Return of the puffins

The puffins are back! Well, at least in my blog. I was flipping through my pictures from Iceland from this summer, and discovered I have yet to process a large chunck of puffin pictures. So, in the next couple of weeks, a puffin will be sticking it's head out every once in a while here. Maybe you can spot him through the grass!

Ascending the Crater

About to ascend the crater cone of Eldhraun, Snaefellsnes, Iceland.

Fragile Crater

This is Eldhraun, Icelands most delicate volcanic cone. It was formed when liquid lava bubbled out of the ground, forming layer over layer of bubbly, crusty lava which formed this cone. It was a beautiful walk to get to it, which took us through fields full of blueberries, dwarf birches, and mushrooms. The crater itself was quite steep, and well worth the adventure to climb.

Glacial Panorama

Here's a panorama of Langjökull in Iceland, a very beautiful glacier in the west. We had very nice views of it while driving through the region, and were able to get pretty close to it by car (4X4). Check it out in full view to see it in detail.

Dramatic Light

This photo is looking across the landscape while climbing Eldhraun, a very beautiful and delicate volcanic cone crater in Snaefellsnes, Iceland. The lighting in the picture is unusual, but I think it creates a nice effect the way it dramatically lights up the mountain and the sky. What do you think? Comments are always appreciated.

Mushrooms are Beautiful

A birch mushroom in its natural habitat. Eldhraun, Iceland. We were there in august, and these were popping out of the ground everywhere! It's one of the few times I've been able to mushroom hunt from the car, and I don't mean while crawling along. We were spotting them at 90 kmh from the main road!

Glacial Fog

Looking over Svinafellsjökull as the fog starts to roll down the mountain. We had a wonderful morning hike on this glacier tongue, and the weather held out for us until we were on our way back down. The fog was rolling in and it was just starting to sprinkle as we were stepping off the ice. HDR assembled in Photoshop HDR Pro. Skaftafell, Iceland. Summer 2012.

Angry Birds

This is a swarm of arctic terns in Vatnsnes, Iceland. Arctic terns are among the most aggressive of the sea birds.Their favorite passtime is to divebomb people when they get close to them. They really go for blood too. I've had them just inches from my head before. I've heard of people that have had pieces of their scalp ripped off by these birds, and I generally try to stay clear of them. They seem to be after me too, as I'm usually the one being attacked. The area where our campsite was located, however, was right next to an arctic tern breeding ground, which has been made into a sanctuary, complete with an observation platform from which you can see one of the largest seal colonies in Iceland. The birds were used to seeing people, and generally tried not to kill or maim us. It was rather unnerving having arctic tern babys sitting on the path, and having to walk by them without getting attacked. We made it back alive, and I think I'm mostly cured of my arctic tern phobia.

Transition

Glacial ice transitions seamlessly into mountainside. Svínafellsjökull, Iceland.

Cold Desert Mountain

This mountain is called Snaefell, and lies to the north of Vatnajökull in Iceland. It is surrounded by highland desert. You can see neon-colored moss that grows at the rivers edge. The mountain is 1833 meters high.

Icescape

Looking down over the glacier tongue of Svínafellsjökull. Skaftafell, Iceland. In the background, you can just make out the atlantic ocean. This is an HDR assembled with Photshop HDR Pro.

Rolling Glacier

Looking over neon moss at Vatnajökull in Iceland. This is on the north side of the glacier, near Snaefell. Vatnajökull is Europe's largest glacier.

Ice Bridge

This is an ice bridge melting in the summer sun. Vatnajökull, Iceland. I'm not sure how much longer this was around after we left. My guess is, it was gone in a few hours. This is an HDR assembled in Photoshop HDR Pro.

Color Overload

In Iceland, you see lots of colors. Often the colors are so vivid that they don't look real. In this picture, taken in the highlands near Snaefell, The landscape is mostly desert. Wherever there's water though, neon colored moss pops out of the landscape in a blast of color that really slaps you in the face to get your attention. I usually end up having to partially desaturate these pictures to get them to look right. Even still, some of them turn out looking pretty over-photoshopped. They aren't, Iceland took care of that already!

On the Glacier Tongue

We took a guided hike on Svinafellsjökull, one of the glacier tongues in Skaftafell National Park, Iceland. It was a great experience, and very humbling to get a sense of how big the Vatnajökull glacier is. I'll be posting more pictures from this adventure in the future. Here's the first one to give you a little taste. Check back for more!

Lupin Fields

Looking over Lupin Fields at Seyðisfjörður. Eastfjords, Iceland

Whimsical Whimbrel

A picture of a whimbrel landing on a cliff edge in Seyðisfjörður, Iceland

Puffin!

I love puffins! They're without a doubt the cutest of the sea birds. Very curious, comical, and just a bit uncoordinated. We were lucky enough to se a bunch of them in Iceland this summer. Here's a picture of one on the way into his burrow to feed the kids. 

Arctic Summer

Arctic summer in Hornvik, Iceland

 

Summer Sun

The sun low in the sky over hornvik, Iceland.