Photographing birds Flatey Island, Iceland

The island of Flatey in Iceland is a real hidden gem for would be bird photographers. Most people pass through Flatey (via ferry service out of Stykkisholmur) on their way to the well known Latrabjarg bird cliffs to see Atlantic Puffins and Razorbills. However for those that have or take the time to explore Flatey you will find a small island that offers some very good photographic opportunites especially for Black Guillemot, Red-necked Phalarope and Common Redshank just to name a few. 

If you are planning a birding or bird photography trip to Iceland I would add Flatey island to your travel itinerary. This is an enjoyable place to spend a few days and Hotel Flatey is where you want to stay. This is a wonderful and charming hotel with excellent food, great service and staff that will make your stay on Flatey enjoyable.

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Shawn Carey
Migration Productions

[pbgalvin]

Thanks Shawn. Planning an Iceland trip in June but Flatey is not on the itinerary. Hopefully we will see those species elsewhere though. And as usual, great photos!

[wellingtoncrescent]

I'm not trying to virtue signal here, as I'm genuinely curious how other birders reconcile these conflicting impulses, which we're struggling with. For many years, we were typical "birding tourists", each year visiting exotic locales like South Africa or Costa Rica in search of new birds. But we started to feel guilty about the environmental impact of long distance jet trips, and when we retired we resolved to limit ourself to domestic holidays, ideally accessible by a car or train commute. To be fair, this was part of a broader commitment that saw us replace our gas furnace with a cold climate heat pump and purchase an electric vehicle to mitigate some of the GHG emissions. In these decisions, we were fortunate to live in Manitoba, Canada, where 98% of our electricity is "green" (hydro, which obviously has its own environmental implications). We are also fortunate, since Canada offers some gorgeous locales, though many are inaccessible by road. For example, we visited Churchill, MB, in October 2021 (to see polar bears) and again in June (2022) to take advantage of the brief migration window as 250-300 different species pass through en route to their northern breeding grounds. Incidentally, I am struck by how similar the latter experience was to what you have documented here for Flatey Island. In any case, I guess what I'm wondering is what others are doing to reconcile their long-standing interest in birds while limiting the environmental damage?