Approximately 3 square mile Grimsey Island is the northernmost inhabited island (pop: 100) of Iceland and is located about 40 kilometers/25 miles off Iceland’s coast. Grimsey inhabitants base their livelihood almost solely on the rich fishing in this area but also has limited agriculture and bird cliffs. Polars bears have often appeared on the island brought here by drifting ice flows from Greenland. Today had to be, arguably, the best day of the 7-day cruise with bright sunshine, a chance to walk across the Arctic Circle, and a gazillion of my favorite Puffins.
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L’Austral Iceland ports of call
Puffins sitting my their burrows, Grimsey Island, Iceland
hundreds of Puffins in the seas Grimsey Island, Iceland
Puffins are the cutest birds and one of the many reasons why we decided to visit Iceland. Iceland is the breeding home of perhaps 60%t of the world’s Atlantic puffins who arrive in April and leave in August. The birds often select precipitous, rocky cliff tops to build their nests, which they line with feathers or grass. Females lay a single egg. Both parents take turns incubating it and when a chick hatches, the parents take turns feeding it by carrying small fish back to the nest.
Puffin burrows can also be found in green, grassy areas and are approximately three feet long. The birds even compartmentalize them with a separate toilet area because they don’t want the chick to get its feathers soiled which ruins their waterproof protection. According to the Tauck Tours ornithologist Ossa, they keep their burrows spick-and-span. The chick stays in the burrow for around 45 days until it is able to fly and then spends 3-5 years at sea learning about feeding places and choosing a mate.
watching Puffins on Grimsey Island, Iceland
Puffin with mouthful of fish – Grimsey Island, Iceland
Puffins watching us watch them on Grimsey Island, Iceland
I was first told that Puffins and Penguins are related, which they are not. Mumble in Happy Feet 2 thought Sven was a penguin, and they do have similar physical characteristics; matching white bellies and black overcoats, orange webbed feet and walk like Charlie Chaplin. (I called each Puffin, Sven while in Iceland thanks to Happy Feet 2.) Puffins are also social birds and like to hang out and nest in large number. Ossa also told us that the very curious Puffins will eventually walk right up to you if patient enough to sit and observe; one of the reasons they are so easy to catch! Grimsey Islanders have been saved several times from famine by catching Puffins and pickling them so they last.
Besides the uncountable numbers of Puffins all over the cliffs, there were equal amounts floating on the calm waters. The puffin passes most of its time at sea, and uses its wings to swim while hunting under the water in groups for squids, worms or crustaceans.
a plethora of Puffins, Grimsey Island, Iceland
and even more Puffins, Grimsey Island, Iceland
Oh they are so…cute! But even I finally got my fill of Puffins.
Grimsey Island also has a gazillion Arctic Terns, seabirds that never stop calling during the 24-hour long day and breed here in June and July. They are highly aggressive, a serious menace and will attack anything that comes near their eggs. I’m not referring to birds swooping over your heads; Arctic Terns stab with beaks! Since the tern will attack the highest point, visitors are warned to hold an umbrella over heads or a stick, and wave it to keep the Arctic terns away. Arctic Terns that spend the winter in Antarctica have the longest migration of any known species. An annual round trip is approximately 71,000 kilometers/44,117 miles and may exceed 2.4 million kilometers/1.5 million miles in their lifetime! Now that’s serious frequent flyer miles…
Arctic Tern guarding nest, Grimsey Island, Iceland
menacing Arctic Terns on Grimsey Island, Iceland
Arctic Terns nesting on Grimsey Island, Iceland
Grimsey Island, Iceland is worse than Hitchcock’s “The Birds”