Club 200 - Iceland / Birding Iceland

Welcome to the website of the Icelandic Club 200

A bit of history... Fifteen years ago Icelandic birders argued about the possibility of seeing 200 species in Iceland. Shortly after, Hálfdán Björnsson managed to reach the 200 level. Since then a total of 19 birders have managed to join the Club 200 and today discussions of the establishment of Club 300 have risen. Here below is a list of 18 of 19 Club 200 members in Iceland. Icelandic "blockers" The Icelandic list includes several species that very few birders have seen in Iceland and which only one member of the Club 200 has managed to see. - Most of the blockers (16 of 23 in total) are held by Hálfdán Björnsson; Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides, Black-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus erythrophthalmus, European Nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus, Greater Short-toed Lark Calandrella brachydactyla, Cliff Swallow Hirundo pyrrhonota, Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris, Pechora Pipit Anthus gustavi, Siberian Rubythroat Luscinia calliope, Wood Thrush Hylocichla mustelina, Lanceolated Warbler Locustella lanceolata, Parrot Crossbill Loxia pytyopsittacus, Scarlet Tanager Piranga olivacea, Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis, Pine Bunting Emberiza leucocephalos, Yellow-breasted Bunting Emberiza aureola and Black-headed Bunting Emberiza melanocephala. - Four blockers are held by Björn G. Arnarson; Montagu's Harrier Circus pygargus, White's Thrush Zoothera dauma, Melodious Warbler Hippolais polyglotta and Yellow-headed Blackbird Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus. - Gunnlaugur Þráinsson has got one blocker; Black-browed Albatross Thalassarche melanophris.

		Björn G. Arnarson - 292 species Website: Félag fuglaáhugamanna Hornafirði Latest additions: Least Sandpiper, Two-barred Crossbill, Hoopoe

		Gunnlaugur Þráinsson - 284 species Latest additions: Rustic Bunting, Corn Crake, Mute Swan World list: 1257 species (last addition: Rustic Bunting)

		Hálfdán Björnsson - 284 species Latest additions: Cattle Egret, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, River Warbler

		Gunnar Þór Hallgrímsson - 277 species Born in Reykjavík 1979 and started birding around the age of nine with support and encouragement from my father. My first rarity was a couple of Barn Swallow in spring 1988 and interest in rare birds has remained ever since. Currently I´m a member of the Icelandic Rarities Committee. My favourite rarities are small passerines – especially genera Acrocephalus and Hippolais. In recent years ecological interest has improved with particular interest in migration routes of Purple Sandpipers, hybridization of Glaucous- and Herring Gulls and breeding biology of Lesser Black-backed Gulls – which is my Ph.D project at the University of Iceland. Species number 200 was Pomarine Skua when a huge flock of 5-600 birds was seen on 5th May 1999 – 10 days before my 20th birthday. Website: Tracking Larus fuscus Latest additions: Corn Crake, Hoopoe, Bufflehead

		Yann Kolbeinsson - 276 species I was born in 1979, in Southern France. Since then I have lived at Reykjavík, Iceland although I return to the Mediterranean area annually for a short break. Started birding around the age of twelve with my first rarity being a Bohemian Waxwing in 1991. Outside Iceland and France, I've visited some of the best birding areas in North America and trips in the Western Palearctic include Spain, Po Delta in Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK. Elsewhere I've recently been to Ecuador, Kenya and Thailand. Phalaropes have always fascinated me, and at the moment I'm working on a M.S. project on their habitat selection and ecology in Iceland. I'm currently a member of the Icelandic Rarities Committee. Websites: Birding Iceland, Gavia Travel, My images Latest additions: Rustic Bunting, Least Sandpiper, Two-barred Crossbill World list: 1996 species (last addition: Rustic Bunting)

		Gunnlaugur Pétursson - 276 species Latest additions: Corn Crake, Hoopoe, American Robin

		Brynjúlfur Brynjólfsson - 273 species I was born in Reykjavík in 1964 but grew up in Húsavík. I've been interested in birds for as long as I can remember and from about 1980 the interest began to grow and nowadays I go looking for birds 365 days a year. In 1991 I moved to Höfn í Hornafirði and have lived there ever since. South-east Iceland is a fascinating area for anyone interested in birds, not least vagrant birds. I passed the much-wanted 200 mark a few years after moving to Höfn and have now set my sights on reaching 300 within the next ten years. In 1999 I was one of the people responsible for getting www.fuglar.is off the ground and have been the webmaster of this site ever since. In 2003 preparations for a bird observatory got underway and the dream became reality on 14 March 2005 and I've been a member of the observatory team ever since. I'm interested in all kinds of birds (except seeing penguins in Iceland). One of my main ambitions for years was to see an Avocet in Iceland and when I reported four birds together in Höfn in the spring of 2004 most people thought I'd lost the plot, as there had only been a single previous record from 1954. I also enjoy bird photography and since 1985 (the year in which I saw my 100th species, Barnacle Goose) I have photographed 210 species, as well as several subspecies, of the 273 I have seen in total in Iceland. Birds I have found and photographed include Pied-billed Grebe, Laughing Gull, Semipalmated Plover, Avocet, Olive-backed Pipit, Thrush Nightingale and Blyth's Reed Warbler. Website: Félag fuglaáhugamanna Hornafirði Latest additions: Least Sandpiper, Great Grey Shrike, Two-barred Crossbill

		Hallgrímur V. Gunnarsson - 256 species Latest additions: Rustic Bunting, Hoopoe, American Robin

		Sigmundur Ásgeirsson - 254 species Latest additions: Rustic Bunting, Least Sandpiper, Two-barred Crossbill World list: 1336 species (last addition: Rustic Bunting)

		Jóhann Óli Hilmarsson - 233 species I became interested in birds as a child and the interest survived puberty. For the last one and a half decade or so I have worked entirely on birds, both as a photographer and an ornithologist. I don’t look at myself as a birder and I hate chasing small warblers or other LBJ’s in other people’s gardens. As a golden rule, I only travel 1 km to twitch 1g of bird. It means that if a 30g rarity is seen somewhere, it must be closer than 30 km from my home for me to bother to go for it. However, it is an honor to be in this group of passionate birders. In recent years, most of my birding has taken place in foreign countries, and I find Africa especially interesting. I have been working on conservation for years and I am currently chairman of the Icelandic Society for the Protection of Birds (Fuglavernd), which is the Icelandic member of BirdLife International. My bird photos have been published in magazines, books, papers, exhibitions and websites all over the world, e.g. this site. My main work is the bestselling Icelandic Bird Guide (see http://randburg.com/is/birdguide.html). Website: Fuglavefurinn Latest additions: Yellow Warbler, Eurasian Spoonbill, American Robin

		Edward Barry Rickson - 230 species I was born in 1972 in Manchester, England but have been settled in Iceland since 1997. Although generally interested in birds and wildlife as a child it wasn't until I came to live in Iceland that I began to spend more and more time looking in people's gardens and walking across seaweed-strewn beaches searching for birds. I'd describe myself as a very keen birder, but not a serious birder, as I actually enjoy it. My birding ambition is to overtake Yann on his world list and see the Black Grasswren of Western Australia, preferably at the same time. My Iceland list has been increasing at glacial speed since my twin daughters were born in May 2007. I've birded throughout Iceland, my favourite area being Snæfellsnes and Mývatn in late May, Látrabjarg and Flatey in June. My favourite bird here is Red Phalarope. I've been on birding holidays to Greenland, Spain, Kenya and the United States and seen plenty of birds on non-birding/family trips to Australia, Singapore, the United States, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey, the Netherlands, Tenerife and England. Website: Icelandic Birding Diary Latest additions: Least Sandpiper, American Robin, Eurasian Spoonbill World list: 1394 species (last addition: Grasshopper Warbler)

		Stefán Áki Ragnarsson - 229 species Latest additions: Yellow Warbler, Least Sandpiper, Two-barred Crossbill

		Kjartan G. Magnússon - 227 species Kjartan sadly passed away on the 13th of January 2006 at the age of 53 after a long illness. His work took him around the world and he was a pioneer world birder in the eyes of his Icelandic birding friends and held his record world birdlist until the very end. He will be fondly remembered as a passionate and enthusiastic birder and a friend to many. Last additions: Black-throated Thrush, American Coot, Buff-bellied Pipit World list: 1118 species (last addition: Black-throated Thrush)

		Gaukur Hjartarson - 219 species I was born in Húsavík in 1965, where I have lived more or less since. I am a civil engineer working for the municipality of Húsavík. I did get most of my education in Iceland, but spent just more than a year with my masters degree in Seattle, Washington, USA. I started birding young and soon became interested in rare birds. First rarities remembered were a Turtle Dove in 1970 and some Bohemian Waxwings in 1974. I am an active birdwatcher doing most of my birding in vicinity of Húsavík and at Melrakkaslétta - the NE-corner of Iceland. I have never been much of a twitcher until last year when I went to see most of the highlights. My Icelandic species list is "only" at 219 at the moment, far less than other active birdwatchers that I have been birding with. I have also done a little bit of birding in my holidays abroad (USA, Spain and France) and my world list is currently close to 550 species. I also like to take pictures of the birds I see, and just recently bought me good equipment for that part of my hobby. Latest additions: Rustic Bunting, Common Greenshank, Green Sandpiper

		Daníel Bergmann - 217 species Website: Daniel Bergmann Photography Latest additions: Yellow Warbler, Least Sandpiper, Smew

		Einar Ólafur Þorleifsson - 211 species Latest additions: Eurasian Spoonbill, American Robin, Dunnock

		Ólafur Einarsson - 202 species Latest additions: Least Sandpiper, Osprey, Eurasian Siskin

		Kristinn Haukur Skarphéðinsson - details unavailable