There are many places in Vestmannaeyjar / the Westman Islands of Iceland that are ideal for bird watching. In Storhofdi puffin view point shelter you will have fantastic view over the puffins. And with the boat trips you will haveexcellent view over all the seabirds of Westman Islands.
Puffins are the most popular birds for general visitors to Iceland and the season is from April and August (can sometimes extend into September) hopefully no visitor should go home disappointed as Iceland boasts the world’s largest Puffin population and Westman Islands have the largest puffin colony of Europe. Real Puffin enthusiasts should make the trip to Heimaey in the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago where the influence of Puffins is everywhere.
Besides the puffins that the Westman Islands are famous for you may expect to see many other birds such as:
Seabirds – Sjófuglar
- Álka Alca torda Razorbill A
- Fýll Fulmarus glacialis Northern Fulmar
- Langvía Uria aalge Common Guillemot
- Lundi Fratercula arctica Atlantic Puffin
- Sjósvala Oceanodroma leucorhoa Leach’s Storm-petrel
- Skrofa Puffinus puffinus Manx Shearwater
- Súla Morus bassanus Northern Gannet
- Stormsvala Hydrobates pelagicus European Storm-petrel
- Stuttnefja Uria lomvia Brünnich’s Guillemot
- Sjósvala Oceanodroma leucorhoa Leach’s Storm-petrel
- Teista Cepphus grylle Black Guillemot
Waders -Vaðfuglar
- Heiðlóa Pluvialis apricaria European Golden Plover
- Hrossagaukur Gallinago gallinago Common Snipe
- Stelkur Tringa totanus Common Redshank
- Sandlóa Charadrius hiaticula Ringed Plover
- Sendlingur Calidris maritima Purple Sandpiper
- Tildra Arenaria interpres Ruddy Turnstone
- Tjaldur Haematopus ostralegus Eurasian Oystercatcher
Gulls and realives Mávar, kjóar, þernur
- Hvítmáfur Larus hyperboreus Glaucous Gull
- Kjói Stercorarius parasiticus Arctic Skua
- Kría Sterna paradisaea Arctic Tern
- Rita Rissa tridactyla Black-legged Kittiwake
- Silfurmáfur Larus argentatus Herring Gull
- Sílamáfur Larus fuscus Lesser Black-backed Gull
- Svartbakur Larus marinus Great Black-backed Gull
- Skúmur Stercorarius skua Great Skua
Andfuglar
- Grágæs
- Toppönd
- Æðarfugl
Spörfuglar
- Hrafn
- Maríuerla
- Skógarþröstur
- Snjótittlingur
- Steindepill
- Þúfutittlingur
