Flói Bird Reserve - Walking in Iceland [4K]

The Flói Bird Reserve was established in 1997 when the local district of Eyrarbakki (which later became Árborg) and BirdLife Iceland signed an agreement on the restoration of wetlands east of the river Ölfusá. In the spring of that year BirdLife Iceland received its first grant from the Environmental Fund for Trade, and since then a great deal of effort has gone into reclaiming wetlands and developing facilities for birdwatchers. It is only the second wetland reclamation project of its kind in Iceland. The Flói Bird Reserve is an excellent example of a successful partnership between the local authorities, non-profit organisations and a conservation fund.

The Reserve is characterised by its flood meadows and numerous small ponds. It covers an area of approximately 5 km2 and is roughly 1-1.5 km wide. Together with the Ölfusforir area and the estuary of the river Ölfusá it forms an Important Bird Area (IBA) as defined by BirdLife International. The area is low-lying, averaging a mere two metres above sea level. At spring tide the seawater can flood into the Reserve and only the hummocks at Stakkholt, where the bird hide is located, remain above water. In clear weather the views to the surrounding mountains are simply stunning.

The Flói area is situated on the great Þjórsá lava plain, which was formed around 8,700 years ago. The lava originated from an eruption far inland in the Veiðivötn area and it was the largest post-Ice Age lava flow on earth. The surface of the reserve is covered with pools and ponds. Depressions in the ancient lava are filled with water because of the high local water table. There are thousands of such pools dotted around in the lava and they range from 4 metres to several dozen metres in diameter and most of them are rather shallow.

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Equipment I use:
Camera: GoPro Hero 7 Black
Gimbal: Zhiyun Smooth 4

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