The PhotoNaturalist

SPUR (OF THE MOMENT) GLACIER

On our way back to the cabin for the evening, we spotted a sign that said something about a glacier, and we could see a massive glacier in the distance, so why not! This is often how it is in Iceland, a land without many trees; you see something interesting on the horizon and drive towards it!

What we found was Sólheimajökull Glacier, a 7 mile spur off the massive Myrdalsjokull Glacier. A spur-of-the-moment spur! There was a nice parking lot and a trail. That’s about it. An old shipping container serves as a meeting place for those gearing up with crampons and ice axes to get an up-close-and-personal guided tour of the glacier.

We just hiked the trail to see how close we could get. And I think we all were a bit surprised on how cool it was just to experience a glacier from this close (half mile away?).

It has an interesting history with this arm receding 2/3 of a mile between 1930 and 1969, and then advancing again for 500 yards in the cold years between 1970 and 1997. Since then it has receded 4,000 feet.

You can see a bit of the stunning “glacier blue” ice on part of the snout of the glacier.

You can barely see the name of the glacier (Solheimajokull) through all the “visitor-contributed” stickers!

You already know that I really enjoy the architecture of churches, and just outside of Vik we found yet another red-roofed church—the Reyniskirkja Church built in 1929. Allegedly an elf built a church on this site a 1000 years ago…but that is a story for another time.

Off to Norway!

NEXT: Norway #1 Oslo the Magnificent

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

HAVE YOU EVEN BEEN BEHIND A WATERFALL?

After a dinner of eggs, sausages and bread, we played a few games of Uno and crashed. Nights are quite cool (10 celsius/50°F) and like everywhere on this trip, the beds only have super-thick down comforters. We left the window open but it was still quite warm…too warm, under all that down.

I had been planning this trip for many months, surfing many many websites, reading blogs of locals, hikers and other visitors, and checking Trip Advisor (with a grain of salt). The result was a large Excel spreadsheet with multiple options for each day.

Since Bridget and I had been to Iceland 19 years ago, we wanted to not only share it with the kids, but also to see some new things as well. So even though we were only a half hour from Seljalandsfoss (the popular waterfall that you can walk behind) I had found another one nearby that you could also walk behind, but they made it sound like there would be far less visitors…and they were right!

It is called Kvernufoss and it is just a short 1 mile (?) easy walk from the Skogar Museum near Skogafoss Waterfall (we didn’t pay to see the museum…on our last trip here, you could just walk right up to the old farmstead but now you have to pay.)

Quite a cool experience to walk behind a 100-foot waterfall. There were also Northern Fulmars nesting in the crevices of the cliffs on the way in.

I experimented with long exposure images, flash, underexposing, focal lengths and many compositions. I am sharing some of my favorites with you here. [Click on an image to make it full screen for a better viewing experience]

Not the largest waterfall, nor the highest, nor the most impressive, but a waterfall you can really get up close and personal with…without weaving through hoards of tourists. No bus tours here! We maybe saw 20 other visitors during our 1 ½ hour visit.

NEXT: The cozy town of Vik and the World’s Most Dangerous Beach

We moved on to “Reykjavik’s The Pearl” (Perlan Interactive Nature Museum) next. I’m going to get this out of the way right now…It was quite expensive, like everything in Iceland, Norway, Netherlands and Germany. I will try and refrain from whining about any cost of any food or attraction from now on…You can call me out on it if I do!

It is an impressive architectural building containing a well done museum/nature center with exhibits such as a massive “bird cliff,” erupting geyser in the large atrium, observation deck that looks over the city, some impressive large-screen movies on volcano irruptions, and a real ice cave that they somehow keep frozen and intact. All interesting but not mind-blowing like the land itself. I would suggest this museum if you want an introduction to the country, or need something to do on a rainy day. But if you only have a few days in the country, better to hit the road to the hinterlands!

We still had hours to burn and our exhaustion was becoming harder to fight so we found a city natural area around a lake and let the kids nap in the car. Bridget and I hiked through the hillsides of blooming Lupines, though I got sidetracked by several birds including Redwing. I made the not-so-hard decision to leave my “good” camera at home. It is far too large and heavy to haul around all day while exploring. Plus, this was a family trip, not a photography trip. Instead I brought my very small Sony A6500 and three lenses: a Rokinon 12mm super wide, a Tamron 18-300mm zoom and a Sigma 85mm f1.4 that I rented from lensrentals.com (I could have left the 85mm f1.4 at home since I hardly used it). All this fit into a Lowepro Trekker Lite SLX 120 that I could sling over my shoulder.

Interesting fact about the Lupines is that they are not native to Iceland but now have spread across many lower elevation parts of the island, especially along roads and in towns. There is a real controversy among the locals and government on whether to eliminate them or not. Many photo tour groups come from all over the world to photograph them in June/early July. We did not see many once we got away from civilization.

We headed out of town along the Ring Road towards our cabin, but still had lots of time to explore. But we were still fighting crabbiness and exhaustion as we made our way east.

So naturally I decided we should go spelunking; a great thing to do when you can barely keep your eyes open! Actually it was a roadside tour. The tour takes you down into the old Raufarhólshellir lava tube which was the result of the Leitahraun eruption, which occurred east of the Bláfjöll mountains about 5200 years ago.

You put on a hardhat and a headlamp and follow the guide (and about 30 other tourists) down into the lava tube. It is very cold down there. In fact, it is too cold for any insects so there are no bats or other critters living in the lava tube. It is also not a cave in the sense that there are no stalactites and stalagmites. It is also not claustrophobic; the diameter of the tunnel is maybe 30 to 50 feet wide. Our guide was good, but like lots of tour guides, it sometimes seemed like he was just reciting very quickly his rote routine, including his not-so-great jokes. He was also hard to hear at times. Semi-interesting I guess but probably very interesting for folks who really dig geology.

Finally we made it to our “farm stay” AirBnB cabin. It was about 5 miles inland, the last few miles on very rough, “wash-boardy” road. Bonus were the Viking ponies and little sheep we passed on the way. Well, I had to stop and take some photos of these cool animals (future post). Did you know that no horses are allowed into Iceland. This is to insure that the genetic lineage of these Viking-era descendants stays pure. The boys had their own cabin, and like ours, it was tiny and brand new. The listing made it sound like you were actually going to be surrounded by farm animals, which Bridget would have liked, but really you just drive through their farmstead to get to the cabins. But an orange cat and a couple dogs did come visit us.

NEXT: A waterfall you can walk behind AND the world’s most dangerous beach!

[This is part 1 of our Stensaas Family vacation to Europe. I like to post on social media for family and friends, but mainly because it will help me, Bridget and the boys remember this trip far into the future.]

Icelandair offers a wonderful perk that Bridget and I took advantage of 19 years ago on our Honeymoon to Iceland (Norway, Sweden, Finland). You can buy your ticket to anywhere in Europe that Icelandair flies, and get a free layover in Iceland! And they still offer this today.

We arrived in Keflavik, Iceland at 6am local time…but our bodies really felt like it was 1am…and we were exhausted. But it was a 2 ½ hour drive to our cabin and we couldn’t check in to 3pm so exploring Reykjavik was the sensible way to start the day. Coffee latte and cake at a little inner-city café started the “morning.”

I might as well warn you right now…I love church architecture! From ultra-modern design to mideival cathedrals to rural white-steepled chapels to the ancient post-Viking stave “kyrkke” in Norway.

So we headed over to the immensely impressive Hallgrímskirkja, a Lutheran church dedicated to Icelandic poet and clergyman  Hallgrímur Pétursson (1614–1674). Over 240-feet tall and designed by Icelandic architect Guðjón Samúelsson‘ in 1937 to mirror the mountains, glaciers, and especially the cooled lava rock formations called columnar joining such as those found at Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach.

It took FOUR decades to complete. Begun in 1945, the church wasn’t completed until 1986. It is a mesmerizing design, not to mention picturesque. I have never been able to go inside, and today was no different. A scheduled church event was going on so no general admittance. Some day!

Leif Erikkson steadfastly gazes west toward his destiny of Greenland and North America from the church’s courtyard. Sculpted by Alexander Calder (father of Sandy Calder the “mobile artist”) this iconic bronze was a gift from the United States in 1932 to commemorate the 1,000 year anniversary of the “Althing,” the world’s longest running  parliamentary gathering that began in about 930AD. This was still in the Viking era and villagers, farmers, and townspeople would all gather in spring at Þingvellir (28 miles from the future Reykjavik) to air their grievences and legal issues before a “lawspeaker” and 39 district Chieftans. It was a Supreme Court of sorts and peacefully solved many serious (and probably not so serious) issues of the times.

NEXT: “The Pearl” and the Lave tube.

In this episode of Shooting with Sparky, he goes out to the Minnesota-South Dakota border to try and photograph shorebirds, grebes and ducks by kayak. Salt Lake Wildlife Management Area is Minnesota’s ONLY alkaline (salty) lake. Due to the alkaline nature, it breeds millions of brine flies and brine shrimp, which the grebes, phalaropes and other shorebirds love to feast on.

But first Sparky birds Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge where TWO Say’s Phoebes had been reported, a western bird that is rarely seen in Minnesota. Sparky finds both and has some great photo opportunites.

He also enjoys a patch of Prickly Pear Cactus (Did you know Minnesota has cactus? THREE species!). Other Big Stone highlights include the aerial flight of Common Nighthawks, singing (croaking?) Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Clay-colored Sparrow, and a acrobatic pair of Painted Turtles! [Sparky also gets a lifer jumping spider! (Marpissa pikei…Pike’s Slender Jumper) but it didn’t make it into the final cut :(]

On to Salt Lake! And the major revelation of this trip was that shorebirds don’t recognize a human in a kayak! Sparky was able to float right up to foraging Dunlin, Semipalmated Plovers, Semipalmated Sandpipers, Pectoral Sandpipers, and Sanderlings. But the best photo opportunities were with the foraging Wilson’s and Red-necked Phalaropes, two stunning species that are shorebirds but don’t feed like them. They swim like a duck, plucking brine shrimp or brine fly larvae from the lake.

And in another interesting turn, they suddenly all started going into hyper courtship mode. In phalaropes the female is more colorful than the male, and she initiates courtship, battling with other females for the more drab male as a mate. After she lays eggs in a nest, she flies off and the male is left to incubate the eggs and take care of the young. Fascinating!

Warbler Wednesdays in Sax-Zim Bog are a many-year tradition. These field trips often yield fantastic looks at some of northern Minnesota’s 25+ species of breeding and migrant warblers.

Sparky highlights some of the finds on two Warbler Wednesdays including Canada, Black-throated Green, Blackburnian, Pine, Magnolia, Mourning and Golden-winged warblers to name a few.

We also check in on spring highlights of our Friends of Sax-Zim Bog trail camera project, “A Year in the Life at a Sax-Zim Beaver Pond.” Meet Hank and Ginger the Timber Wolf pair that make this part of the Bog their home. Also a surprise cameo by a mom Black Bear with THREE bundles of joy.

Sparky encounters Larry and Patty from Maine along Taiga Boardwalk, and we hear about their exciting Sax-Zim Bog trip.

Then as Sparky is wrapping up the day, a TRIO of MOOSE (!) wander across his path.

What a beautiful mid May morning in the North Woods of Wisconsin! Ryan and Sparky take their FLOATING BLINDS out to a nearby marsh to see what they can find. 

Ryan gets some COOL creative shots of a pair of Common Loons and Trumpeter Swans. 

Sparky is one pond over in his leaky waders under the canopy of his floating blind searching for marsh birds. Instantly flooded with mucky marsh water, Sparky presses on. Surprisingly, he finds several species that are more common further south—MARSH WREN, VIRGINIA RAIL, YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD, GREEN HERON.

An AMERICAN BITTERN is calling only 15 feet from Sparky…but he can’t find it…until he does find it! Always a red-letter day when one gets to see this skulky species.

Sparky also gets video and photos of Blue-winged Teal, Trumpeter Swans.

Ryan made these blinds based on the awesome design of MrJanGear floating hides. You can purchase these readymade at http://www.mrjangear.com.

You can see more of Ryan’s photos on Instagram at #ryan.marshik

Sparky’s Instagram is #Sparky_Stensaas

Night is as unexplored as the Furthest Wilds, and in this episode we dive headlong into this fascinating time of day at a fascinating time of year. On May 3 we join Head Naturalist Clinton on his Things that Go Buzz, Croak, Hoot & Bump in the Night field trip in northeastern Minnesota’s Sax-Zim Bog.

Beginning birder Evelyn flips over a log and finds a Blue-spotted Salamander! We also catch adorable tiny Spring Peepers and cold-impervious Wood Frogs. A late Rough-legged Hawk sits and poses for us.

Join us as we explore Gray Jay Way on a still evening. White-throated Sparrows have returned in force, and they are singing their territorial song “Old Sven Pederson Pederson Pederson!” (that’s what they sing in Minnesota anyway!).

We get updates from Sparky on Friends of Sax-Zim Bog’s Artist-in-Residence Program, find out about our Bog Buddy Blake’s new YouTube channel, and updates on some upcoming platform construction projects in the Bog.

Also…drumroll please….Who found the best piece of garbage during our April 24th litter clean up?? The tension is palpable! Hint: What do Bob Ross and Sponge Bob have in common?

Come along and join us for the fun!

http://www.saxzim.org