Birding in Cape Ingólfshöfði
The company Öræfaferðir offers organized birding trips to cape Ingólfshöfði during the spring and summer months. The best time for bird watching in Iceland is in late May and June when migrating birds have arrived at their nesting grounds. The most common indigenous birds in Iceland are seabirds, waterfowl, and waders. Around 380 species of birds have been recorded in Iceland to date. Only twenty percent of those, however, are regular breeders. Many birders come to Iceland during the summer to observe migrating birds—which they have seen at home with different coloration—in their summer plumage. Ingólfshöfði is also a popular nesting ground for puffins, and house sparrows generally nest near Hof in Öræfi.
Beware of the Great Skua
The world’s largest great skua population in Iceland is found in the region of glacial outwash plains of Skeiðarársandur and Breiðamerkursandur close to the Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon in the Austur-Skaftafell district. The skua is an very impressive animal, one of our favourite ones, but beware of getting to close. It is an aggressive scavenger that will attack humans to protect their nests and other birds to steal their prey.
What should people not miss when visiting the town Höfn?
“I’d begin with a visit to the Vatnajökull National Park’s visitor center and the local crafts market, which are both located on the harbor. I also recommend a walk around the Ósland conservation area, which was once an island but is now connected to the mainland. From Ósland you’ll have a fantastic panoramic view of the surrounding area. A drive to Stokksnes, with a pit stop at the hidden Viking village at Horn is a great experience too.”
Recommended by Árdís Erna Halldórsdóttir, the managing director of the Vatnajökull Information Center
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Birding in Cape Ingólfshöfði
The company Öræfaferðir offers organized birding trips to cape Ingólfshöfði during the spring and summer months. The best time for bird watching in Iceland is in late May and June when migrating birds have arrived at their nesting grounds. The most common indigenous birds in Iceland are seabirds, waterfowl, and waders. Around 380 species of birds have been recorded in Iceland to date. Only twenty percent of those, however, are regular breeders. Many birders come to Iceland during the summer to observe migrating birds—which they have seen at home with different coloration—in their summer plumage. Ingólfshöfði is also a popular nesting ground for puffins, and house sparrows generally nest near Hof in Öræfi.
Beware of the Great Skua
The world’s largest great skua population in Iceland is found in the region of glacial outwash plains of Skeiðarársandur and Breiðamerkursandur close to the Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon in the Austur-Skaftafell district. The skua is an very impressive animal, one of our favourite ones, but beware of getting to close. It is an aggressive scavenger that will attack humans to protect their nests and other birds to steal their prey.
What should people not miss when visiting the town Höfn?
“I’d begin with a visit to the Vatnajökull National Park’s visitor center and the local crafts market, which are both located on the harbor. I also recommend a walk around the Ósland conservation area, which was once an island but is now connected to the mainland. From Ósland you’ll have a fantastic panoramic view of the surrounding area. A drive to Stokksnes, with a pit stop at the hidden Viking village at Horn is a great experience too.”
Recommended by Árdís Erna Halldórsdóttir, the managing director of the Vatnajökull Information Center
