Sunday 12 June 2016

Thingvellir divers ducks and scenery

Left Hveragerdi around 0930hrs our first stop along the road was for a splendid male Ptarmigan in winter plumage on the slopes of Ingolfsjall.
Showing its red mark above its eye we stalked him? to get some good photographs.
This was wild country with rugged scenery as we had views of distant Harlequinns below on the River Sog.
We drove along the valley all the way to Ljosafoss dam where we
photographed more Harlequinns resting on a pipe.
Along with Barrows Goldeneye and Scaup also Red breasted Mergansers.
On the grassy banks meadow pipit white wagtail and redwing obliged.
The meadow pipit posed nicely before leaving for Thingvellir.
Here we entered the National Park where the Viking Parliament was formed
called the Allthing,we viewed lava flow fissures ,too many tourists here now I camped here in 1983 and saw no one except a Merlins nest.
Still a wonderfull place to visit we found a Wood mouse in the grass and Redwing so close too touch.
As we moved towards the lake a pool held Red Throated Divers very close even copulating near there nest site.
At lunch we sat on the lake shore watching a fairly distant pair of Great
Northern Divers and a peculiar hybrid Pintail the pinmale dubbed by us.
However the scenery here was astounding as the divers called while finishing lunch.
We bid Thingvallavatn farewell as we headed for Geysir and the legendary Strokkur.

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