Haust í Reykjavík (Autumn in Reykjavík)

Halló,

It‘s definitely autumn here in Reykjavík. A friend of mine made the unwelcome comment a few weeks ago about the pass off the recent equinox, a turning point in daylight that is especially noticeable here up north. We lose something live several minutes of daylight every day, and the sun fall farther from the sky with each week.

All the grimness of my first winter in the land of ice aside, autumn has been quite lovely here. Reykjavík is a planted city, so there is plenty of change in the trees and animals. Leaves change colour and drop off before being caught in the afternoon zephyrs that are so common here. Families of swans have migrated to the Tjörn and they seem to have no intention of leaving before things get colder. Icelandic Gulls have lost their black head feathers in favour of a more demure white. The Greylag geese congregate in larger groups and the Mallards seem fluffy with down. I've taken a couple of photos.

Cheeky Greylag Geese. Bulky and noisy.

This is a small tangle of Icelandic Birch near the Tjörn.

The white building is actually a conservatory where people go for music lessons.

Reykjavík skyline at midday.

This photo was not actually taken in Reykjavík proper, but in Kópavogur, a suburb to the south.

The harbour in Kópavogur.

On special windy afternoons when the mist from the fountain is spread thinly enough and the light from the sun is coming from the proper direction there are lovely rainbows.

One of many swan families in the Tjörn. I count at least three proper families, parents and cignets, but there are also a few pairs that seem to be without children. These are Whooper Swans, which breed exclusively in Iceland. The families are meant to migrate together before winter, but apparently several stay in the Tjörn.