ICELAND PUFFINS & MORE

Itinerary

June 19
Our tour starts in Reykjavik in the morning, and we'll be flying from the Domestic Airport in Reykjavik to the town of Akureyri. We will pick up our van and make our way to the Langanes Peninsula in the northeast. We'll make regular stops along the way where we may have our first encounter with some of Iceland's common moorland birds, such as Whimbrel, Golden Plover, Redshank and Snipe. The aim is to arrive at Langanes Peninsula in the late afternoon and venture out to a Northern Gannet colony in the evening. The Gannets are breeding on a rock stack slightly offshore, but they soar by the cliffs where we can safely photograph them. We will then spend the next two nights at a nearby guesthouse located on a working sheep farm.

June 19-21
In order to accommodate for possible foggy conditions on the northeast coastline we will spend two nights at a guesthouse in the Langanes peninsula. This will give us additional photo opportunities with the gannets. We will also explore the rest of the peninsula on the search for other birds, such as; arctic tern, black-tailed godwit, common eider, European oystercatcher, whooping swan and much more.

June 21
We may return to the Gannets in the morning, depending on our success the previous evening. Then we'll eventually start traveling back west, going through an area with a few pairs of Red-throated Loons breeding on small ponds. The vast open tundra of Melrakkasletta also holds an impressive number of birds, with big numbers of Eider Ducks present. This area is very remote and has a High-Arctic feeling to it.

We may also pass through the Lake Myvatn region. It is a heaven for breeding waterfowl and although this is not the prime time for ducks, as they have started molting, there are a number of other species present at Myvatn and its outflowing Laxa River. Some of the ducks might have ducklings and although Horned Grebes have lost their tuft feathers, they should have chicks. Lake Myvatn and its surroundings never disappoint bird photographers at any time of the year. We will also likely stop at a couple of areas along the way to enjoy and photograph the spectacular landscapes of Iceland, including waterfalls and a geothermal area. At the end of the day we'll be at a hotel in Dalvik. There is a good bird area right across the street from the hotel.

June 22
We'll board the ferry to Grimsey Island in the morning and do the three-hour crossing. This is a good opportunity to be on watch for whales and seabirds and we'll have sightings of Fulmars, Black-legged Kittiwakes and Arctic Terns from the ferry, just to name a few. When we arrive to the island we'll settle into our accommodation. I have booked a guesthouse for our group. The guesthouse is ideally located outside the main village and there are Puffins nesting just steps from the front door. There are indeed Puffins nesting all around the small island and it is by far the best place in Iceland for Puffin photography. Although the island is small, it is too large to walk from one end to another with camera gear so we'll have a vehicle with us so that we can freely move around and choose shooting locations according to the light and weather conditions.

June 22-June 26
Four full days of bird photography on Grimsey will give us repeated opportunities for capturing Puffins in flight and hanging around the colonies. At this time of year, they will be starting to feed their chicks (pufflings) and nesting birds can be seen with beaks full of catch. Apart from the Puffins this is a prime location for Razorbills, another very handsome representative of the Auk family. And while the cliffs are packed with seabirds there are also several other Arctic birds breeding on the island. Arctic Terns nest just outside the guesthouse and so do a few pairs of Ringed Plover and Golden Plover. Red-necked Phalaropes can be seen on a nearby pond where in recent years Red Phalaropes have also been spotted. Snow Buntings are common breeders on the island and Purple Sandpipers can also be photographed along the shoreline. At this time of year, the sun does not set but it does skip along the horizon providing many hours of golden light when the conditions are right. This unique island provides some of the finest bird photography opportunities in Iceland.

June 26
The ferry does not leave Grimsey until the late afternoon, so we'll have a morning and afternoon photography session before getting ready to leave. We'll be in the town of Akureyri in the evening, the largest settlement outside the greater Reykjavik area. We'll overnight in a hotel in Akureyri.

June 27
We will take a morning flight from Akureyri to the Domestic Airport in Reykjavik. From there, you can make your way to the international airport in Keflavik for flights departing Iceland.