From Nuffin to Puffin
Before Trina started to work as a guide for Gentle Giants last summer, she studied marine biology at the University of Southampton. In her final thesis for the master degree, Trina happened to write about the bird, which Iceland is most-known for: the puffin!
However, there is a lot more to know about these cute and charming little birds that visit our bay for a few months each summer. Below follows an article about these colourful little birds, written by Trina:
"As we journey into June, we are starting to see an increasing number of puffins in the bay. In every direction that we look whilst exploring the bay's waters, we are seeing more and more little black and white faces looking back at us, as they bob about on the water being consistently adorable.
The puffins we visit at Lundey live in one of the biggest puffin colonies in the whole of Iceland, with approximately 100,000 individuals breeding on the island. The colony appears to be doing well, maintaining its high population number from year to year.
This is great news for both puffins and puffin lovers alike, as puffins are unfortunately seeing great declines in other parts of Iceland. The Icelandic population is really important for the global population, with 60% of the total population living and breeding in Iceland.
Therefore, colonies like that at Lundey are so important for the global health of this species. We are really fortunate to be one of the lucky companies in Iceland who still get to see what a happy and healthy puffin colony should look like. The puffin was this year moved to the endangered species list, so we are all a bit worried for the future of our puffin. The decline in puffins is thought to be mostly as a result of climatic changes inducing a shortage of fish for the puffins to bring back to their chicks.
Every day we watch our passengers fall in love with our charming orange beaked friends. Coming to see the puffins for yourself and taking your positive experiences back to your own country, is a brilliant way to help spread awareness of the troubles that our puffins are facing. It is impossible to go out and see puffins without cracking out a little smile. Let's hope that we keep seeing more and more puffins flapping their little wings over our home in Skjálfandi Bay."
During their breeding season in summer, puffins can be seen on most of our departures as they fly past our boats or sit on the water, but our “GG2 Big Whale Safari and Puffins” even makes a detour to Lundey (or Puffin Island), which allows our guests aboard to get a better look at these adorable little birds!
- Trina
PHOTOS: Katrina Davies (title photo & nr. 5), Miroslav Cibul'a (nr. 1 & 3), Sarah Arndt (nr. 2), Aksel Nordeng Bjarnason (nr. 4)
