WorldNomads Scholarship

My Scholarship entry - A 'place' I have visited

ICELAND | Friday, 5 July 2013 | Views [277] | View Larger Image

At the cliff Dyrhólaey the sun is soon reaching its lowest point hiding behind a nearby glacier. This Northern Fulmar was standing in a very strong wind near by the cliff observing. It was fascinating to watch the birds skill opposing the force of the wind.

This photography was taken at the cliffs of the peninsula Snæfellsnes. It is full of nesting Kittiwakes, which belong to the gull family.
In the top left corner of the photo one can see a colony of an commonly met bird Auk (most probably Thin-billed Murre), which shares a lot of its looks and habits with penguins, although they are not related. Auks live on the open sea and only come to land for breeding on rocky cliff shores.
The breeding birds leave white traces on a monotonic yellow-grey rocky surface adding structure and making it an unexpectedly an interesting sight.

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The same cliff is a home to another bird – the Atlantic Puffin. It is known for being a skilled diver being able to submerge even up to a minute. The legs are short and set well back on the body giving the bird its upright stance on land.
The photo shows a male and female at the beginning of the breeding season. It is hard to decide the gender as there are no colouring differences between them.

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My Scholarship entry - A 'place' I have visited

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