Hrafn Svavarsson 

Managing Director
hrafn [att] gaviatravel.com

Hrafn is Gavia Travel's managing director and one of the founders of Gavia Travel. He is a keen birder and bird photographer. Hrafn organizes many of our customized Nature and Wildlife Tours as well as Birding Tours. He also occasionally guides private tours. Hrafn is currently a board member of The Icelandic Society for the Protection of Birds (Fuglavernd - Birdlife Iceland)

A brief history

It all started when I was 5 years of age when I founded the "Bird Rescue team of Iceland" and enlisted my whole family to go out and rescue all birds they could find that were in need.

I'm not sure if it was just to get off duty but my father introduced me to Fuglavernd - BirdLife Iceland when I was 8 years old. Seeing that there was a whole group of people (even adults) who shared my interest in protecting birds I accepted to put the “Rescue Team” on hold at least and joined Fuglavernd. The following years I attended all events Fuglavernd was offering and spent all free time I had to go bird watching at my local patch. At the age of 20 I went to Bifrost School of business and graduated from there with a University degree in Business Administration. During my time at Bifrost I started the company Natturusyn ehf. (means Natures vision) which later developed into Gavia Travel.  

The goal with Gavia Travel is to make a profitable company that is able to support Fuglavernd and help preserve nature and wildlife in Iceland.

Yann Kolbeinsson 

Tour Organizer and Guide
yann [att] gaviatravel.com

Yann has guided birding and nature tours for a decade now and plays an important role in organizing and guiding birding tours for Gavia Travel. He is one of Iceland’s most active birders and an avid bird photographer. Yann is currently finishing his M.Sc. degree in avian ecology at the University of Iceland, studying Red-necked Phalaropes Phalaropus lobatus and Red Phalaropes Ph. fulicarius. He is also currently a board member of The Icelandic Society for the Protection of Birds (Fuglavernd - Birdlife Iceland) and is a member of the Icelandic Rarities Committee. Yann runs a website called Birding Iceland at http://www.birdingiceland.com/.

A brief history

I was born in 1979, in Southern France. Since then I have lived at Reykjavík, Iceland although I return to the Mediterranean area annually for a short break. Started birding around the age of twelve with my first rarity being a Bohemian Waxwing in 1991. Outside Iceland and France, I've visited some of the best birding areas in North America and trips in the Western Palearctic include Spain, Po Delta in Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK. Elsewhere I've recently been to Ecuador, Kenya and Thailand.

Websites: Birding Iceland, Gavia Travel, My images

Edward Barry Rickson

Edward is a keen birder and nature enthusiasts and has guided several birding tours for UK tour operators in recent years. He has played a big role in organizing birding tours and translating texts for Gavia Travel. He is also currently a board member of The Icelandic Society for the Protection of Birds (Fuglavernd - Birdlife Iceland)

A brief history

I was born in 1972 in Manchester, England but have been settled in Iceland since 1997. Although generally interested in birds and wildlife as a child it wasn't until I came to live in Iceland that I began to spend more and more time looking in people's gardens and walking across seaweed-strewn beaches searching for birds. I'd describe myself as a very keen birder, but not a serious birder, as I actually enjoy birding. My birding ambition is to overtake Yann on his world list and see the Black Grasswren of Western Australia, preferably at the same time.

Website: Birding Iceland, Gavia Travel

Daniel Bergmann

Daniel Bergmann is arguably Iceland’s best known nature photographer. And has organized and guided photography workshops for decades. Apart from organizing his own workshops Daniel has helped in organizing photography workshops for Gavia Travel in recent years.

A brief history

I am a professional nature photographer with over two decades of experience in the field of photography. In 1999 I completely turned my energies towards nature photography and have since focused on capturing the essence of Iceland's landscapes and wild creatures. The long days of summer have me wandering about – sleep deprived – in search of magic moments.

I used to write and photograph for the now dormant Icelandic Geographic Magazine. I am also the editor of Fuglar (Birds) magazine and photographic editor for Bliki bird magazine. I am also actively involved in nature conservation as a board member of Fuglavernd - BirdLife Iceland. I currently live at the Snaefellsnes peninsula in Iceland.

International magazine credits include BBC Wildlife Magazine, National Geographic Traveler, CNN Traveller, TIME for kids, RSPB's Birds, Birdwatch, Birding World and Dutch Birding. I have authored two books in English on Icelandic nature; Icelandic Wilderness, published in 2003, and Skaftafell National Park, published in 2004.

Website: Daniel Bergmann Photography

Jóhann Óli Hilmarsson

Jóhann Óli is Iceland’s best known professional bird photographer. He organizes and guides many of our customized photography tours and workshops. Jóhann wrote the bestselling book "Icelandic Bird Guide" and recently published a book on the Atlantic Puffin.

For the last one and a half decades or so Jóhann Óli has worked entirely on birds, both as a photographer and an ornithologist, as well as a guide. He has also been a leader for Icelandic birdwatchers abroad. Jóhann Óli has been working on conservation for years and is currently the chairman of Fuglavernd – BirdLife Iceland.

His photos have been published in magazines, books, papers, exhibitions and websites all over the world.

Website: Coming soon..

Gunnar Thor Hallgrímsson

Gunnar Thor Hallgrímsson is an ornithologist and a serious birder. He has guided several daytours and customized birding tours in recent years.

A brief history

Born in Reykjavík 1979 and started birding around the age of nine with support and encouragement from my father. My first rarity was a couple of Barn Swallow in spring 1988 and interest in rare birds has remained ever since. Currently I´m a member of the Icelandic Rarities Committee. My favourite rarities are small passerines – especially genera Acrocephalus and Hippolais.

In recent years ecological interest has improved with particular interest in migration routes of Purple Sandpipers, hybridization of Glaucous- and Herring Gulls and breeding biology of Lesser Black-backed Gulls – which is my Ph.D project at the University of Iceland.

Website: Tracking Larus fuscus

Brynjúlfur Brynjólfsson

Brynjúlfur runs along with Björn Arnarsson the South East Iceland Bird Observatory and is one of Iceland’s most active birders. Brynjúlfur and Björn are our local guides in the south east Iceland.

A brief history

I was born in Reykjavík in 1964 but grew up in Húsavík. I've been interested in birds for as long as I can remember and from about 1980 the interest began to grow and nowadays I go looking for birds 365 days a year. In 1991 I moved to Höfn í Hornafirði and have lived there ever since. South-east Iceland is a fascinating area for anyone interested in birds, not least vagrant birds. I passed the much-wanted 200 mark a few years after moving to Höfn and have now set my sights on reaching 300 within the next ten years.

In 1999 I was one of the people responsible for getting www.fuglar.is off the ground and have been the webmaster of this site ever since. In 2003 preparations for a bird observatory got underway and the dream became reality on 14 March 2005 and I've been a member of the observatory team ever since.

I'm interested in all kinds of birds (except seeing penguins in Iceland). One of my main ambitions for years was to see an Avocet in Iceland and when I reported four birds together in Höfn in the spring of 2004 most people thought I'd lost the plot, as there had only been a single previous record from 1954. I also enjoy bird photography and since 1985 (the year in which I saw my 100th species, Barnacle Goose) I have photographed 210 species, as well as several subspecies, of the 267 I have seen in total in Iceland. Birds I have found and photographed include Pied-billed Grebe, Laughing Gull, Semipalmated Plover, Avocet, Olive-backed Pipit, Thrush Nightingale and Blyth's Reed Warbler.

Website: Fuglar.is