Puffins Rocks and More

Photos: August 2, 2014

My original notion was not more than five photos from each day. But each day brought such beauty, such surprises, that I have not been able to stick to that. We spent part of the morning at Dyrhóleay where it is easy to watch the puffins. They nest on the cliffs, including on the sea stacks.



They are constantly taking off to find food and landing with their bright orange feet reaching out as if putting on the brakes.

The sand in the area is black. Water has carved out caves in the basalt. You can walk along the beach, in and out of caves.



A little farther along we stopped at Reynisfjara where the basalt columns look like a giant pipe organ. The textures in the nearby rock are fascinating.



And farther up the cliffs - more puffins.



Reynesdrangar - a sea stack out in the water. Incredible beauty everywhere we looked.

More photos can be found at: Iceland Album on flickr

Day 196: Bird Islands

Day 196: Bird Islands, originally uploaded by susanvg.

This is a magical place – a place to watch nature and listen. We sat at the end of a bluff near a cliff watching the small islands right near us. On one there were puffins and seagulls, including some gray downy juveniles ((if you view this image in the largest size in flickr, you will see the puffins on the left). This rocky island was a perfect perch for the gulls as they watched the water for fish. Not far off was the iceberg we had seen the day before. And occasionally we saw the spouts of whales coming up for air. Our attention drifted from one to the other. The puffins are comical birds, waddling on their big orange feet and ducking into their nests. They fly – little round things with madly flapping wings and occasionally flew right near the area where we were sitting.

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Day 193: Murres and Puffins

Day 193: Murres and Puffins, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Birdwatching and more

There is nothing like a ride on a boat to slow time down. The ocean was calm, the air warm – perfect weather to take in the wildlife. It was wonderful to be out on the water. The first destination was Witless Bay Ecological Refuge – a series of small islands where thousands of sea birds nest in the summer. As we got nearer we started to see puffins zooming over the water. They are really like little windup toys with wings going at quite a speed. It was quite something to see the island – the bottom part rocky, where the murres lived along with some seagulls. The top part was grassy and full of holes – the nests of the puffins. There were thousands of birds. We also saw one black backed gull, which apparently eats puffins – up to 6 a day.

Later we saw humpback whales – such graceful creatures. Two spouts came up at one point and a double breech as the tails rose into the air. Here and there, the whales came up to breathe – no hurry, just a slow breath and then under the water again. The gently rocking water and their slow, calm movement brought a great sense of peace.

The coastline is incredibly beautiful, rocky, with constant inlets. The waves wash over the rocks causing little waterfalls as they retreat.

Finally a visit to Cape Spear – hailed as the easternmost point in North America. It may be the easternmost tip of Canada – but last I heard Greenland was part of North America. Funny how everything tries to be the “est” biggest, farthest, - something to make it unique. But each place is unique – it doesn't take superlatives to make it so. Cape Spear and its lighthouse from the 1800s was a lovely place to be. We spotted a whale offshore. After climbing to the top where the lighthouse is located, we stayed a while and enjoyed the view and the serenity. You could hear sounds from below – the waves, a flock of birds passing near the water and occasional muffled voices. A very peaceful place to be.

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