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...Read More
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...Read More
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...Read More
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...Read More
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...Read More
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...Read More
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...Read More
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...Read More