North Iceland - Myvatn, Eyjafjorour, Trollaskagi, Asbyrgi, Skjalfandi, Langanes, Jokulsa a Fjollum, Borgarvirki, Hauganes, Dimmuborgir (Paperback)

Chapters: Myvatn, Eyjafjorour, Trollaskagi, Asbyrgi, Skjalfandi, Langanes, Jokulsa A Fjollum, Borgarvirki, Hauganes, Dimmuborgir, Skjalfandafljot, Sulur, Vatnsnes, Miofjorour. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 41. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Myvatn - The lake is fed by nutrient-rich springwater and has a high abundance of aquatic insects (Chironomidae) and Cladocera that form an attractive food supply for ducks. Thirteen species of ducks nest here. The duck species composition is unique in the mixture of Eurasian and North American elements and of boreal and arctic species. Most of the ducks are migratory, arriving in late April - early May from north-western Europe. The most abundant is the Tufted Duck, which immigrated to Iceland at the end of the 19th century. The Greater Scaup is the second most common duck species. Other common species include the Barrow's Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Wigeon, Gadwall, Mallard, Common Scoter, Long-tailed duck and Teal. The outflowing Laxa river has a dense colony of Harlequin Ducks and there is a large colony of Eiders at the river mouth some 50 km away from Lake Myvatn. The Barrow's Goldeneye is special in being the only nearctic duck in the area (and Iceland as a whole). Its population of about 2000 birds relies entirely on the habitat provided by the Myvatn-Laxa water system and its surrounding lava fields. Most of the Barrow's Goldeneyes overwinter there, using ice-free areas kept open by emerging spring water (both warm and cold) and in the strong river current. This species is a hole-nester, in North America using tree-holes, but at Myvatn the birds use cavities in the lava for nesting. The other duck species nest abundantly in the numerous islands of the lake and the surrounding marshlands. There is a long tradition of harvest...More: http: //booksllc.net/?id=691334