Puffins in Borgafjörđur

We are an Austrian couple currently living and working in the east of Iceland, and we would love to share here some of our experiences with you.

Last week we were driving to Borgarfjördur to see the puffins there. It was about a hours drive from Egilsstadir, where we are working.  The trip to the small village is worth the journey in itself. When you arrive at the parking area, it's just a view minutes walk to where the puffins are nesting - and then all you have to do is wait for these cute birds to arrive.

Tips, which might help you if you are planning to see the puffins;
They spend 8 months of the year at open sea and just come to land to breed - this means you can see them only from beginning/mid of April until beginning/mid of August. The birds are usually getting more active in the evening, so the chances to spot them are best from around 5 p.m. or even a bit later. In Iceland weather is usually quite rough and also can change really quickly, so even if it's sunny and warm when you depart, it's good to take warm jackets with you, so you are prepared for all kind of weather conditions to make sure, you are not freezing and can enjoy your bird watching trip.

Some more puffin facts:

• 60% of the world's puffins breed in Iceland.
  
• Puffins are really poor fliers but excellent swimmers.
  
• Puffins beak changes colour during the year, they are colourful during spring and lose the colour during winter.
  
• Puffins mate for life, some of them have been together for 20 years.
  
• Female puffins only lay one egg each spring.
  

Author,

​Images and text by renATE photography
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https://www.eyeem.com/u/renatephotography