Birdlife Awakens
04.03.2026
Lestrar 4
Snow bunting in summer plumage in Grímsey. Photo by María H. Tryggvadóttir
These days, the birds in Grímsey are showing signs of spring after a mild, snow-light winter. Svafar Gylfason, who lives on the island, says a new chorus of songs has started to fill the air.
Until recently, the birds had been mostly quiet, but now they are likely preparing for their summer activities. Among them, the purple sandpiper (Calidris maritima), which stays on the island year-round, was quite vocal at the harbor this morning.
There are plenty of snow buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis) in Grímsey, as locals feed them during winter, and this year their numbers were unusually high. Blackbirds (Turdus merula) and song thrushes (Turdus philomelos) arrived about two weeks ago, and the first common redpoll (Acanthis flammea) has also been spotted.
Seabirds of the auk family (Alcidae) are expected to settle in the cliffs in the coming days/weeks; some are already near the shoreline northeast of the island.
A pair of ravens (Corvus corax) has lived on the island for as long as the oldest residents can remember and usually nests in Básavík bay. Last autumn, the other raven disappeared, most likely having died. Over the weekend, however, two ravens were seen again on the island, much to the delight of the residents.