Birdwatching at Andakíll: Ramsar Wetlands Where Geese Stage

Ten minutes’ drive from the bank of the Hvítá river, the wet meadows around Hvanneyri turn into one of Iceland’s busiest bird stopovers twice a year. The Andakíll wetlands were designated a Ramsar site of international importance in February 2013, and the flat hayfields and river-flood plains here draw thousands of geese and swans on migration. For guests doing the Borgarfjörður circuit by car, it is an easy dawn detour with a good pair of binoculars.

Why Andakíll Matters

The Ramsar Convention lists wetlands that are internationally significant for waterbirds, and Andakíll qualified on several counts. The alluvial plains along the Hvítá flood regularly, laying down sediment that feeds a rich mix of grasses and sedges. That, plus the tended hayfields around the agricultural college at Hvanneyri, gives migrating birds exactly what they need: open sightlines, safe roosting, and plenty to graze. A habitat protection area for geese was first set up at Hvanneyri back in 2002 and later enlarged, so the birds have been monitored here for decades.

The Geese, and When to Come

The headline species is the Greenland white-fronted goose (blesgæs, Anser albifrons flavirostris), which breeds in West Greenland and winters in Britain and Ireland. Iceland is its refuelling stop in between, and Hvanneyri is one of the most important staging sites in the whole country. Come in April and May for the spring passage, or September and October for the autumn return. Early morning is best: the geese commute between the estuary where they roost and the fields where they feed, so dawn gives you both the movement and the light.

You won’t only see white-fronts. Whooper swans (the big yellow-and-black-billed swan) use the same wet ground, greylag geese are common, and in early summer the hayfields fill with breeding waders such as redshank, snipe, and black-tailed godwit. Bring a bird book if you want to sort them out.

Watching Without Disturbing the Birds

Viewing here is roadside and from field edges around Hvanneyri, not by walking out among the flocks. Staging birds are storing energy for a long flight, and every time they flush they burn fuel they need, so keep your distance and stay by the car or on tracks. Dogs should be on a lead. A car doubles as a hide: geese tolerate a parked vehicle far better than a person on foot, so watch from inside where you can.

• Getting there: about 10 minutes by car from the Hvítá Inn, toward Hvanneyri off Route 50 in Borgarfjörður.
• Best timing: April–May and September–October for goose staging; visit around dawn for the field-to-estuary commute.
• How long: allow roughly 1–2 hours, more if the light is good.
• What to bring: binoculars (a scope helps), a bird guide, waterproof boots, warm windproof layers, and a leash if you bring a dog.

Where to Stay

The Hvítá Inn sits right on the Hvítá river at Hvítárbakki, about 10 minutes from the Andakíll fields — close enough to leave before sunrise, catch the geese moving, and be back for breakfast. Its private-bathroom rooms make an easy, warm base for early starts on the Borgarfjörður birding and waterfall loop. Book direct on Ourhotels.is for the best rate.

Photo: Ómar Runólfsson via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.