The Icelandic Canadian - 01.04.2007, Side 32

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THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
Vol. 61 #1
includes bits of twine and fishnet. The
amount of plastic material in the nest is not
only an indicator of ocean pollution but
can also result in a gannet’s death.
The gannet’s saber-like bill can be used
for bonding or bickering. In these close
quarters, each tiny territory is rigorously
defended. Gannets are the largest seabird in
the North Atlantic. With a wingspan of
nearly 6 feet (2M) they perform a kind of
aerial ballet. Today, birds like these mag-
nificent gannets are the only permanent
residents of this remote coast. Humans,
when they appear, are merely spectators.
Along Iceland's southeast coast, is the
largest breeding for great skuas in the
Northern Hemisphere. Skuas are classic
avian pirates or kleptoparasites.
Performing aerial acrobatics, they twist
and turn in attempts to steal fish that other
birds have caught. They are also scav-
engers, or as their scientific name means
cleansers.
Each year a skua meets its lifetime
mate on the same breeding grounds. On a
cape once home to Iceland’s first settler,
skuas nest among the grasses while sheep
graze all around them. Each pair only
raises one chick. Before fledging at 6 or 7
weeks old, it spends most of its time wan-
dering around the territory under the
watchful eye of its formidable parents.
They are considered one the boldest and
most ferocious defenders of home and fam-
ily in the bird world. They dive bomb
with precision and can deliver a nasty blow
to any intruder.
On the Westman Islands (Heimay), the
greatest flurry of activity is on the sheer
cliff faces where there is an overwhelming
riot of sights, sounds and smells.
Thousands of seabirds nest on narrow
rocky sills appearing to defy the laws of
gravity. Murres are one of the species that
find this an ideal habitat. They are rela-
tives of the colourful puffins, and with
their plain black and white plumage might
be called their conservative cousins.
Kittiwakes choose a tiny ledge to build
their nests. Few chicks die from falls as
they keep their backs to the cliff and rarely
move except to feed. Murres take a differ-
ent approach by not building a nest at all,
but simply lay their eggs on the ledge and
hope for the best.
Fulmars nest here too, but prefer their
ledges to be more enclosed. These birds
are also known as “tubenoses.” An
extremely large nostril secretes sea salt and
gives them an incredible sense of smell. It
is thought that they are able to find food,
nest sites and each other by smell alone.
The powerful winds blowing against
the cliff faces is an advantage for the
puffins as their stubby little wings are not
designed for great flying ability but rather
for propelling them underwater after fish.
The strong winds gives them just the lift
they need to look like somewhat graceful
flyers.
The cliffs surrounding Heimaey are
home to millions of puffins and on late
August nights, fledgling chicks no longer
fed by their parents, leave their burrows in
search of food. Confused by the lights,
1000’s of pufflings flutter down into the
town and children come to their rescue.
Armed with cardboard boxes, they collect
the still flightless chicks and take the
puffins home for the night. The next
morning a steady stream of families bring
their treasurers to the shore and fling them
out to the freedom of the sea. Each young
rescurer is carrying on a tradition that has
been continuing here for over 100 years.
Along the coast of a particularly scenic
fjord is one the largest breeding grounds
for eider ducks in Iceland. These sociable
birds crowd hundreds of nests together on
the grassy shoreline. Eider ducks are the
most abundant and the largest duck in the
northern hemisphere. In the spring the
drakes are all decked out in black and white
formal wear making the female look quite
drab in comparison. Her practical dress is
designed for camouflage rather than court-
ing. Although males leave incubating the
eggs entirely to their mates, during the
beginning of the nesting season they con-
tinue to hang around the breeding grounds.
The clutch is kept protected in a soft bowl
of down shed from the female’s breast and
warmed by her own body heat.
Every spring over 5,000 eider ducks
return from the sea to nest at Myrar Farm
in the Westfjords. For generations this