Puffins are the star attraction at Látrabjarg, but the razorbills also put on a very fine display.
Wikipedia notes “The razorbill (Alca torda) is a colonial seabird that only comes to land in order to breed. This agile bird chooses one partner for life; females lay one egg per year. Razorbills nest along coastal cliffs in enclosed or slightly exposed crevices. The parents spend equal amounts of time incubating. Once the chick has hatched, the parents take turns foraging for their young and sometimes fly long distances before finding prey.”
Feature Image Details: Canon 24-105MM F4 L Lens at 105MM, F/11, ISO 640 for 1/2000 second.
More Razorbill Images
I used high ISOs and fast shutter speeds to freeze the movements in the wings. Choice of shutter speed is a tradeoff between depth of field and wing blur.
We only allotted a single day at Breiðavík. Odds of getting warm weather, beautiful light, with no wind was not that good. Breiðavík is frequently rainy and windy, but we were blessed with a perfect day.
In my Iceland Guide I recommend spending another day at this location. Realistically one could easily spend several days. There are other things in the area to see and do, but the bird cliffs are the main attraction.
For puffin images, please see Iceland in 16 Days: Day 12, Westfjords, Látrabjarg Bird Cliffs, Breiðavík, Puffins
I highly recommend taking the Taking the ferry between Stykkishólmur and Brjánslækur to get to or from the cliffs on a circle tour. The ferry will save several hours of travel time. Reservations advised. Allow a couple of hours travel time from Brjánslækur to Breiðavík.
I did not want to leave Látrabjarg in the morning, but we had no choice. Our ferry left Brjánslækur at noon.
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Next Up: Ferry ride to Stykkishólmur, Snæfellsnes Peninsula, Kirkjufell Mountain
Mike “Mish” Shedlock