Retired Nomads - Part 3: Grimsey Island, Iceland

Tuesday, August 29, 2023

Grimsey Island, Iceland - P.M. Arctic Circle

In the afternoon we had a walk around Grimsey, followed by a Zodiac cruise.

Here we saw puffins nesting (at this time of year their chicks almost ready to leave the nest) and some other bird species.

European Golden-Plover

We came across a pond with these birds spinning around and around and pecking in the water. We should have gotten video. (check them out on YouTube). The birds twirl on the surface like little ballerinas, spinning and pecking, again and again; drawing invertebrates up to the surface to eat.

Red-necked Phalarope

Arctic Tern - Juvenile

Common Eider Ducks

Common Eider Duck with chicks

We also stopped at the Arctic Circle marker for our photo op. This is as far north as this cruise would go. We had a very slight drizzle of rain for about 20 minutes before it passed. (their provided waterproof jacket really worked)

Meadow Pipit

Purple Sandpiper

Rednecked Phalarope

Zodiac before ours

Before returning to the ship there was a zodiac cruise of the surrounding area for birds & scenery. There were tons of birds, but it was a bit cool and windy for those that weren’t appropriately dressed. A few people started complaining that they were tired of looking at puffins, it must be teatime and were cold, but the Zodiac driver finished the cruise. Yay!

Here we saw many species of birds, including puffins, Guillemots and various species of gulls.