Birds galore....

The car wasn't insured for gravel roads so I drove as far as I could and had a couple of miles to walk across a lava field. The landscape was either peppered with razor sharp debris from the last explosion that would have rained down killing anything caught in that little shower or is piles of black basalt heaved out of the crust or great folded and torn bits of lava flow. Really amazing! Pictures attached at the bottom.

On the mini hike there were Golden Plovers and Snow Buntings. Mostly males as had striking black and white summer plumage.

I could here the birds on the cliffs first and then I could smell them! The guano was really pungent when it gets heated by the summer sun. Not pleasant! However, no Arctic Tern trouble so the Tern repellant I bought worked at treat.

The cliffs were full of un-identifiable gulls, Fulmars, Kitiwakes, Common and Brunnich's Guillemots, and a few more Puffins. At the bottom of the cliffs was a small flotilla of Harlequin Ducks and scouting the cliff for eggs possibly an Arctic Skua. It certainly caused a commotion on its way past.

Still can get used to the daylight. Night time is 3 hours of dusk!