Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the summit starts south of the peak, near the farm Vagnbrekka. Reckon on about a half-
hour to reach the mount, and another half-hour to climb to the summit.
Sigurgeir's Bird Museum
MUSEUM
(Fuglasafn Sigurgeirs; 464 4477;
www.fuglasafn.is
;adult/child Ikr1000/500; 10am-6pm Jun-
Aug, reduced hours Sep-May)
For some birdwatching background, swing by Sigurgeir's Bird Museum, housed in a beau-
tiful lakeside building that fuses modern design with traditional turfhouse. Inside you'll
find an impressive collection of taxidermic avians (more than 180 types from around the
world), including every species of bird that calls Iceland home (except one - the grey
phalarope). Designer lighting and detailed captions further enhance the experience.
The menagerie of stuffed squawkers started as the private collection of a local named
Sigurgeir Stefansson. Tragically, Sigurgeir drowned in the lake at the age of 37 - the mu-
seum was erected in his honour. The museum also houses a small cafe and lends out high-
tech telescopes to ornithological enthusiasts, plus has hides for rent.
Take a look in the small water feature at the centre of the exhibition hall to see the green
surprise that lurks inside:
marimo
balls (little spheres of green algae).
Birdwatching
BIRDWATCHING
Western Mývatn offers some of the best birdwatching in Iceland, with more than 115 spe-
cies present - including 28 species of ducks, 15 of them breeding nesting. Most species of
Icelandic waterfowl are found here in great numbers. Three duck species - the scoter, the
gadwall and the Barrow's goldeneye - breed nowhere else in Iceland.
Other species frequenting the area include harlequin and tufted ducks, mallards, scaup,
whooper swans, great northern divers, Arctic terns and golden plovers. The area's bogs,
marshes, ponds and wet tundra are a high-density waterfowl nesting zone. Off-trail hiking
in defined nesting areas is restricted between 15 May and 20 July (when the chicks hatch),
but hides near Sigurgeir's Bird Museum allow for birding.
