Purely Puffins

I love this picture. A child was crying and it had scared most of the Puffins into flight, except this one.

It looks like this one is basking in the adoration of the gathered crowd. At the centre of the attention.

All of these pictures were taken in late May / early June 2025 in Grimsey, Borgarfjörður Eystri and Látrabjarg.

All are very different locations. With different challenges, and access.

Grimsey wild and beautiful. Hard to get close to the Puffins without being a nuisance to the burrows at the edge of the colonies. The Puffins are very skittish here, and you will need to have patience to wait for them to come back once they have been scared off to sea by your arrival. Interestingly, I moved slowly when I was on my own and this seems to scare them into flight more than a normal walking pace. I walked the island with a local, and matched the local’s pace, and the Puffins seemed way less bothered than my creeping up on them. Perhaps slow movement is more like a predator than just marching naturally past them.

I loved Grimsey, sitting for hours on my own watching the Puffins and other birds, was magical. I spent three nights on the island and would cheerfully have spent more time there.

I did have a surprise Puffin encounter at Stórikarl Skoruvíkurbjarg and Langanesviti (near Þórshöfn), when looking for Gannets. But would not recommend this as a Puffin destination.

Látrabjarg is a more popular destination and so there are more people here than on Grimsey. However, the 40km (25 miles) drive on gravel / mud roads does put some people off. Though it can easily be done in any car (and as this is a marked road is allowed by Iceland car rental companies; though please check).

Látrabjarg has a long coastal path, and there are some fantastic viewing spots for all sorts of seabirds on the cliff faces. However, I found the best area for Puffins was down by the lighthouse as this is (for some reason I can’t explain), where most people don’t walk, despite it being right by the car park. As there is a path, you are also not at any risk of stepping on / in a burrow and so can get close (within 5 metres / 15 feet), of Puffins without disturbing them.

However, it can be hit and miss on whether there are Puffins on the cliffs or out at sea. I visited Látrabjarg on seven evenings, and only saw Puffins on two of those.

Borgarfjörður Eystri is easy access to a Puffin colony, but because of that, it is busy. However, you can get within 2 metres (or less) of the Puffins and they seem completely oblivious, unless there is a lot of noise. The disadvantage is that the viewing angle means that most of the close Puffins are lower than you.

This was completely unexpected. Normally Puffins aren’t seen bringing Sand Eels back to shore until they have a Puffling in the burrow to feed. Which is normally July / August. So I had zero hope of getting a picture like this.

I was watching the fight and this little fellow plopped down right in front of me, caught my eye, fluffed itself and waddled into its burrow. Gone.

I managed to snap off this one shot and I have never been so excited to have taken a picture.

It’s not a great angle, as I am above the bird, but still… what a privilege to have seen this.