An hour with Puffins!

Some days have everything you would expect in a good story : anticipation, excitement, awe, drama, a dash of fear, gratitude, even disappointment. I had one such day in Iceland, with Puffins.

A day I had carefully planned, one that was supposed to last for hours, but in the end, lasted barely an hour. C’est la vie.

On a family vacation to Iceland, I had kept one day aside to visit Westman Islands (Vestmannaeyjar), one of the northernmost inhabited places in Europe, to photographs puffins. About 60% of the world’s puffin population comes to Iceland each summer to nest, staying until around mid-August. The thing about being a wildlife enthusiast is that while the whole trip is exciting, the anticipation of this one day feels like something else altogether :)).

We started our day at 4 a.m., catching the sunrise and boarding the first ferry to the island. My first “wow” moment came when sailing past the cliffs where thousands of seabirds were nesting, feeding their chicks, and preparing for winter. The scale, the sound, the sheer life in those cliffs was unforgettable.

From the ferry, we drove straight to Stórhöfði Peninsula, where steep cliffs meet the North Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the most magical places to see puffins up close in their natural habitat. This rugged stretch is a perfect nesting ground for puffins, and I hoped to see hundreds, if not thousands of them, depending on whether they had already started to leave for the season. The weather looked reasonably fine, but it’s Iceland, so you never really know.

The parking lot was empty and the trail quiet. Just us. We followed the marked path with hope. 20 minutes passed, then a few more but still no puffins. I felt that sinking feeling in the stomach and I quickened my pace to scan the area. 

And then, all at once, they were there – the whole colony. Puffins on the grass, perched on cliffs, flying with fish in their beaks, sitting in pairs or alone, feeding chicks. A whole world of activity was happening before me. A bustling colony, full of life.

But that first glimpse stays with me most : the deep blue ocean behind, a patch of green, and puffins gathered in a beautiful imperfect semi-circle.

I took out my camera and began photographing them, one frame after another and then many more. Weather was moody and I was having a time of my life.

In between, a few visitors stopped by, took their quick photographs, and left.

Puffins are such delightful birds. They remain calm around people, allowing you to come surprisingly close. And their striking appearance against an equally stunning landscape makes them dream subjects.

It had been about an hour when my family decided to go on a crater hike, while I happily stayed back. They were little uneasy about leaving me alone on that remote cliff but I was far too excited to worry about that.

Just when everything seemed perfect, the story took a turn.
Not long after, the weather turned. The wind grew stronger, the drizzle quickly turned into heavy rain, and I could see a storm gathering at the horizon. I called my family, and we agreed it was safer for me to return immediately.

But In the rush of the wind and rain I missed the turn and found myself at another puffin colony, only then realising I had lost my way as well as all sense of time. The storm refused to ease, and each step back felt heavier than the last. 

Finally, through the rain, I saw the blurred figure of my daughter, anxiously calling out. As we reached each other, she broke down in relief, feared that I had fallen into the ocean below.

That was the end of it. The storm never lifted that day.. My carefully planned “puffin day” had lasted just above an hour. But in that short time, I felt the full swing of emotions: joy, awe, thrill, fear, relief, gratitude.  

As the saying goes, ‘You want to make God laugh? Tell him about your plans.’ – Woody Allen. 

A fitting closing line to my puffin tale :).