Your Seyðisfjörður Nature and Wildlife Cruise Guide

Kittiwakes and Fulmars: The Other Cliff Dwellers

At Hafnarholmi, puffins share their rocky home with two other seabirds whose presence is just as essential to the colony's ecology. Black-legged kittiwakes nest alongside puffins in the cliff faces, their three-toed feet perfectly adapted for gripping narrow ledges where puffins cannot go. Fulmars, larger birds with pale plumage and distinctive tube-like nostrils, occupy different zones of the same cliffs. Both species breed in the same season as puffins, creating a layered community where each bird occupies its own nesting zone based on cliff height, slope angle and exposure to wind.

The kittiwake's name comes from its call, a loud 'kitti-wa-ake' that echoes across the water from dawn until dusk during breeding season. These gulls are more aggressive foragers than puffins, diving deeper into the fjord for small fish and following fishing boats for scraps. Fulmars, by contrast, are slope-soarers that spend hours aloft on thermal winds without flapping their wings. When you visit Hafnarholmi, listen for the kittiwakes' constant noise and watch for the fulmars' stiff-winged silhouettes cutting across the water far below the cliff edge.

Telling Puffins, Guillemots and Fulmars Apart

From a distance, seabirds at a cliff colony can blur together, but each species has distinctive field marks that become obvious once you know what to look for. Puffins are compact and stocky with bright orange feet, a white face and a massive triangular bill that shifts from grey to orange during breeding season. Guillemots (also called murres) are slimmer and darker, with a white belly and thin pointed bills. Fulmars are noticeably larger and paler, with a hooked bill tip and that characteristic stiff-winged flight that looks almost mechanical compared to the fluttering puffin.

On the cliffs themselves, puffins occupy burrows and crevices where they can disappear completely. Kittiwakes build substantial stick nests on narrow ledges, visible from the water as small platforms. Guillemots do not build nests at all; they lay single eggs on bare rock, camouflaged by mottled patterns. Fulmars nest in deeper crevices than puffins, and you are more likely to spot them in flight than perched. During your 5-hour tour, your guide will point out these differences, and binoculars make identification much easier when birds are clustered on the rock face.

Arctic Terns: Aerial Performers and Protective Parents

Arctic terns breed in East Iceland and spend their summers patrolling the coastline and fjords. These small, elegant seabirds with grey wings, black caps and forked tails are known for their remarkable polar migration: they travel roughly 44,000 miles annually between Arctic and Antarctic waters. During summer months when your tour operates, arctic terns are nesting and fiercely protective of their territory. If you venture close to nesting areas, these birds may dive-bomb and strike at your head, a behaviour that has earned them a reputation as surprisingly aggressive for their size.

The good news is that your tour keeps a safe distance from active tern nesting colonies, and your guide knows which areas to avoid. Terns are nonetheless visible throughout the fjord, hovering and diving for sand eels and small fish. Watch for their distinctive silhouette and sharp kee-kee-kee calls. Despite their territorial aggression during nesting, terns are magnificent fliers and worth observing from a respectful distance. Their presence signals healthy fish stocks in the fjord, as they require abundant small fish to feed their chicks.

Eider Ducks and Iceland's Down Farming Heritage

Eider ducks are large sea ducks that breed around Iceland's coastline and have held cultural and economic importance for Icelandic farmers for centuries. Female eiders line their nests with down, soft feathers plucked from their own bodies to insulate eggs and chicks. Historically, Icelandic farmers collected this down after ducks fledged, a sustainable practice that continues today in modified form. Eider down remains one of the world's finest insulation materials, prized for quilts and clothing. A single nest produces only small amounts of down, which explains why eider products remain luxury items.

During your tour through Seydisfjordur and the northeastern region, you may spot eiders in the fjord or resting on rocks in small flocks. Males are striking with white backs and black bellies; females are mottled brown. Eiders are quieter than other seabirds and less conspicuous at colonies, preferring shallow rocky areas near shore. The tradition of eider farming represents a rare example of humans and wild birds coexisting in a mutually beneficial arrangement, one that has endured because it does not disrupt breeding cycles or harm the ducks themselves. Your guide can explain how this practice connects to modern Iceland's relationship with its wildlife.

Reindeer Herds in East Iceland's Highlands

Wild reindeer populations inhabit the highlands and remote valleys of East Iceland, descendants of herds introduced from Scandinavia in the 18th century. These animals are not domestic livestock but semi-wild herds that roam freely across vast territories. East Iceland's reindeer are smaller than their Arctic counterparts, adapted to the region's harsher terrain and shorter growing season. Herds migrate seasonally between lowland winter ranges and highland summer pastures, following food availability and weather patterns. Their presence shapes the landscape, as their grazing influences vegetation patterns and erosion across exposed moorland.

Spotting reindeer during a 5-hour tour is not guaranteed, as herds move across enormous territories and visibility depends on weather, season and location. However, if your route passes through suitable habitat, your guide will know the best places to look and may use binoculars to scan distant hillsides. Reindeer are generally wary of humans and maintain distance, but from far away you may observe them moving across ridgelines or grazing in valleys. The northeastern region where this tour operates includes some of the most reliable reindeer country in Iceland, particularly at higher elevations away from settlements. Keep watch throughout your journey; spotting a reindeer herd moving across the landscape is a memorable encounter with Iceland's wild heritage.

Whales and Seals in Seydisfjordur Waters

Seydisfjordur fjord and the surrounding waters of the Northeast Atlantic support populations of whales and seals year-round. Minke whales are the most commonly sighted cetaceans in these waters, though larger species including humpback, fin and sei whales visit seasonally. Seals, particularly harbour seals and grey seals, haul out on rocks and small islands throughout the fjord. These marine mammals are sensitive indicators of ocean health, and their presence reflects abundant fish stocks that support both wildlife and the region's fishing heritage. Your tour travels by bus and coach along coastal roads and through fishing villages, offering multiple vantage points for spotting marine life.

Whale sightings are never certain, but the season and location of your tour offer reasonable chances, particularly during summer months when migrating whales pass through northern Icelandic waters. Seals are more reliably visible, especially near Hafnarholmi and along the outer fjord where they rest on exposed rocks. Your guide will point out known seal haul-out sites and explain the behaviour differences between harbour and grey seals. Binoculars significantly improve your chances of identifying marine mammals at distance. The fjord's rich waters, shaped by ocean currents and deep underwater topography, create feeding grounds that attract these animals, making the area one of Iceland's most productive marine zones for wildlife watching.

Arctic Foxes: Elusive Residents of the North

Arctic foxes inhabit Iceland's coastal regions and highlands, and East Iceland supports a stable population of these small carnivores. Arctic foxes in Iceland are typically blue morph, meaning their winter fur is dark grey or brown rather than white. These foxes are highly adapted to harsh conditions, with thick fur, furred paw pads and the ability to survive on small mammals, seabirds and marine carrion. They hunt along coastlines where seabird colonies provide seasonal food sources, and they den in burrows or rock crevices in remote areas. Arctic foxes are generally shy and nocturnal, making them difficult to encounter even in areas where populations are healthy.

During daylight hours on a structured tour, spotting an Arctic fox is unlikely but not impossible, particularly in open moorland or near seabird colonies where foxes hunt for eggs and chicks during breeding season. Your guide will explain where foxes den and how they interact with the coastal ecosystem. Evidence of fox presence, including tracks or scat, may be visible in suitable habitat. The presence of arctic foxes indicates a functioning ecosystem with intact food chains, and their survival in Iceland represents a conservation success story. If you do encounter a fox during your tour, it will be a rare privilege, so stay alert and keep binoculars ready throughout your journey through the northeastern landscape.

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