Iceland has the most wonderful and accessible puffin colonies I have ever seen, anywhere! As one of my favorite birds, they also rank near the top of wildlife I like to photograph. In all of my travels to shoot northern seabird colonies, the name of the game has been to pick out the few puffins from the throng of other seabirds. In Iceland it is just the opposite. At this puffin stronghold it is possible to visit colonies and see thousands of Atlantic puffins in the air at once. At remote Latrabjarg, some of the puffins are so unwary that it is literally possible to touch them! No place else in the world compares to photographing Atlantic puffins in Iceland, and there is no better location to photograph puffins in Iceland than Latrabjarg!
—Joe Van Os
Located only a few degrees south of the Arctic Circle, Iceland attracts great numbers of colonial seabirds to nest on its precipitous cliffs and offshore islets. Each spring, millions of breeding birds converge on Iceland, forming some of the most spectacular nesting colonies to be seen anywhere in the world. We concentrate on a location best-known for its impressive and highly unwary Atlantic puffin population, where we also expect to photograph common and thick-billed murres, razorbills, black guillemots, northern fulmars, red-necked phalaropes, black-tailed godwits, arctic terns, black-legged kittiwakes and other nesting gulls. Our trip is timed to coincide with the middle of the Atlantic puffin nesting cycle. Now, the chicks are hatching and some birds are foraging for numerous small fish to feed their single voracious hatchling. Others, awaiting the chick's appearance, spend more time loafing on the cliff—and allow prolonged shooting opportunities. At this time of year, puffins frequently stand just outside their cliff-top burrow, often among tiny but prolific bouquets of dwarf wildflowers, as they scan for predators.
On our way towards Latrabjarg we photograph at the scenic Arnarstapi cliffs on Snaefellsnes Peninsula, and spend time on bucolic Flatey Island shooting unwary black guillemots, common eiders, common redshanks and snow buntings. We use the next five full days on Iceland's northwestern coast at the Latrabjarg cliffs. From a small, comfortable hotel we have a short commute to this extreme tip of Iceland—the westernmost point of Europe—and experience its many moods during June's long daylight hours.
If you've ever wanted to work on photographing one charismatic species and have the time to thoroughly capture it with your camera, then this trip is for you. The photography and warm Icelandic hospitality, coupled with Iceland's natural scenic beauty, the cry of the seabirds, and the smell of salt air blend marvelously in this concentrated summer photo shoot.
Itinerary
Day 1
Depart from US. Most flights from the US are overnight flights that depart late in the evening and arrive the following morning. However, some flights depart earlier in the day and arrive Keflavik Airport late at night requiring an additional hotel night, and expense, in Reykjavik.
Day 2 (Jun 17)
Typically, overnight flights from the US to Iceland arrive at the Keflavík Airport in the early morning. Take the FlyBus shuttle to our Reyjkavik hotel. We meet for dinner this evening. (D)
Day 3
After breakfast, we travel to Budir, splendidly-situated on the shores of Snaefellsnes Peninsula. The major peninsular landmark is the Snaefellsjokull glacier which is renowned for its "mystical powers" that captured the imagination of people all over the world as the entrance to the prehistoric subterranean world in Jules Verne's The Journey to the Centre of the Earth published in 1864. At the extraordinary Arnarstapi seabird cliffs, kittiwakes nest on hexagonal columnar black basalt, common eiders patrol the shore, and numerous other birds and interesting landscapes may be photographed. (BLD)
Day 4
We take the early morning ferry across Breidafjordur Bay, stopping at Flatey Island for a day of photography before continuing our ferry trip across the bay to Brjanslaekur in the Westfjords. Flatey Island is a dreamy little summer vacation village dotted with charming and colorful old-fashioned cottages and a church. Due to the island's small size the birdlife becomes very acclimated to the "summer people," and birds like black guillemots and common redshanks are probably more unwary here than any other place in the world. In the afternoon we reboard the ferry and drive west to Breidavik. (BLD)
Days 5–9
We spend these five full days at the Latrabjarg bird cliff—standing at the farthest western end of Iceland. The immense cliff is more than eight miles long, nearly 1,500 feet high in some sections and teems with birds. Puffins are somewhat mysterious as to their daily schedule, and it is possible to arrive at the cliff when only a few are present. At other times the top of the cliff is packed with birds! Whether they all decide to head out to sea to forage at the same time, or to just socialize offshore, there is no predicting when they will be on the cliff en masse. So we have built in an ample amount of shooting time to make sure to hit the "mother lode!" Even if only a few puffins are present at times—when we return a few hours later the birds may all be there. In the meantime we are occupied by photographing all the other local species of birds whose presence is a bit more predictable. Arctic terns, red-throated loons, red-necked phalaropes and black-headed gulls nest right on the expansive hotel grounds. There is always something to occupy our attention! (BLD)
Day 13
We return to Reykjavik today. Traveling through a lush area of marsh and moorlands dotted with small ponds, we make our way to the capital city for a final overnight. (BLD)
Day 14 (Jun 26)
Depart Reykjavik by FlyBus shuttle for Keflavik Airport in time for morning or late afternoon flight departures to the US. (B)
Trip Highlights
- Atlantic puffin photography at one of the world’s premier puffin photography locations
- Trip timed to median puffin egg-hatching date and the start of adults delivery of fish to the chicks
- Photograph puffins standing amidst profuse coastal wildflowers
- A highly-concentrated shoot offering five full days of Atlantic puffin shooting at the superlative Latrabjarg seabird cliff
Tour Details
Dates
June 16–26, 2012
Fee
$5,995 from Reykjavik, Iceland
Deposit
$400
Limit
14
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