Goldcrest sighted again in Ísafjörður
A Goldcrest (Regulus regulus) sighting in Ísafjörður (near Jónsgarður) has once again been reported to Náttúrustofa Vestfjarða, September 20. A previous sighting from the same individual was on March 22 of the same year. This tiny passerine is not common in the Westfjords and is found in small numbers around the rest of the country since a breeding population had settled in Iceland in the 1990’s. Goldcrests prefer coniferous and mixed forests but can also be found in gardens and parks with large trees. They feed mainly on insects on tree foliage and branches. During winter, goldcrests eat seeds and insects from the ground.
Both reported sightings were the result of a window collision. The bird flew away after a brief recovery period. There are measures which can be taken to reduce bird-window collisions, which are often deadly even if the bird seems to have recovered initially. We encourage people to read these articles by Fuglavernd, The Cornell Lab of Ornithology or National Audubon Society for ideas about how to make their windows more visible to reduce collision risk to our feathered neighbors, as well as actions to take if encountered with a collided bird.
We thank Annska for once again sharing the sighting with us. Náttúrustofa encourages reporting sightings of Goldcrests in order to help monitor their distribution and abundance in Iceland.
Black Guillemot Count on Vigur Island
The staff of Náttúrustofa Vestfjarða made two visits to Vigur Island (May 3-4 and 10-11) to conduct a population count of black guillemots (Cepphus grylle). Vigur Island is believed to host the largest breeding population of these birds in Iceland, making it crucial to better understand and monitor their numbers over the years.
During the pre-breeding and breeding season, black guillemots gather in flocks in the morning and evening close to the shore of their nesting island and display social and mating behaviours. These assemblies, prior to egg laying, are the best time to count the population. A total of 4 counts were completed in the late evening and following early morning of each visit, as there can be fluctuations each day in the number of guillemots assembling driven by various environmental factors. Over the 4 days, the count results were 1,395, 1,671, 731, and 1,526 black guillemots gathering around the shore of Vigur Island.
Other bird life was teeming on the island, including a large colony of common eider ducks (Somateria mollissima) and many thousands of Atlantic puffins (Fratercula arctica). Several nests of oystercatchers (Haematopus ostralegus), greylag geese (Anser anser), redshank (Tringa totanus), and eider ducks were already spotted. A white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) was observed flying around the island on both visits, as well as one-time sightings of a pair of arctic skuas (Stercorarius parasiticus), a gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus), a flock of red knots (Calidris canutus), and a king eider (Somateria spectabilis) were of note. The second visit coincided with the arrival of Arctic terns (Sterna paradisaea) which breed on the island.
Vigur Island serves as a vital habitat for various bird species and wildlife, including seals. We thank the residents for their generous hospitality and support during our work there.
A full report about the black guillemot project will be published later this year.
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Náttúrustofa Vestfjarða Annual Report 2022
The 2022 annual report for Náttúrustofa Vestfjarða is now published. In the report you can see descriptions of the projects that were carried out at NAVE last year and you can read it at: https://en.nave.is/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Arsskyrsla-2022_minnkud.pdf
The working year of 2022 was diverse, and various projects were carried out both as a part of research grants and as commissioned work. A large grant was received for a project monitoring sea louse on wild salmonids, and another grant for a comparative study on benthic fauna 10 years after the commencement of aquaculture. Several projects were carried out in the field of ornithological research in the Westfjords; work began on the monitoring of two Arctic tern colonies, black guillemots were counted in Vigur Island, and 10 wading bird surveys were completed. Vegetation monitoring began and fossils were recorded in connection to the Monitoring Key Elements in Icelandic Nature program. Investigations in relation to the road construction from Bjarkalundur to Skálanes in Reykhólahreppur remained a large focus in 2022, and several reports were published in connection with the project, both on research into the biosphere and archaeological remains. Additionally, a report was published on research related to plans for a power plant at the bottom of Dýrafjörður and as well as on planned projects for flood protection at Bíldudal. Further, research was carried out in relation to fish farming, and various studies were carried out on archaeological remains in relation to road construction, planning and forestry.
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Spring is arriving!
A golden plover (Pluvialis apricaria) was sighted in the southern Westfjords mid-day last Sunday April 2, by Cristian Gallo. It was a welcome sight, for it is said in Icelandic folklore that the arrival of this wading bird marks the beginning of spring. The golden plover spends its winter in western and southern Europe, and as far south as Morocco. In the summer, approximately half of the world´s populations of golden plovers breed in Iceland, making this country´s heathlands a significantly important habitat from the species.
Short news: Goldcrest found in Ísafjörður
A goldcrest (regulus regulus) has been found in Ísafjörður last week. This is the smallest bird in Europe and the smallest bird found in Iceland. While there are small communities of these birds around Iceland (around 1000-2000 individuals total), preferring spruce forests, this is the first time one has been spotted in the northern Westfjords.
The photos were shared with us by Annska Ólafsdóttir in Ísafjörður. Information from fuglavefurinn.is.
Annual financial statement for the year 2022
The annual financial statement of the Natural Science Institute of the Westfjords for the year 2022 was approved at the institution’s 141th board meeting on Wednesday, March 1. The institute´s yearly turnover was approximately ISK 147 million. Activity has been increasing in recent years, outcomes have improved, and income has been higher than expenses. Thus, the institute´s financial position has improved accordingly.
The Natural Science Institute of the Westfjords has been in operation since 1997. Between its conception and 2022, the institute´s combined income has been between ISK 1.6 and 1.7 billion. Operating expenses have been relatively constant, and the difference between income and expenses over this time span is approximately ISK 230,000 in the negative. The total salary and salary-related expenses to date are approximately ISK 1.25 billion.
The Natural Science Institute of the Westfjords is one of 8 natural science institutes in Iceland. Founded by the municipality of Bolungarvík and the Icelandic government in 1996, the administration of the natural science institutes was eventually transferred to the municipalities in 2003. The municipality of Bolungarvík was the sole operator of the institute initially, but the institute’s membership expanded in 2007 when Súðavík and Ísafjörður joined, followed by Tálknafjörður, Strandabyggð, and Vesturbyggð.
The Natural Science Institute´s aim is to conduct natural science research, especially in its area of operation, and to provide recommendations on land use and the natural environment. Income is sourced from commissioned contracts, project grants, and fixed funding from the Icelandic government. The breakdown of the income for 2022 is presented in Figure 1.
The Natural Science Institute of the Westfjords has a team of 10 permanent employees, some of whom work remotely while others operate from the institute’s two offices in Bolungarvík and Patreksfjörður. Previously, the institute operated at 3 offices, but currently no employee fills the position in the Strandabyggð location. During the summer, additional temporary employees are hired for several months, and the institute also recently began providing internships to foreign students.
In 2022, the Natural Science Institute of the Westfjords focused on monitoring various key natural aspects, including birdlife and marine organisms. Furthermore, ecological, archaeological, and environmental baseline studies were conducted due to construction projects (Figures 2-9).
Figures 2-9. The projects and staff of the Natural Science Institute of the Westfjords.
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Anadromous salmonids and salmon lice in Jökulfirðir
In the summer of 2021, the Natural Science Institute of the Westfjords (NAVE) received a grant from the Fiskræktarsjóði to conduct research looking into sea lice load on wild salmonids in the Jökulfjörðum fjord system. Quantifying sea lice load on wild salmonids in areas where there is no open pen aquaculture provides baseline information regarding “natural” sea lice load. This baseline data can then be compared to data collected in the future and used to draw inferences as to the potential effects that increased open pen aquaculture in the vicinity may have on sea lice load on wild salmonids in the fjord system.
Results indicate that there is a population of Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) in this secluded area. No fish lice (Caligus elongatus) were found on them and the salmon lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) load on Arctic charr in the region was relatively low, with counts being lower than in other areas of the Westfjords.
The report, “Monitoring sea lice on wild salmonids in Jökulfjords, Iceland 2021” can be found at https://en.nave.is/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Voktun-sjavarlusa-a-villtum-laxfiskum-i-Jokulfjordum-2021.pdf
Readers interested in reports from previous years can find them on our website https://en.nave.is/documents. NAVE will continue monitoring sea lice load on wild salmonids in the foreseeable future, having recently received a grant from the Umhverfissjóði Sjókvíaeldis in 2022 to continue the NAVE Sea lice monitoring project. As part of that project, data collected from two locations within Arnarfjarðar during the summer of 2022 is currently being analyzed. Moreover, the project also aims to cover Patreksfjörður, Tálknafjörður, Dýrafjörður and Kaldalón in the Westfjords as well as Seyðisfjörður and Stöðvarfjörður in the Eastern part of Iceland during the summer of 2023.
– Margrét Thorsteinsson
2022 Winter Bird Count Completed
The annual winter bird count in the Westfjords has now been completed. The goal of this project is to collect information about the number and distribution of birds during the winter season. The counts started in 1952 and therefore this is one of the longest continuous monitoring projects that has been carried out in Iceland. The Icelandic Institute of Natural History is in charge of the project throughout the country in collaboration with volunteers and Iceland’s Nature Centers. The Icelandic Institute of Natural History publishes the results of counts for the whole country on its website: https://www.ni.is/greinar/vetrarfuglatalningar-nidurstodur
The staff of the Natural Science Institute of the Westfjords counted birds in Patreksfjörður, Tálknafjörður, Bíldudal, Dýrafjörður, Önundarfjörður, Súgandafjörður, Skutulsfjörður, Álftafjörður, Hestfjörður, Skátufjörður, and in Bolungarvík. In Steingrímsfjörður, Matthías Sævar Lýðsson and Hafdís Sturlaugsdóttir counted. Tómas Sigurgeirsson, Jón Atli Játvarðsson and Eiríkur Kristjánsson counted in Reykhólum and the surrounding area.
This year, almost 20,000 birds of 43 species were recorded in the Westfjords. The largest number of birds was in Steingrímsfjörður and in Skutulsfjörður, where over 3 thousand birds were seen. As before, the common eider (Somateria mollissima) was by far the most common, followed by the snow bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis) and then the Iceland gull (Larus glaucoides).
Most of the birds were considered common species in Iceland during the winter. Of the less common winter species that were seen this year, we can first mention one turnstone (Arenaria interpres) that was seen at Höfða in Dýrafjörður and a king eider (Somateria spectabilis) at Arnardalsá in Skutulsfjörður. One common shelduck (Tadorna tadorna) and one common goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) were at Holt in Önundarfjörður and two black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) were at Gálmaströnd in Steingrímsfjörður. Two merlins (Falco columbarius) were seen, one at Kokkálsvík in Drangsnes and the other at Reykhóla, where one graylag goose (Anser anser) was also seen. Two bohemian waxwings (Bombycilla garrulus) were seen (Photo 1), one near Kirkjuból in Önundarfjörður and one in Patreksfjörður. There were three fieldfares (Turdus pilaris) also sighted (Photo 2), one at Tálknafjörður, another at Reykhólar and the third at Súðavík, where nine black headed gulls (Larus ridibundus) were also seen.
Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) and common mergansers (Mergus merganser) increased proportionally the most this year compared to the previous. Starlings were seen in all the villages of the Westfjords except in Suðureyri and Súðavík. Most were sighted in Tálknafjörður and Þingeyri. The starlings were often accompanied by Eurasian blackbirds (Turdus merula) and redwings (Turdus iliacus).
Greining og sýnataka af hvalreka við Hringsdal í Arnarfirði
Náttúrustofu barst tilkynning þann 4. júlí um hvalreka í flæðarmáli við Hingsdal í Arnarfirði.
Erfitt var að tegundagreina hvalinn af fyrstu myndum sem bárust. En stuttu seinna bárust aðrar myndir frá Veigu Grétarsdóttur, en með dróna náði hún myndum úr lofti og með þeim var auðvelt að greina helstu sérkenni hnúfubaks.
Eitt helsta tegundareinkenni hnúfubaka eru sérstaklega löng bægsli, sem samsvara um einum þriðja af heildarlengd hvalsins. Fremri brún bægslanna og aftari brún sporðsins hafa mjög óreglulega og hnúðótta lögun. Auk þess er bakuggi hnúfubaka frábrugðinn bakugga annarra skíðishvala, hann er hlutfallslega lítill og fyrir framan hann stendur lítill hnúður. Nafn tegundarinnar er einmitt dregið af þessum litla hnúð.
Þann 13. júlí vitjaði starfsmaður Náttúrustofu hnúfubakinn og tók vefjasýni sem sent var til Hafrannsóknastofnunar fyrir DNA greiningu. Enn sem komið er hefur stofunni ekki borist niðurstöður úr þeirri greiningu.
Ársskýrsla Náttúrustofu Vestfjarða 2021 komin út
Ársskýrsla Náttúrustofu Vestfjarða 2021 er komin út og mun eingöngu verða birt á rafrænu formi. Skýrsluna má finna með því að ýta á myndina og undir útgefið efni.
