Puffins on Vestmannaeyjar

Vestmannaeyjar, or the Westman Islands, are a small chain of volcanic islands off the southern coast of Iceland. It's a fascinating place, and when we were in Iceland, recently, we spent a day there. Among the incredible things to see, there? Puffins nesting!

The largest island of the chain, Heimaey, has lots of cliffs and grassy ledges, which are perfect for nesting puffins. We drove up to the top of one of those cliffs, to a lookout where we had a great view of the nesting birds.

To get to the nesting birds, you have to cross through a sheep pasture. Be careful where you step! There's a funny little gate, and you can either open it or climb over it--they've even built steps to make it more convenient if you don't want to be bothered to pull the gate open.

Then, a short walk down the path, and there's a little hut, built on a ledge, with narrow openings, where you can observe the birds, nesting, and flying in from the sea.

There are lots of other incredible things to see and do in these islands. There's a museum that commemorates a devastating volcanic eruption in the 70's, which buried a large portion of the fishing village on the main island. And, weather permitting, you can also take a boat trip around the islands to see the stunning geography. But while there, make certain that you check out the puffins!

Puffins!