Birdwatching on the Hvítá Riverbank: Whimbrel, Godwit & Golden Plover

Of all the wildlife experiences in west Iceland, this is the one that asks the least of you: open your truck door at dawn, walk a few steps onto the bank of the Hvítá river, and stand still. The wet fields and heathland around Hvítárbakki in Borgarfjörður are prime summer breeding ground for Iceland’s wading birds, and you do not need a car, a guide or a booking to enjoy them. This is Borgarfjörður birdwatching at its most low-effort.

Who You Will See and Hear

Borgarfjörður’s damp meadows and heath hold most of Iceland’s classic summer waders. The ones you are most likely to spot from the riverbank are:

• Golden plover (heiðlóa) — a mottled gold-and-black bird of the drier heath, and the one Icelanders treat as the herald of spring. Its first sighting each year, usually in late March, makes the national news; by summer it is nesting all around Hvítárbakki.
• Whimbrel (spói) — a large brown wader with a long down-curved bill and an unmistakable rippling, laughing call that carries across the fields.
• Black-tailed godwit (jaðrakan) — tall and long-billed, rusty-orange on the head and chest in breeding plumage.
• Redshank (stelkur) — smaller, with bright orange-red legs, and quick to sound a piping alarm when you get close.
• Common snipe (hrossagaukur) — often heard before it is seen, producing an eerie drumming “winnowing” sound as it dives through the air.

You do not need to identify everything. Half the pleasure is simply the wall of overlapping calls in the early light.

When to Go

By the first week of May most of these waders are back from their wintering grounds and on territory, and they stay noisy and active through the breeding season into roughly July. That window is the sweet spot. The birds are at their most vocal early in the morning and again late in the evening — and because Borgarfjörður has near-endless daylight in June, both “ends” of the day are comfortably light. A calm, still morning carries the calls furthest.

How to Watch Without Disturbing Them

These birds nest on the ground, directly in the fields and heath you are standing beside, so a little care matters. Keep to the paths and the riverbank rather than wandering into the grass, watch from a distance, and if a redshank or whimbrel starts calling insistently and circling you, you are too close to a nest — simply back away. Binoculars turn a distant speck into a proper sighting and mean you never have to approach.

• Getting there: none — the viewing spot is the riverbank at Hvítárbakki, a few steps from your truck.
• Duration: 30–60 minutes is plenty; the calls are constant, so you settle in fast.
• Best timing: early morning or late evening, roughly May to July.
• What to bring: binoculars, a windproof layer (the riverbank is exposed), and quiet footwear.

Where to Stay

Staying at Hvítá Trucks puts the whole thing on your doorstep: the converted expedition trucks sit right on the bank of the Hvítá at Hvítárbakki, so the wader fields begin where your steps end — no early drive, no parking, just open the door into the dawn chorus. Book direct on Ourhotels.is for the best rate.

Photo: Charles J. Sharp via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.