{"id":9983,"date":"2021-07-08T17:16:31","date_gmt":"2021-07-08T15:16:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fernwehmotive.de\/?p=9983"},"modified":"2025-05-24T16:38:26","modified_gmt":"2025-05-24T14:38:26","slug":"westmannerinseln-puffins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fernwehmotive.de\/en\/westmannerinseln-puffins\/","title":{"rendered":"Loved ones of the Westman Islands \u2013 This is how you see Puffins"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Iceland. <\/strong>You want to see puffins? Then Iceland is the right place for you. About 60% of the North Atlantic puffins nest here. The largest colony lives on the Westman Islands. With about 1.1 million breeding pairs, it is even the largest colony in the world.<\/strong>Here you can learn more about the cute puffins. You will also get helpful tips on how to observe the puffins on the Westman Islands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Unassigned, unpaid advertising. The article contains affiliate links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Puffin<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Puffin Calendar - What happens when in the Year?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Mid to late April: Puffins come back to Land<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Puffins live about half the year on the open ocean. In the Westman Islands, Puffins come back to shore between mid and late April to nest and raise their young. The males arrive first and occupy their breeding burrow from the previous year. Somewhat later, the females arrive in the made nest. Puffins are monogamous, meaning a pair stays together for life. Each breeding pair lays only one egg, which is then incubated by both parent birds for 35 to 38 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Puffin<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From the End of June: Feeding Time<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As soon as the chick has hatched, both parents fish for what the sea has to offer. The offspring are fed for about six to seven weeks. This is a great time to take photos. If you're lucky, you'll catch a puffin with a beak full of sand eels. The puffins sometimes really fill their beaks when they do this. When they catch a sand eel, they press their tongue against the top of the beak so that they can continue fishing until the entire length of the beak is filled with fish. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you need binoculars? I recently bought the Zeiss Terra ED 8\u00d742*<\/a><\/strong>. It has good optical performance, is very handy, not too heavy and the price is ok too. It is also waterproof. This is great for paddling or when it rains a little longer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From mid-August: the Puffins fledge<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In August the time has finally come: the little Puffins leave their caves. Normally the moonlight leads them out to sea. But the lights of the city irritate the little ones. Some of them become crash pilots and end up on the streets, where they are exposed to many dangers. But luckily there is the Puffin Patrol! But more on that later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, in recent years, it also happened that the parent birds had to feed their young longer. Because of food shortages, the chicks just weren't ready to fly out yet. For example, in 2015, the Westman Islands puffins were on land until October. This affects their chances of survival, as weather conditions then become more adverse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Puffin<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Early September: Return to the Sea<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The parent birds continue to visit the colony for up to three weeks after the young bird has fledged. From September on, the puffins are then exclusively on the open sea. The wintering grounds cover the entire northern Atlantic to North Africa as well as the western Mediterranean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The best Time of the Day to watch Puffins<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Puffins are usually out at sea fishing during the day. Then, they come only briefly to their breeding burrows to feed the young. Usually they disappear so quickly into the breeding burrows that it is difficult to photograph them. In the evening hours it gets a bit quieter in the colonies. Then many animals are on land and can be photographed well in front of their breeding burrows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, puffins seem to like wind and rainy weather. In sunny weather, on the other hand, they are more likely to be hidden in their breeding burrows or out at sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Puffin<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Where can you see Puffins on the Westman Island of Heimaey?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Puffins nest on the tops or slopes of grassy, steep cliffs. The breeding burrows are dug into the earth with the beak. To do this, the cliffs must have a sufficiently thick layer suitable for digging. The burrows are about 0.75 to 1.5 meters long and have an opening about 30 - 40 cm wide. At the end of a narrow passage, a breeding chamber about 30-40 cm in size then opens, which is padded with a thin layer of feathers and plant parts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Puffin
Observation hut at Cape Storh\u00f6f\u0111i<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On Heimay, the main island of the Westman Islands, you will find some good spots to observe puffins:<\/p>\n\n\n\n