Next summer visitors to downtown Reykjavík can hope to see more Arctic tern, thanks to improvements which have been made to one of the islands in the downtown pond. The island was landscaped to make it more suitable to nesting by the Arctic tern. After a second island was changed several years ago the number of Arctic tern who nest at the pond has increased significantly.
Read more: Teeming with life: Ecosystem of downtown lake Tjörnin is making a remarkable recovery
All vegetation was removed from the small island in Þorfinnstjörn, leaving only barren rock and gravel, which Arctic stern prefer when searching for nesting grounds. The island had been completely covered by angelica and other tall vegetation, which nesting tern avoid.
The small island had been home to a number of nesting pairs of Arctic tern before being completely swallowed by the angelica.
Read more: Record number of Arctic Terns by the downtown lake provide protection for ducklings
According to Reykjavík City bird watchers had been requesting the re-landscaping of the island for several years. Vibrant colonies of Arctic tern are important for other nesting birds, like ducks, as the tern provide extremely effective air-cover and defense from predators like seagulls who attack nests to steal eggs and kill newly hatched ducklings.
The return of Arctic tern to Tjörnin in recent years has been identified as a major reason for the high success rates of nesting by other birds.
Next summer visitors to downtown Reykjavík can hope to see more Arctic tern, thanks to improvements which have been made to one of the islands in the downtown pond. The island was landscaped to make it more suitable to nesting by the Arctic tern. After a second island was changed several years ago the number of Arctic tern who nest at the pond has increased significantly.
Read more: Teeming with life: Ecosystem of downtown lake Tjörnin is making a remarkable recovery
All vegetation was removed from the small island in Þorfinnstjörn, leaving only barren rock and gravel, which Arctic stern prefer when searching for nesting grounds. The island had been completely covered by angelica and other tall vegetation, which nesting tern avoid.
The small island had been home to a number of nesting pairs of Arctic tern before being completely swallowed by the angelica.
Read more: Record number of Arctic Terns by the downtown lake provide protection for ducklings
According to Reykjavík City bird watchers had been requesting the re-landscaping of the island for several years. Vibrant colonies of Arctic tern are important for other nesting birds, like ducks, as the tern provide extremely effective air-cover and defense from predators like seagulls who attack nests to steal eggs and kill newly hatched ducklings.
The return of Arctic tern to Tjörnin in recent years has been identified as a major reason for the high success rates of nesting by other birds.
