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. A bit of 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 slightly below the Arctic Circle.
That is in all probability the primary 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 well-liked as Iceland, these will be onerous to seek out. Relaxation assured, Grímsey continues 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 virtually wherever, disembark with zodiacs, and discover on the water anytime. That’s infinitely tougher to do if you happen to’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 giant cruise ships had been in port. We regularly had spectacular locations all to ourselves. And this was undoubtedly the case with Grímsey.
Grímsey is wild and delightful. With steep cliffs coated in nesting seabirds and puffins to rolling inexperienced hills to essentially the most excellent Wes Anderson orange lighthouse, Grímsey is like one thing straight out of a journey guidebook however with out the vacationers.
However I’ll at all times keep in mind Grímsey because the place the place I bought bonked on the pinnacle 4 occasions by Arctic terns – my new hen enemy.
Not as soon as, however FOUR TIMES!!! What the hell!
Now hear, guys. I’m sufficient of a hen nerd to know that almost all birds develop into aggressively protecting when nesting. That’s regular. And since I adhere to the no interference rule, I don’t typically 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 a complete new degree. It doesn’t assist that they nest on the bottom, and there are hundreds of thousands of them.
Grímsey is residence to one of many largest breeding colonies of Arctic terns in Iceland. And so they’re inescapable. Mating for all times, they nest wherever they need, alongside the primary (and solely) highway. About 55 individuals stay on Grimsey. And to get wherever, you’ll be able to’t escape the terns.
I opted to take a look at the lighthouse and the attractive hen cliffs, accessed by the primary highway. It was a tremendous stroll, minus one part the place you needed to run in 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 highway.
Arctic terns really maintain the world document 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 season breeding grounds within the Arctic to the austral summer season in Antarctica.
The common arctic tern can stay to be over 30 years outdated and can journey the equal of over three spherical journeys from Earth to the Moon throughout its lifetime. Fairly spectacular.
And if you happen to can look previous the actual fact they may 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 giant breeding colonies of sea birds. Right here within the summertime, you’ll discover loads of black-legged kittiwakes, puffins, razorbills, and guillemots.
In actual fact, seabirds outnumber people on Grimsey at round 10,000 to 1. There are additionally no foxes on the island, which makes it notably secure for nesting birds. The very best season for birdwatching right here is from April to August.
For me, I actually loved watching the massive 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 making an attempt to get the shot of 1 with a beak filled with fish, however man, it’s onerous! 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 12 months to 12 months. By the center of the twenty first century, it’s anticipated that the Arctic Circle will not move 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 path on Grímsey to see the enduring monument “Orbis et Globus,” a three-meter, eight-ton stone sphere that marks the situation of the Arctic Circle on the island. As a result of it’s a sphere, it will get moved yearly according to the modifications within the Arctic Circle.
Once I mirror 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 unimaginable to see them in giant 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 at all times, I’m retaining it actual – all opinions are my very own, like you might count on much less from me!
