ÆÐeyjarsund, Iceland
This morning found the National Geographic Explorer anchored off Vigur Island, home to a small community of eider duck farmers. With the summer coming to a close the eiders have come and gone from this small island (one of only a handful of privately-owned islands in all of Iceland), leaving behind empty nests which they will return to next year in late springtime. A few of the ducks could still be seen in the shallow waters surrounding the island.
Not to say there wasn’t any birdlife to be found on this quaint island however! The Arctic terns and Atlantic puffins were out and in full force as both species were busy trying to fledge chicks of their own. The sky above the island was full of frenetic energy as parents madly dashed to and fro, bringing a fresh fish breakfast to hungry chicks waiting on the shore. Terns wheeled and cried out, trying to locate their chicks (who now can fly short distances and are usually not where they left them!) Puffins dove into burrows with bills full of fish for chicks waiting deep underground. Black guillemots filled out the shoreline, along with oystercatchers, purple sandpipers, snow buntings, and redshanks.
Cameras whirred and clicked, as digital cards filled with literally gigabytes of images of blurry birds in flight (and that was just in my own camera!) In the end, the birds probably won the contest, though the photographers certainly won a battle or two. For photographers and non-photographers alike it was a perfect way to spend a morning here on our last day in Iceland.
One of the advantages of being on a true expedition is the ability to explore a new site when the opportunity presents itself. This is exactly what our Expedition Leader Bud Lehnhausen did this afternoon as he offered both kayaking and hiking at Naustavík. Some folks kayaked the waters along shore, while others enjoyed hiking amongst (and perhaps nibbling on) blueberries on the way to Möngufoss, the waterfall which caught Bud’s eye and piqued his curiosity about the area surrounding it.
The air is full of excitement tonight on board the National Geographic Explorer as she heads north, across the Arctic Circle and into true expedition mode, making her way into the waters off eastern Greenland. Stay tuned dear reader, perhaps the best is yet to come!
