VIKING HORSES, LITTLE SHEEP, FUNNY BIRDS

For over a thousand years now, since a decree at Iceland’s Althing in 982 AD, it has been forbidden/illegal to bring in any horses to Iceland. And once a horse leaves Iceland, it is banished forever, never to return to its homeland. Serious stuff! Today this law is mainly to protect the breed from diseases, but also to preserve the genetic purity of Icelandic “Viking” horses. They are so named because the first Scandinavian settlers, arguably Vikings, brought horses across the ocean in longships from 860-935 AD. Isolated on this rugged island for a millenia, they are the purest breed on the planet.

They are a hardy breed, able to withstand Iceland’s harsh climate, even growing a shaggy winter coat. A little larger than ponies, but small compared to most horses, they tip the scale at about 800 pounds and stand 13-14 hands (52-55 inches).

They are still used for sheepherding by farmers, but most are kept for racing, recreational riding or breeding. They are quite strong and intelligent.

Currently about 300,000 of these Icelandic horses are found across the globe with 40% in Iceland, and another sizable number in Germany. There are clubs in 22 countries.

Some other interesting facts from Wikipedia…

• Between 1783 and 1784, around 70% of the horses in Iceland were killed by volcanic ash poisoning and starvation after the 1783 eruption of Lakagígar. The eruption lasted eight months, covered hundreds of square miles of land with lava, and rerouted or dried up several rivers
• The early Germanic peoples, including those living in Scandinavia, venerated horses and slaughtered and ate them at blóts throughout the Viking Age.^[25] When these settlers arrived in Iceland, they brought their beliefs, and their horses, with them.^[3] Horses play a significant part in Nordic mythology with many, including Odin‘s eight-footed pacer named Sleipnir, allowing gods and other beings to travel between realms and across the sky.
• Horses were often considered the most prized possession of a medieval Icelander.^[27] Indispensable to warriors, war horses were sometimes buried alongside their fallen riders,^[12] and stories were told of their deeds. Icelanders also arranged for bloody fights between stallions; these were used for entertainment and to pick the best animals for breeding.
•  Stallion fights were an important part of Icelandic culture, and brawls, both physical and verbal, among the spectators were common. The conflicts at the horse fights gave rivals a chance to improve their political and social standing at the expense of their enemies and had wide social and political repercussions, sometimes leading to the restructuring of political alliances.

LITTLE FUNNY SHEEP

Sheep literally dot the entire landscape of Iceland it seems. Like their equine neighbors, these sheep are also the descendants of Viking/Scandi settlers in the 800s and 900s.

North European Short Tailed sheep are a horned sheep that is medium in size but stocky, short-tailed and thin-boned. Most are white, but black and white ones stand out. Their coat is double-layered for warmth and waterproofing, with a fine inner layer. No wool on their faces. Sheared twice a year, the wool is highly revered by fiber artists and knitters.

Thirty breeds of North European Short Tailed sheep still exist across Scandinavia/Nordic countries, all being descendants of these Viking sheep.

Through the 1940s sheep were mainly used for milk in Iceland, but now they are mostly meat animals. Lamb and mutton production is about 80% of  the sheep farmer’s income now. Wool makes up another portion of the sheep farmer’s income.

Lambs are vigorous and lively, right out of the “chute,” so to speak; the first twin even able to stand and nurse before its sibling is born!

Have you ever heard of “Leadersheep”? This is fascinating subject to me. Evidently, on rare occasions a sheep is born that has superior senses and leadership traits. This genetically-advantaged sheep is known, and revered, as a “Leadersheep.”
The info below is from Dr. Olafur R. Dyrmundsson of The Farmers Association of Iceland:

“Some people may argue that sheep are not intelligent and clever. However, it is well known that sheep have their own intelligence…. We should not underestimate the wisdom of domestic animals.

Without (sheep) Icelanders would not have survived throughout centuries of hardship on an isolated island just south of the Arctic Circle. Even grazing in winter had to be utilized…and somehow a unique, small population of sheep developed which displayed outstanding abilities to help the farmers and shepherds to manage the flock on pasture, namely “Leadersheep.”

There is still a population of 1,000-1,200 Leadersheep within the national population of just under 500,000 [sheep]).

Most of the Leadersheep are colored and horned, even four-horned in a few cases. They…have been selected for intelligence, not for meat traits. Leadersheep are graceful and prominent in the flock, with alertness in the eyes, normally going first out of the sheep-house, looking around in all directions, watching if there are any dangers in sight and then walking in front of the flock when driven to or from pasture. They may even guard the flock against predators. There are many stories on record about their ability to sense or forecast changes in the weather even, refusing to leave the sheep-house before a major snowstorm. One wonders how better use could be made of such genes in the future.”

As a sidenote, the cabins we stayed at were on a sheep farm that also had an Icelandic Sheepdog. Adorable!

WILD BIRDS…CRAZY BIRDS

I repeat, this was NOT a birding nor photography trip! But how is a guy who has spent 45 years of his life obsessed with such hobbies supposed to put on blinders when in such an incredible place?! I could not, and I took those few precious moments I could wrangle to enjoy some of Iceland’s most iconic wild birds.

First up is the Puffin. I already talked about our surprise sightings at Reynisfjara but I found a few more images I like.

I also had a terrifying encounter with a MASSIVE roadside Puffin 

The most productive area was right around our inland AirBnB farm cabins. I explored the surrounding tundra while Bridget and the boys hiked up to the top of a nearby hill.

Whimbrels (same species as we have in North America) flew circles around me, which indicated that they might be nesting in the vicinity.

Close to Reykjavik we had a Redwing.

Fenceposts along the road were the favorite perches of Common Redshanks, a large and vocal shorebird that doesn’t need a shore. I love their red legs and bill. A dozen or more could be found along our short drive inland from the Ring Road.

I’ve saved my favorite for last. How can you not love the personality-plus Eurasian Oystercatchers (known as “oystercrackers” in our family). There were multiple foraging and flying on this patch of tundra. I layed down when I could to get some eyelevel shots…and I even got some winners, even with my substandard bird photography gear.

Bjorn came down the mountain first, and within minutes found a nest! He is a very observant kid. It had one newly hatched chick and two eggs, one of which was pipping! We took a few photos and left them in peace.

The sounds were about as satisfying as the sightings.

NEXT: Iceland #6 Spur of the Moment Glacier

WORLD’S MOST DANGEROUS BEACH

In 2006 I almost lost my new bride to the ocean at this beautiful beach. Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach near Vik is a stunning spot; cliffs of geometric pillars of cooled lava (“columnar joining”) stairstep up from a beach of black basalt rocks. Two giant pillars of rock are just offshore. But there is a hidden danger here; rogue “sneaker” waves hit the beach every so often, and some can be huge. They suck unsuspecting tourists (and locals) into the ocean with a powerful undertow. SIX people have died here since 2013.

When Bridget and I were here on our honeymoon in July 2006, we were blissfully unaware of the dangers. Only two other people were on the beach that day (hard to imagine now that Iceland has been “discovered” and a couple hundred tourists seem to be on the beach at all times now). I was taking photos and Bridget explored up the beach past the corner of the cliff. The dutch tourists yelled something to me, and I went over to see what they wanted. They told me in broken English that every seventh wave or so was a big one, and it was dangerous to walk where Bridget was. I ran around the corner just in time to see one of these waves soak Bridget from the knees down but she stayed on her feet thankfully. It may not sound like much, but it was a close call, and I kind of get a bit queasy when I think of what could have happened.

On this day, there were far more than two tourists on the beach…try 200! Much had changed since 2006; a massive paved parking lot now provided spots for a couple hundred cars and dozens of tour busses. It was a bit of a circus (I included one photo showing all the visitors) but I did manage to get some cool photos by waiting for lulls in visitors…or cropping them out of certain images.

**Note: This beach was a filming location for planet Eadu in the 2016 film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Another aspect of this beach that makes it so special is the three trolls just offshore. More accurately they are frozen trolls, turned to stone when daylight caught them trying to sneak to shore dragging a 3-masted ship. Well, actually, they are just basalt pillars, but certainly some of the most spectacular basalt pillars in all the world. And for a photographer, they add a layer of interest for your landscape photographs.

But you turn your body 180 degrees and there is an equally spectacular sight— Dyrhólaey Arch, an arch so big that you can fly a plane through it.

Then Bjorn ran over to me that he’d just seen a Puffin fly in to the cliff above us! Yes! A dozen or so Atlantic Puffins were nesting in their burrows in the grassy cliff above the columnar joining. I had written off our chances of sharing Puffins with the boys on this trip since we weren’t going offshore. But here they were, cruising in right above us, along with some Northern Fulmars. So cool. And about a half hour later Bjorn spotted two seals in the surf!

Time for some lunch and shopping. We found a hip little café near the lupine-laced shoreline and had a more-than-decent meal.

Perched on a bluff above the town is the Vik I Myrdal Church, a red-roofed Lutheran Church completed in 1934. The church was designed by Iceland’s state architect Guðjón Samúelsson, the same architect responsible for Hallgrimskirkja Church in Reykjavik. It is also the town of Vik’s designated Evacuation Refuge shoul Katla Volcano erupt creating a massive flash flood. But it was all peaceful today. Everyone takes a photo or six of this picturesque icon…including me!

The old guesthouse in town Bridget and I stayed at on our honeymoon was still there, seemingly unchanged.

But the old wool and woolens shop that carried locally spun wool and hats/sweaters in 2006 (I bought a headband that I wore for more than a decade, and Bridget bought a sweater) had more than changed…it had morphed into a mega-modern tourist shop called Icelandwear where I think 95% of the stuff is made outside of the country. But they cleverly put “Designed in Iceland” prominently on the tags and hid the location of manufacture. Oh well…such is the world in the Instagram age.

NEXT: Viking Horses, Little sheep, Funny Birds

Sure, I’d seen puffins before…but not ATLANTIC Puffins! In Alaska I’d had decent looks at Horned Puffins and Tufted Puffins…and even a Bald Eagle carrying a puffin he’d snagged off a cliff face! (most folks cringed at this but I thought it was quite cool). I was once booked on a boat out of Bar Harbor, Maine to find these “sea parrots” but we were fogged out. So we were both very excited to see Atlantic Puffins…In fact, 60 percent of the world’s population of this species breeds in Iceland.

Puffins are interesting birds. Sexually mature at 4 to 5 years old, the males excavate a burrow atop cliffs. Our guide Magda said some young bachelor males evidently are not ready to mate as they keep working on their burrows for years. A 30-year old puffin is not unheard of.

Puffins can easily dive to depths of 200 feet, surfacing and bringing back the tiny fish with a misleading name “sand eel.” They often arrive back at the nest burrow with several (up to twelve) sand eels in their beak…and most are alternating head and tail. How do they do it? Underwater they are able to hold fish against their palate with their tongue and still be able to use their beak to catch more fish.

After being rained out the day before, we were thrilled that the weather cleared and we could go on the Ingolfshofdi tour. But in typical Icelandic fashion, the whole venture was an adventure. We were all loaded into a haywagon and told to hold on! Pulled by a farm tractor we bounced our way across the land and into the ocean! It could have been 200 feet deep for all I knew, but it was just a couple inches of water covering a tidal flat.

Once we reached the headland part-time island (depending on the tide) we climbed a steep black sand dune to the top. Once there we had to negotiate a gauntlet of nesting Great Skuas who’d just as soon pluck your eyes out. The Germans didn’t understand Magda’s english instructions of “stay in a tight group and they won’t bother you,” and so were promptly attacked.

This is Magda our tractor driver and tour leader. She and her family are one of seven families that are allowed to collect eggs (puffins and murres) and harvest puffins for subsistence…Yes, Icelanders do eat puffins! How they gather the eggs and birds is an interesting story. One person is lowered down the cliff face on a rope while seven or so others anchor the other end. Magda’s husband is a smaller guy (smaller than her!) and so is the unlucky (lucky?) one on the seaward end of the rope. By having humans anchoring the rope instead of a metal post (no trees on this island), they can maneuver the collector across the face of the cliff to the nests. The number of eggs collected is controlled and most will lay eggs to replace missing ones. Also, they only harvest non-reproducing younger puffins…Magda said with experience you can tell them from older birds. Here Magda holds a puffin net. She said that her family was at the end of their “egg season,” eating hundreds of eggs in a month or so.
In fact, I tried to find a restaurant that served puffin, but to no avail…I’ve eaten Minke Whale in Norway, roadkill Spruce Grouse, and Sandhill Crane so I thought I’d add Atlantic Puffin to the list!