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Atlantic Puffin
Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula Arctica).
DSC_0581p1Bakkagerði is a small village on the Borgarfjörður Eystri with a population numbering around 130. It is known as the Puffin Capital of Iceland.
A buffet dinner featuring local fish was served at the Álfheimar Country Hotel on the evening of our arrival. There were meatballs as well, though I did not learn if they were lamb, or possibly reindeer. During dinner the hotel proprietor, Arngrímur Viðar Ásgeirsson, treated us to a performance of Icelandic folk songs. (He noted that his brother, Magni Ásgeirsson, is an Icelandic rock musician.)
The next morning was time for the much anticipated puffin watching expedition. The coach drove us along the coast to Borgarfjarðarhöfn and the rocky Hafnarhólmi jutting out into the sea. Highway 94 ends here. From the coach parking lot, the group walked down a wooden staircase to the harbor level. Before us, a puffin rookery running up the side of the cliff was evident. Another series of wood stairs takes puffin watchers up the landward side of the cliff. You can see the puffins nearly face to face. They do not appear to be afraid of people, though the stairs and railing keep them separated from the observers. We learned
that the male puffins dig a hole in the cliff as a nest. Female puffins come to inspect their work and team up with the male who made the nest they like. There were any number of puffins and nests up on the cliff. This was certainly the place to see them! Back on the ground, I took a look at the other side of the rock. Puffins inhabited the side facing the small port, but Kittwakes occupied the rockier side to the left, opposite the puffin rookery. There were steps here, too.
Returning to Bassagerði, we had sightseeing to do in the village. Arngrímur acted as local guide. The village is in one of the easternmost location in Iceland, in the region known as Austurland. Arngrímur introduced us to the Lindarbakki turf house. Turf houses with grass growing on the sod roofs were once the predominant form of dwelling in Iceland. Their use went out of fashion by the end of the 19th century and few are left. This one was built in 1899 with restorations in 1934.
Arngrímur next took us to the Bakkagerðiskirkja, the village church. It has the appearance of every village church in
Puffin Rookery
Puffin Rookery on Hafnarhólmi.
IMG_6164 Iceland, a simple wooden structure with a belfry in front. Inside the pews are narrow and there is an altar and pulpit in front with an organ loft in the rear. I thought of the village cycle of baptisms, weddings and funerals playing out here. He told us of traditions regarding elves, the hidden people, and that one does not want to get on their wrong side. I got the idea that Icelanders continue to be wary of disturbing the dwelling places of elves.
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Puffins
One of my favorite birds. They bring me great joy.