One More from Snæfellsnes

I played with the lighting in this photograph and I think it's starting to look half decent. I want to thank all those who have commented here. It's great to read some very constructive ideas about in which direction some of you would go with given photographs. The oodles of compliments don't exactly hurt either! 

Ornithology

The following group of photos (all posted on the same day) come from five days of birding trips around the western side of Iceland. These photos are all taken by me except the one photo of me which was taken by Eyrún Gígja. I only put the best of the few hundred photos that I actually shot during these trips and I have some others. let me know if you're dying to see more.
These trips ranged from southwest of Hveragerði Iceland north to Snæfellsnes. Click here for a map. We did a count at Þingvellir and another in Heiðmörk close to Reykjavík. Most of these photos are of places I hadn't been to before this month.
As usual if you want to use any of these photos let me know. I have the originals-which are considerably larger-and I would be willing to send them.

Birding Trips for Ornithology Class

Skeiðönd--Northern Shoveler--Anas clypeata

Seen near Mýrar Iceland. Sorry for the quality of this photo. This beautiful duck is fairly rare in these parts. But I couldn't get a better photograph without a tripod. 

Strangely, Urriðafoss (Brown Trout Falls) is not a common tourist attraction. 

Grey Abandonment 

Herdís and her little buddy. When we were trapping this one, a crotchety old man drove by to tell us that we were putting the eggs in danger because of the cold. He was one of those people who didn't go to university and thinks that anyone who does is wasting their time. I just figured that my professor who's been doing this sort of thing professionally for a few decades and the other two advanced education students who were assisting him with our motley crew know a thing or two about birds. In the end, it seemed like the oystercatcher in question was not severely effected by the experience when all was said and done. 

We got to band a few oystercatchers. This is the one that I got to hold while the banding was done. I'd never held a bird like this before and it shocked me that it was so hot. They have a much higher body temperature than we do.
This was yet another one of those experiences of being in contact with an animal that will sit in my memory.

Toppskarfur--Shag--Phalacrocorax aristotelis

Keeping the egg warm overcame this bird's desire to get away from the guy in the bright red windbreaker peering over the edge of the cliff wielding a camera. As a result, I got several pretty good photos. 

Here's a beautiful place for a house.
When we were there, the wind was cold enough to feel like my ears might just drop off and go blowing away into the sea. 

Yessir, that was one beautiful beach. I thought of that great photo that Egils took at Plumb Island when I was there. Here, I tried to get a similar effect, but the blowing sand jut isn't as visible as it is in his photo. So I guess this is kind of a tribute to him. He's a great photographer. 

I had to play with the fill light in order to see the grass in this one. 

Sunset on Snæfellsnes. I was avoiding the Eurovision qualification contest by walking on the beach, watching the gannets dive, and taking pictures. I think I got a better deal than those who stayed in to watch Iceland's embassador be booed off the stage. 

In my opinion, this is the best shot I've gotten of stones on a beach. The sunset in some of the other pictures lit the beach in such a stunning way it was hard NOT to get good photographs (jafnvel eftir nokkur glös af landa!). 

What would you say bout this photograph? What would you have done differently? Should I crop it and if so, how? I'm pretty happy with it he way it is. 

Beach comet 

Just your average looking-down-the- beach-on-Snæfellsnes- just-before-sunset photograph, nothing special, but the color is pretty good.

Lómur--Red-throated Diver--Gavia stellata
Sitting on a nest. The nest has o be so close to the water because these birds' feet are so far back that walking on land is impossible. The bird slides of the nest straight into the water.

-Akra (Iceland)

To see some really cool photos of this bird click here.

Somewhere along the way to Snæfellsnes we came across a really cool beach. This pole sticking out of the sand is about 3.5m tall. I just HAD to climb it after a long drive. I hope someone got a picture of that... 

What, you didn't know a ram could run so fast his wool would come right off?! This happens all the time up here in Iceland. 

Unlike the chicken, some birds have an ink gland that squirts some camouflage color onto the shell of eggs before they are lain. The golden plover
(lóa)-Pluvialis apricaria-is one such bird. 

Rjúpa--Rock Ptarmigan--Lagopus mutus
(Male)

-Þingvellir (Iceland) 

Straumönd--Harlequin Duck--Histrionicus histrionicus
(Male)

-Þingvellir (Iceland)

I don't know who this was, but I thought it was interesting that where many Icelanders are buried with their occupation listed on the gravestone, this woman is credited as being a Housewife. At least someone had respect for the amount of work a woman in that position does.

Svartþröstur--Blackbird--Turdus merula
(female)
-Fossvógskrikjugarður (cemetary in Reykjavík) 

Skógarþröstur--Redwing Thrush--Turdus iliacus

-Fossvógskirkjugarður (cemetary in Reykjavík) 

Rotation of a Photograph

As melody pointed out, this picture really is supposed to be rotated. I didn’t notice that until I was posting it with Picasa. By then it was too late to do anything about it except cancel the post and start again. I don’t think it’s less cute if it’s sideways, though. But since she asked, I thought it only appropriate to post the shot the way it was taken. Of course, doing that makes you understand why his hand is bent the way it is. Leave it to a graphic designer to pick up on something like that. My danged family are all so artistic I can't get away with anything! Actually, that's not completely true. I get away with quite a bit if I can explain my reasons for doing it.

The First Picnic...

We went out to have a picnic today. I have a favorite spot about 25 minutes away by car, in the mountains. I found it a couple of years ago, but my laziness has prevented me from going there for a picnic until today. I rustled up some tuna fish sandwiches, cookies, salad (though I forgot the forks), water, and orange juice and we headed out. This was by far the greatest weather we've had since last summer. I don't know how warm it is, but it feels like the upper 60's to me. There was a little breeze up in the mountains and that always makes it a bit chillier.
This was a great little trip out into the natural world about which I've been studying so hard lately. It charged the old batteries and gave me the opportunity to snap off 111 pictures! Here you can see only a few of them. If you want to see the rest, you'll have to send me a request for a cd along wih your address. 

It's tough to get a photo of Dabgjört without the Someone's-taking-a- picture-of-me smile. But every now and then, if I'm patient enough, I get a natural expression. I think this is one beautiful girl. She has such nice hair and those big blue eyes.