Grimsey Island

NaturesLens visits Grimsey Island on small-group wildlife photography holidays in Iceland, with time here planned around Arctic Skua, Arctic Tern, Atlantic Puffin, Black Guillemot & Black-legged Kittiwake rather than general sightseeing. Current itineraries using Grimsey Island include Puffins of Iceland, with photography shaped around boat-based, flight & night or low-light photography sessions. Grimsey Island lies off the north coast of Iceland, straddling the Arctic Circle in the Greenland Sea some forty kilometres from the mainland. This small, remote island is defined by dramatic basalt sea cliffs that plunge into cold northern waters, interspersed with rolling grassy heathland & boggy tundra in its interior. Its isolation & position on the very edge of the Arctic Circle create a distinctive subarctic maritime habitat, sheltering breeding seabird colonies on precipitous ledges while low-lying moorland supports ground-nesting waders & passerines. The surrounding seas, rich in fish, are central to the island’s ecology, drawing in both resident & migratory species throughout the breeding season. The island’s cliffs host dense colonies of auks & seabirds, with Atlantic Puffin, Common Guillemot, Thick-billed Murre, Razorbill & Black Guillemot nesting alongside Black-legged Kittiwake & Northern Fulmar, while European Shag & Common Eider favour the rockier shoreline. Predatory & scavenging species such as Arctic Skua, Great Skua, Long-tailed Skua, Glaucous Gull, Iceland Gull, Herring Gull & Lesser Black-backed Gull patrol the colonies, often harassing smaller birds for food, & Common Raven scavenges opportunistically. Arctic Tern breeds in noisy colonies across open ground, aggressively defending nests from intruders. The moorland & shoreline support waders including Common Redshank, Common Snipe, Dunlin, Purple Sandpiper, Ruddy Turnstone & the delicately spinning Red-necked Phalarope, alongside Meadow Pipit, White Wagtail, Snow Bunting, Northern Wheatear & the hardy Rock Ptarmigan. Offshore, Great Northern Diver & Red-throated Diver frequent surrounding waters. Curious what keeps photographers coming back? Read our piece on why photographers keep returning to Grimsey Island.