June 1, 2014 - Iceland - Puffins
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Diana and I are back from our trip to Iceland. We had a great time and I took lots of photos. This week I’m featuring one of the most spectacular birds we saw: the Atlantic Puffin. Puffins spend most of their lives on the open sea but they come to rocky shorelines during the summer to nest. Iceland has many locations where Puffins nest, but these photos were taken during a wonderful boat trip in the Breiðafjörður Islands, near the town of Stykkishólmur, Iceland. A puffin digs a hole in the ground for its nest; the one on the right has dirt on its feathers from being in the nest hole.
PuffinAtlanticBoatTripBreiðafjörðurIslandsStykkishólmurIceland20140515
Here’s another pair of Puffins. In the upper right of the photo, it looks like there is a hole which might be the entrance to their nest. Puffins mate for life and can live over 30 years. They raise only one chick per year. We were told that many nests had been unsuccessful for the last few years because of a shortage of Sand Eels, a small fish that is the preferred food for Puffin chicks.
PuffinAtlanticBoatTripBreiðafjörðurIslandsStykkishólmurIceland20140515
Here’s a closer look at the comical bill of the Atlantic Puffin. The orange part of the bill grows for the breeding season. After the chicks are raised, it falls off. So, during the winter, the bill is only as big as the black part that you see in this photo.
PuffinAtlanticBoatTripBreiðafjörðurIslandsStykkishólmurIceland20140515
This is the kind of habitat Puffins use for their nesting areas. It’s one of the islands in a group called the Westman Islands, located off the southern coast of Iceland. To give you some perspective about size, the white spot on the top left of the island is a house. Puffins choose to nest in the grassy areas on and near the top of the island. Other bird species make nests in the crevices on the rocky sides of these islands.
Here’s my favorite Puffin photo; the bird decided to fly off the island right in front of our boat. Puffins are very fast flyers but I managed to get one shot in focus as it flew away.
PuffinAtlanticflightBoatTripBreiðafjörðurIslandsStykkishólmurIceland20140515
Gottesman
on June 4, 2014Lovely photos. We saw the puffin fly
Kate Simpson
on June 4, 2014Earl, thanks for sharing your magnificent website and its awe-inspiring photos. i wish you could be the official photographer for all of my future trips!
Bless-bless,
Kate
Fran
on June 4, 2014Hi Earl and Diana,
What beautiful photos! I can't decide on a favorite.
Thank- you for sharing. I'd also like to thank-you for helping make my first Road Scholar such a resounding success. I hope we' ll keep in touch if only through email.
Ciao,
Fran
Leo
on June 4, 2014Earl,
What great photos. I especially like the one of the puffin in flight.
Thanks,
Leo
Diana
on June 1, 2014It's wonderful to go on a trip and not worry about getting good photos -- because your husband is doing that! Just wanted to add how surprised I was at the size of the puffins. When you get close to them, they are much smaller than I thought; only about a foot tall.