On this morning we took a walk along the southern coast of Heimaey. Our main purpose was to see the Puffins. Our guide said that this area was the windiest area in all of Europe. We bundled up in layers but we could have done the walk in t-shirts it was so nice. We took our time, sat in the grass in places and just watched the birds and sheep. We learned other things about the Westman islands and life here over the centuries. It was a great morning walk.

We did see Puffins and in fact, saw thousands of them, maybe even tens of thousands. It was impossible to count but we saw plenty. Iceland has three varieties of puffins. There are some 10 million puffins in Iceland and about 4 million in the Westman Islands. Puffins are pelagic seabirds but they nest on either rock crevices on the island’s cliffs or in burrows in the grass. We saw both nesting locations. The puffin's beaks are also notably brighter during breeding season. After breeding, puffins spend the winter at sea. For that reason, our guide told us they might have left already, but that was not the case.

Puffins are an interesting bird. They are actually a bit “puffy” or stocky for a bird. They have relatively short wings and for all the flapping they do, they don’t fly all that well. They do dive into the water quite well and we were told that puffins can dive down 200 feet to catch fish. Puffins have been photographed with as many as 14 fish in their mouths on surfacing from a dive in the ocean. Puffins can live up to 36 years.

Join me for a walk along the southern coast of Heimaey.

Vicky is walking along the coast where we are high above the ocean. Over the edge is the same as what you see on the other islands in the photo. Many puffins nest on the sides of these cliffs. There is a house on each island that is used by hunters who catch puffins in nets to eat as well as get eggs.

On a side note, you will see a small island to the right of the large island behind Vicky. This small island is Surtsey. It is one of the world's youngest islands. Surtsey rose from the depths of the sea between 1963 and 1967. It is held strictly for scientific research and experimentation. Still, it bothers me to learn that I am older than an island...

This is as close as I could get to photograph the puffins.

This area was sort of a cross between the coastal rocky cliffs and the grass areas. You can see that they breed quite close to each other.

You won't really be able to see all the birds in this photo, but you are looking at Vicky and many thousands of her closest puffin friends. They cover the whole hillside in close quarters. Every speck of black or white that you see is a puffin.

Our guide said that sheep and puffins have developed a symbiotic type relationship. Puffins like to nest where the sheep eat down the grass because it takes less work for them to build their nests. The sheep like the grass where the puffins nest because all the nutrients make the grass better.

On a side note, I tried to interview this sheep to get his opinion on his relationship with the puffins. He evidently expected a gratuity for this and when he saw none, he ended my interview and left. In my own opinion, the relationship is working well based on the size of his girth.