Sumardagurinn fyrsti

It's Sumardagurinn fyrsti, the first day of summer and a public holiday in Iceland. Always falling on a Thursday between April 19 and 25 its origins can be traced back to the earliest Icelandic records.

Whilst the weather has been distinctly winterish these last few days the birds at least seem to be celebrating Sumardagurinn fyrsti. Migrant waders are arriving in good numbers -- oystercatchers have been with us for some weeks, more and more golden plovers are evident and redshanks (like the bird in the photo) are just beginning to show up.

We know that summer is just around the corner ...