Petrels are part of the tubenose family of seabirds, which also include the fulmars, albatrosses and shearwaters. These are very small birds that you usually see flying fast by very close to the water's surface where the air currents are strongest. We mostly see them when departing from hafnarfjörður, Keflavík or Grindavík harbours. 

There are two species of Kittiwake the Red-legged Kittiwake and the Black-legged Kittiwake. In Iceland we only have the Black-legged species so they are just called kittiwake. They nest on ledges of cliffs and rocky islands with usually a variety of other seabird species. 

They are a winter visitor and despite its name the Iceland gull doesn’t breed in Iceland. They breed in the Arctic areas of Greenland and Canada. They look like a smaller version of the Glaucous Gull but they have a smaller bill and rounded head compared to the Glaucous Gulls flatter head.

The great skua is a lot stockier than the arctic species and easily recognizable. We don’t see the great as much as the arctic skua but we still observe them often especially in the summer when thousands of seabirds flock and cluster together to feed on the abundance of food. 

The Great Northern Diver comes inshore only to breed, rest of the time it spends out in the open ocean in waters up to 600m deep. They are seen only occasionally on our tours but unmistakable when seen. In America they are called the Common or Great Northern Loon. ‘Loon’ because of its eerie, haunting cries.

We usually observe cormorants on seawalls or at the islands we visit to see the puffins. Sometimes you see them with their wings spread out. They do this because they need to dry their wings before flying, as they have no waterproofing oils like most seabirds. They have also been known to swallow stones to allow them to dive deeper and also help them to grind food in their stomachs. 

There are two forms of black backed gull, the lesser and the great. The great black-backed gull is identified with its yellowish legs whereas the lesser black back has pinkish legs. The great black-backed gull is the largest of the gull family (Laridae). The red spot on the bill is for the chicks to have a focal point when the parents regurgitate their food.

These are frequently seen on the two Puffin colonies we visit Lundey/Akurey. When in flight they are usually in their V or line formation taking turns to lead. This formation that geese fly in is thought to reduce drag or air resistance thus making it more aerodynamic and allows them to fly long distances will little effort. 

The Glaucous Gull resembles the herring gull but misses the black tips at the end of the wings and is a smaller relative to the Iceland gull. They are seen all year round but are most numerous in the wintertime when they fly down from Greenland. They hybridise with the herring gull and provide viable offspring.