places than you can look. I have to admit, we stuffed ourselves silly.

More than once we really didn't want to stop at all, let alone pick a berry, or two. But those mean little things jump right in your way and lure you over: Pick me, eat me, yumm, yumm. Well, we just weren't strong enough. We just had to eat them. Some. A little anyways.

Here ist a picture from our first encounter with the bushes this vacation.

...the first of many.

The Icelandic Horse

I love Icelandic horse and they are all over the countryside.

Here I am bringing a few snapshots from a family of horses on the water side of Vatnsnes, Northern Iceland. He is really proud but he has reason with his folly and his girls. I love how free they are roaming big fields especially along the coast line.

In the back you see the outer side of the Westfjords.

The Green is intense

Iceland presents you with a fabulous array of greens. There are greens that jump right out of the neon colors of the 80s. There are greens that are close to black, there are mosses and lichens, trees and grass, flowers and shrubs, each in their very own shade of green.

Here is an ash crater in Western Iceland. We stopped along the road and climbed onto Grábrók, an ash crater that was formed in a fissure erruption less than 3000 years ago. Grábrók is located in the Ljósufjöll volcanic system and is rather tall. Its a great hike I really recommend when you get a chance.

Screaming kittywake

On the same cliff face as the two kittywake chicks that I showed you a few days ago, here is an adult bird starting a screaming fit right after the little ones shut up. I was amazed at the size and color of their tongue. I just didn't think they would have that noticeable of a tongue at all.

The photos are cropped to an upright format from the original cross format, because I wanted to emphasise the birds and therefore took the same clip out of two photos that in their full extension are shifted a bit to the side and up from each other. I was working free hand and did not plan to match the shots to each other but just to get the best possible out of that situation.

Bakkagerdi, Eastfords of Iceland.

Golden Plovers

Golden Plovers - rarely meeting a bird (a family in this case) made me so joyful.
The two adults were singing and getting our attention. When we seemed no harm and after quite some while they joined in the same spot and I thought for a moment, I saw this piece of moss roll around. Looking closer it was the chick they were guarding.
They kept singing and looking at us. We were a mere few meters away and standing in the middle of the road - our jeep right behind us.

This friendly encounter lasted several minutes untill we left and saw them in the rear view as we drove away. I guess we could have gotten closer at that point, but I like to leave wild animals in peace, as much as I like watching and meeting them.

You have to look closely, but the chick is in the picture all right!

Canon 60D, ISO 640, f/6.3, 1/125s, 270mm.

Iceland, Snaefellsnes, Berserkjahraun,
August 2012

The Horse

One very friendly Icelandic horse, Vatnsnes, Iceland.
Summer 2012

This is how a day can end

I am bringing you a new posting every day - fresh at 8 a.m. my time, that is German time, Greenich minus 1 hour. Some days, like today, I am writing more than one post and I am always hoping that you check back in tomorrow morning. Will you?

This day was long and left me tired. Maybe this view is what describes it best. 

Not a bad day, but over. And I do not want to look back - for no reason, really. I just don't.


Icelandic Horse on Vatnsnes, Northern Iceland.

Chick fight

Living on the side of a cliff is maybe a hard place to grow up on. Especially when the neighbour's kid gets on your nerves. This fight between two kittywake chicks was pretty interesting to watch. The one sitting on the higher perch was screaming madly at the lower one. And obviously the dominating position paid off.

King of the Hill

This rock at the coast of Borgarfjördur was a hotspot for several gulls and fulmars. 

Scratches of a fight

Whales are incredible to see, so probably you do not need all that much text with the pictures, right?

On the dorsalfin you can see scratches - they probably stem from a fight he had somewhere, somewhen. But with who? A polar bear? A shark? An orca? I do not know, but I wonder.

Húsavík, Northern Iceland, summer of 2012