Puffins in early May? (1 Viewer)

Hi,

Early next month, I am going to Iceland for a week. Although not really a birding trip, I will of course try to see as many birds as possible.
The idea is to drive to Myvatn and have 1-2 days to do Husavik and Myvatn surroundings. After that back to the south (Golden Circle). We might include a detour to Vik i Myrdal, but is it too early to see puffins there? Or are there better chances elswhere?

Regards,

Thys

Hi Thys,

As far as I know the puffins start to arrive in the second half of April, so you should be OK. Vik is a great place to visit anyhow, make sure you go to the beach on the western side of the cliffs as well (Reynisfjall). Great basalt formations there and normally a few puffins on top of them. Most breed on the eastern side though, above the village beach. You might see puffins in the north as well, especially on a whalewatching trip from Husavik. Have a great trip!

N

Hi Thys

There will certainly be Puffins at Vík in early May but at that time of the year they can disappear from the colonies during the day, especially if it is a sunny day. In sunny weather they often stay out at sea until the evening, so an early morning visit or an evening visit is advised. In cloudy or rainy weather they can be seen more often throughout the day. If you do visit the beach on the western side of Reynisfjall, known as Reynisfjara, just keep an eye out for big waves - there has been one fatal accident there and several close calls with rogue waves catching people by surprise and dragging them back down the beach. It's a great spot, but just be aware of the danger.

You can also see Puffins around Húsavík, at a couple of locations at the northern end of the Tjörnes peninsula and probably from the whalewatching trips. You can also see Puffins at sea from the Reykjavík whalewatching trips.

E

Thanks Edward and Nohatch for the replies.
I think, I'll book a whale/puffin trip in Husavik to be on the safe side, puffin-wise.

Thys

Well, back from Iceland for a week already.

The whaletrip was a good choice, there were loads of puffins at sea. As were fulmars and a few black guillemots.

On the whole, it was a successful trip. I saw 51 bird species of which 12 were lifers. Also very pleased with the spotted redshank.

Thys

ger.thys said:

Well, back from Iceland for a week already.

The whaletrip was a good choice, there were loads of puffins at sea. As were fulmars and a few black guillemots.

On the whole, it was a successful trip. I saw 51 bird species of which 12 were lifers. Also very pleased with the spotted redshank.

Thys

Click to expand...

I saw your photos of it on ebird - that was the first time that Spotted Redshank has ever been photographed in Iceland, a very good bird indeed.

Nice one, glad you had a good time

N