I by no means thought I’d say this, however I discovered a hen I hate.
It was a moody, lovely day once we landed on Grímsey on our Iceland Circumnavigation expedition journey. Somewhat island 40 kilometers north of Iceland, the one a part of Iceland that sits inside the Arctic Circle at 66° North. The remainder of Iceland sits just under the Arctic Circle.
That is most likely the principle draw card for these visiting Grímsey, however I’m simply right here for nature and the birds.
I additionally love visiting off-the-beaten-path areas, and in a rustic as in style as Iceland, these may be laborious to seek out. Relaxation assured, Grímsey remains to be fairly far off the grid. The good half about exploring Iceland by sea with Journey Canada is that we are able to rock up nearly wherever, disembark with zodiacs, and discover on the water anytime. That’s infinitely tougher to do in case you’re touring independently.
And let me say that tourism has modified drastically within the decade since I final visited Iceland. Fortunately, with the ship, we might really plan to be in locations once they had been quiet or keep away from clashing when different massive cruise ships had been in port. We regularly had spectacular locations all to ourselves. And this was positively the case with Grímsey.
Grímsey is wild and exquisite. With steep cliffs lined in nesting seabirds and puffins to rolling inexperienced hills to probably the most good Wes Anderson orange lighthouse, Grímsey is like one thing straight out of a journey guidebook however with out the vacationers.
However I’ll all the time bear in mind Grímsey because the place the place I acquired bonked on the pinnacle 4 instances by Arctic terns – my new hen enemy.
Not as soon as, however FOUR TIMES!!! What the hell!
Now pay attention, guys. I’m sufficient of a hen nerd to know that the majority birds develop into aggressively protecting when nesting. That’s regular. And since I adhere to the no interference rule, I don’t usually go wherever close to nesting birds. Journey Canada is strictly the identical – depart no influence on nature. Simply observe respectfully.
However Arctic terns take this to an entire new stage. It doesn’t assist that they nest on the bottom, and there are hundreds of thousands of them.
Grímsey is dwelling to one of many largest breeding colonies of Arctic terns in Iceland. They usually’re inescapable. Mating for all times, they nest wherever they need, alongside the principle (and solely) street. About 55 individuals reside on Grimsey. And to get wherever, you may’t escape the terns.
I opted to take a look at the lighthouse and the gorgeous hen cliffs, accessed by the principle street. It was a tremendous stroll, minus one part the place you needed to run to your life previous all the terns who made it their mission to divebomb everybody. It’s why I don’t have any images from that exact stretch of street.
Arctic terns really maintain the world file for the longest migration of any animal on the earth. Touring over 70,000 kilometers on common twice yearly, Arctic terns migrate between their summer time breeding grounds within the Arctic to the austral summer time in Antarctica.
The typical arctic tern can reside to be over 30 years previous and can journey the equal of over three spherical journeys from Earth to the Moon throughout its lifetime. Fairly spectacular.
And in case you can look previous the actual fact they could attempt to bop you on the pinnacle repeatedly, they’re lovely birds. Elegant with lengthy wings and forked tails, their silhouette makes them simply identifiable.
There are many different lovely birds to be discovered on Grimsey, in addition to some massive breeding colonies of sea birds. Right here within the summertime, you’ll discover loads of black-legged kittiwakes, puffins, razorbills, and guillemots.
The truth is, seabirds outnumber people on Grimsey at round 10,000 to at least one. There are additionally no foxes on the island, which makes it significantly protected for nesting birds. One of the best season for birdwatching right here is from April to August.
For me, I actually loved watching the big colonies of puffins across the island. I might watch them for hours. Tiny and cute, puffins had been nearly in every single place. Seeing them plopped down amongst the flowers was ridiculously cute. I’m nonetheless attempting to get the shot of 1 with a beak stuffed with fish, however man, it’s laborious! I feel I want an even bigger telephoto lens. The gifted photographer on board with us, Steve Rose, managed to get the puffin shot, although!
Stepping inside the Arctic Circle is fairly excessive on the bucket checklist for some vacationers, and Grimsey is the one place in Iceland the place you are able to do that.
The Arctic Circle runs by way of the little island, although I discovered it fascinating that it shifts northward yr to yr. By the center of the twenty first century, it’s anticipated that the Arctic Circle will now not go by way of Grimsey. So now’s your probability.
For the remainder of the group that didn’t really feel like getting hen PTSD, they walked within the different course on Grímsey to see the long-lasting monument “Orbis et Globus,” a three-meter, eight-ton stone sphere that marks the placement of the Arctic Circle on the island. As a result of it’s a sphere, it will get moved yearly in step with the modifications within the Arctic Circle.
Once I replicate on all the superb locations I used to be in a position to go to in Iceland, Grímsey sits excessive amongst my faves. A silent underdog, the quiet fantastic thing about Grímsey mixed with epic birdlife made it unforgettable.
Whereas the Arctic tern has formally moved down on the checklist of birds I really like, it was nonetheless fairly unbelievable to see them in massive colonies – from a distance.
Have you ever heard of Grímsey? Is that this a spot you’d like to go to in Iceland? Share.
Many due to Journey Canada for internet hosting me in Iceland – like all the time, I’m holding it actual – all opinions are my very own, like you may anticipate much less from me!
