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You are here: Home / Photo Blogging / On The Road / Iceland / On The Road – Christopher Mathews – Puffins of Iceland

On The Road – Christopher Mathews – Puffins of Iceland

by WaterGirl|  July 16, 20215:00 am| 33 Comments

This post is in: Iceland, On The Road, Photo Blogging

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On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.

From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.

Submit Your Photos

Let’s give a warm welcome to first-time submitter, Christopher!

Christopher Mathews

Iceland is home to thousands of species of birds. The most famous, and arguably most photogenic, are Atlantic puffins. They live most of the year at sea, bobbing in the waves and plunging below to dine on fish, but come to shore in late spring and early summer to raise their young.

On The Road - Christopher Mathews - Puffins of Iceland 7
Látrabjarg cliffs, Icelandic WestfjordsJune 23, 2021

Stretching across more than a dozen kilometers of crumbling rock face, the Látrabjarg cliffs in northwest Iceland are home to hundreds of thousands of nests. Gulls, razorbills, guillemots, and puffins return to the cliffs each year. Get close to the cliff’s edge and you can say hello to the birds, but beware! Get too close and you’ll say hello to the icy waters below.

On The Road - Christopher Mathews - Puffins of Iceland 6
Látrabjarg cliffs, Icelandic WestfjordsJune 23, 2021

Puffins are accustomed to visitors who come to gawk at them, and for the most part pay no attention to photographers. This fellow though seemed fascinated by the long lens of my camera, perhaps mistaking it for an unusually large beak.

On The Road - Christopher Mathews - Puffins of Iceland 5
Látrabjarg cliffs, Icelandic WestfjordsJune 23, 2021

Puffins build their nests in burrows near the top of the cliffs. They’re quite industrious about gathering straw and twigs to spruce things up a bit, and ignore the silly warning signs put up by humans.

On The Road - Christopher Mathews - Puffins of Iceland 4
Látrabjarg cliffs, Icelandic WestfjordsJune 23, 2021

Perhaps a floral centerpiece will brighten up the nest?

On The Road - Christopher Mathews - Puffins of Iceland 3
Látrabjarg cliffs, Icelandic WestfjordsJune 23, 2021

Having put the house in order, it’s time to relax on the front porch for a bit before dipping into the ocean for a snack.

On The Road - Christopher Mathews - Puffins of Iceland 2
Látrabjarg cliffs, Icelandic WestfjordsJune 23, 2021

After a plunge into the waters of the north Atlantic, a puffin dries its short little wings. Puffins are better adapted for swimming than flying, which makes them easy to spot in flight: frantically flapping to stay aloft, they’re the hardest working birds in the skies.

On The Road - Christopher Mathews - Puffins of Iceland 1
Látrabjarg cliffs, Icelandic WestfjordsJuly 2, 2020

Puffins pair off in breeding couples at age four or five and remain mated for life. They lay one egg each year and take turns feeding their hungry little puffling once it hatches. Here, parents spend a moment discussing their day.

On The Road - Christopher Mathews - Puffins of Iceland
Látrabjarg cliffs, Icelandic WestfjordsJune 23, 2021

With the glacier-capped Snæfellsjökull volcano in the distance, this puffin takes a short rest to watch the sun not-quite-set while its mate goes back to the water for more fish.

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Reader Interactions

33Comments

  1. 1.

    AxelFoley

    July 16, 2021 at 6:36 am

    Beautiful pics!

  2. 2.

    tom

    July 16, 2021 at 6:44 am

    Gorgeous pics! I visited Iceland in 2015 and thought it was one of the most fascinating places I’ve ever been. The landscape is like nowhere else. I’d love to go back.

  3. 3.

    Meyerman

    July 16, 2021 at 7:55 am

    I saw puffins in Iceland on the south coast. My partner just saw them in Maine. We both agree they are amazing. Thanks for sharing these beautiful photos!

  4. 4.

    Wanderer

    July 16, 2021 at 8:06 am

    Beautiful photos. Great first post.

  5. 5.

    cope

    July 16, 2021 at 8:09 am

    Spectacular pictures, thank you.  As I continue to get older (who knew?), my bucket list gets shorter simply because some things are just not possible for me any more.  Good bye, K2 base camp.  Anyway, Iceland is one of the few things still doable for me.  Thanks for the inspiration.

  6. 6.

    Albatrossity

    July 16, 2021 at 8:31 am

    Spectacular pics of a spectacular place with a truly spectacular bird! Thank you!

  7. 7.

    Wag

    July 16, 2021 at 8:42 am

    What great photos!  Puffins are very photogenic, and you did an excellent job of capturing their essential cuteness.

    We loved Iceland when we went there in 2017.  What a fascinating country.  One of our highlights was climbing Snæfellsjökull

  8. 8.

    M31

    July 16, 2021 at 8:49 am

    Snæfellsjökull!!! Isn’t that where Jules Verne sent his travelers in Journey to the Center of the Earth? So cool.

    great pictures!

  9. 9.

    Mike in Oly

    July 16, 2021 at 8:50 am

    Wonderful photos! The lighting is just perfect. And such adorable subjects. Thanks for sharing them.

  10. 10.

    MelissaM

    July 16, 2021 at 9:02 am

    What odd markings on those birds! The triangular eye patches with creases around the back, the ornately striped beaks, the orange beak corner. Really beautiful. How do they taste? ;-)

  11. 11.

    Christopher Mathews

    July 16, 2021 at 9:08 am

    @M31:

    Snæfellsjökull!!! Isn’t that where Jules Verne sent his travelers in Journey to the Center of the Earth?

    Yes, it is!  Although there’s a local bypass now erupting in the southwest.  :)

    Thanks to everyone for the kind words about the photos.  Puffins are amazingly photogenic little birds – brightly colored, industrious, and slightly comical on land and in the air.  Just some of the many reasons to visit Iceland!

  12. 12.

    Betty

    July 16, 2021 at 9:10 am

    So beautiful! Thank you.

  13. 13.

    Wag

    July 16, 2021 at 9:35 am

    @M31:   You are correct!

  14. 14.

    Wag

    July 16, 2021 at 9:36 am

    @MelissaM:   Delicious.  You can order them at many restaurants in Iceland.  A slightly fishy chicken.

  15. 15.

    WaterGirl

    July 16, 2021 at 9:41 am

    @Christopher Mathews:  What a great set of photos!  The profile view is maybe less striking than the others, but it’s oh so interesting.

    I think it’s fair to say that we all hope you will submit more photos to On the Road!

  16. 16.

    arrieve

    July 16, 2021 at 9:46 am

    Really wonderful pictures. I love puffins and you captured them so beautifully.

  17. 17.

    JanieM

    July 16, 2021 at 9:48 am

    Great pics. The puffins are fascinating, but it was the first picture that really blew me away.

  18. 18.

    frosty

    July 16, 2021 at 9:55 am

    Love the pics! And the puffins!

  19. 19.

    KSinMA

    July 16, 2021 at 10:05 am

    Neat photos! Thank you.

  20. 20.

    susanna

    July 16, 2021 at 10:12 am

    Enjoyed these pics, especially the first and last ones.  More?

  21. 21.

    stinger

    July 16, 2021 at 10:19 am

    I came for the puffins, but hardly got to them for being mesmerized by that top photo. Thank you, Christopher Mathews!

  22. 22.

    stinger

    July 16, 2021 at 10:20 am

    @MelissaM: Citrusy?

  23. 23.

    Miss Bianca

    July 16, 2021 at 10:45 am

    The photos are awesome but it’s the term “pufflings” that is really the icing on the lovely cake. Thank you for both!

  24. 24.

    Steve from Mendocino

    July 16, 2021 at 10:59 am

    Fun birds.  These are a pleasure.

  25. 25.

    Mary Ellen Sandahl

    July 16, 2021 at 11:09 am

    Icelandic restaurants serve puffin? My understanding (from UK radio nature reporting) was that they’re at risk, their numbers dropping alarmingly.
    The photos are wonderful, Christopher!

  26. 26.

    Baquist

    July 16, 2021 at 11:22 am

    Beautiful pics and a lovely story.

  27. 27.

    SkyBluePink

    July 16, 2021 at 11:32 am

    Very striking photos!

  28. 28.

    Mary G

    July 16, 2021 at 11:38 am

    Even the name puffin makes me smile. These are gorgeous in a gorgeous place, thanks for sharing.

  29. 29.

    JustRuss

    July 16, 2021 at 11:47 am

    Nice pics, sorry you share a name with that other Chris Matthews (yeah, he spells it wrong).  At least you’re not Michael Bolton!

  30. 30.

    April Leahy

    July 16, 2021 at 12:33 pm

    Stunning Photos!  Great Captions!

  31. 31.

    TaMara (HFG)

    July 16, 2021 at 1:27 pm

    Seems our Chris Matthews is famous and trending on twitter! I am so loving those Puffins.

  32. 32.

    J R in WV

    July 16, 2021 at 1:40 pm

    Great photos, want to visit Iceland in order to see the Aurora colors one more time, saw them during a huge solar storm years ago right here in WV. Was dim multi-colored glow slowly moving in the sky, was amazing… but I still want to see it bright and sparking in the arctic winter sky.

  33. 33.

    Christopher Mathews

    July 16, 2021 at 1:43 pm

    @JustRuss:

    Thanks!  Iceland is really a photographer’s paradise.

    Nice pics, sorry you share a name with that other Chris Matthews (yeah, he spells it wrong).

    Well yes – although when I lived in DC a few years back and had to call up to the Hill, it was always a kick when they asked my name.  ;)

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