Ísafjörður Guide

Fri, 10.May 2013

Believe it or not, yesterday it stormed and snowed heavily. It's not actually unusual to have snow in May, even though officially, the first day of summer is 25th April! But none of us really want any more snow. The European Golden Plover (lóa) arrived early this week and is inspecting nesting sites in the meadows. I have also seen a Common Snipe

(hrossagaukur) in flight nearby. These birds come to Iceland solely for breeding. If they are already nesting and it snows, which happens every few years, then it will be too cold for these ground-nesting birds if the weather does not improve quickly. Here is a photo of our white 'Spring Glory', taken yesterday at 22.30. Yes, it is already as bright as this at this time of night. It's no surprise that we, like the birds, are already in summer-mode!

Surely you must be wondering why I always talk about summer when of course spring comes first. This is because, as soon as the weather improves and the temperature rises, we head straight into summer. The plants are now already growing under the snow as the ground temperature has risen and the increasing daylight penetrates the snow. Once the snow has disappeared in the valleys, usually in early June, the wind dies down, the sunny days increase, and summer is here. The spring flowers are still flowering when the summer flowers are already blooming. 

I hope you will be interested in visiting our beautiful country, and to include Ísafjörður in your trip. I look forward to seeing you!

Your Helga

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