DRAFT***

This blog report is in progress. I continue to work on it and am writing the next port destinations. I will post them when each destination page is posted. For now, I am posting them out of order. When I have completed the entire trip report, I will re-post them in order. 

   

                                                      Continuing...........

 Sunday, August 17, 2025- 6th Cruise Port, 4th Port in Iceland-

                                  Reykjavik, Iceland. 

        Following the conclusion of Reykjavik and this Addendum                                                    segment-

     Monday, August 18, 2025- Heimaey, Westman Islands, Iceland

                          7th Cruise Port, 5th in Iceland.

           Addendum- "The Last Great Auks and Eldey Island"!-         

      Eldey Island is a small flat-topped Island which is approx. 250 feet tall. It is located about nine and a quarter miles southwest of the Reykjanes Peninsula which is thirty-eight miles from Reykjavik. This is the location where the last pair of Great Auk were caught and killed. Eldey Island (aka Great Auk Island) has always been known as a seabird nesting island, which now holds one of the largest Gannet nesting populations in the world. Historical accounts mention that in 1830 (fourteen years before they became extinct) at least fifty pairs of Great Auks moved to Eldey Island to nest when a volcanic eruption forced them from their usual nearby nesting Island called Geirfuglasker.

     The elimination and extinction of the Great Auk is a great tragedy, one that is so understandably difficult to even comprehend. I have been a professional bird carver/sculptor/artist for over fifty years. I have carved and sculpted many different species of birds from all over the world. But, I have a very special and profound adoration for the Great Auk...... its memory and its legacy inspires me! We will never again see this magnificent Auk, but we certainly can remember it and never forget it. This is something I want to do..... to keep its memory alive through my art. 

      One of my dreams which I mentioned at the beginning of this cruise blog was to be visit the waters where the Great Auk once swam and raised their young. This is something that is not possible on a cruise. I know that my hyperemotional sentiments  might sound a little excessive, but artistic passion is often thought to be a bit over the top......just as the roots to a really good score of music. So, being able to "feel" the spirit of the Great Auk is of "bucket-list" importance. Unfortunately, The Nieuw Statendam would be leaving Reykjavik at 11:00 pm. and Eldey Island would be lost in the darkness as we passed by. Even though, I was determined to be on the outside deck when we passed by.....which of course, I had no idea when that would be!

   Its always amazing how things work out and events happen and fall into place. When Jen and I were walking down the deck hall to the Restaurant for dinner, just outside the door to the restaurant, there was a group of ships officers standing around and chatting with each other and with the guests. Jen knew exactly what I was planning later that night, and she squeezed my hand a little tighter and said to me to go over and ask; it couldn't hurt. What I wanted to know was about the time we would be passing by Eldey and off what side of the ship. I politely introduced Jen and myself to the five ship's Officers. And just as it were scripted, one of the officers was the Chief Navigational Officer. Talk about lucky!! The Officers were extremely friendly, professional and very receptive. I briefly explained my reasons and interest in Eldey Island, and they all seemed genuinely interested..... they had never had anyone ask them this before. The Chief Navigational Officer told me that Eldey Island was about a two hour sail from Reykjavik and that they should be passing by Eldey Island around 1:00 am in the morning. He went on to tell me that the ship would be passing by Eldey to the west of the island...... Eldey would be on the port side of the ship. We graciously thanked them, and went on to dinner. 

                                                            Eldey Island- 

                                  One of my Great Auk sculptures- 

         The image below came from the book "Birds of Iceland". The book has a wonderful section written about the history of the Great Auk in Iceland, and of course; Eldey Island. The caption under the image states that the historical accounts mention that the last pair, a mated breeding pair were captured and killed on the upper section of the lower ledge on the island's extended spit on the right side in the picture. The accounts state that the two Auk collectors Jon Brandsson and Sigudur Isleifsson captured the mated pair and strangled them at that exact spot shown in the image. A third collector Ketill Ketilsson smashed the Auk pairs single egg (the last Great Auk egg)! The Great Auk was no more!!

......The Great Auks existence was extinguished on July, 03, 1844! (Insert your own thoughts here)!

  

      At 12:30 am..........early Monday morning, August 18, I was sitting on the port side stern outside sundeck with a hot cup of coffee and my thoughts.     

             

         I find myself often wanting to preserve the life legacy of the Great Auk by honoring it through my art. It's my personal tribute to this once amazing bird, to help keep it alive. Here are a few examples of my Great Auk art. This is a life-sized sculpture based on measurements and anatomical features described in documented species accounts- 

      A big element to any sculpture or painting is anatomical measurements (wing chord, bill length, tail length, tarsus length, etc.) and physical proportions (wing chord to body, bill length to culmen, etc.) of the subject, in this case the Great Auk. Along with these measurements and head to body, wing to body, etc. proportions are important features such as iris color, gape coloration, foot and tarsus color, etc.). In all of the research I have done, there are only three or possibly four written accounts of the Great Auk's iris color, gape color, and even the foot and tarsus color from old ledgers, sailors diaries, and hand written notes. All of these accounts are close in their descriptions, but are vague and often use old language terms to describe color and possible color descriptions. The  best and most accepted account of these color features came from an Iceland woman who had handled many fresh killed Great Auk birds. She was a cook and had prepared many of them in her kitchen. She described the eye color of the Great Auk as "brown red" and the gape color of the Auk as being a "dark yellow". Brown red is an old description for chestnut brown, and dark yellow means an orange yellow perfectly fitting the paint color cadmium yellow deep. The Great Auk's closest living  cousin the Razorbill has a medium yellow-colored gape, so does it's other cousin the Common Murre.

     There are also conflicting accounts to the bill of the Great Auk. Many of the mounted specimens of Great Auk show fine white lines on both the maxillary and mandibular bill striations similar to the Razorbill. There are no written accounts that identify these white striations on the bill, just as there are no accounts that state the Auks bills did not show any white striations. No one really knows why the Taxidermists who prepared the specimens painted the white lines on the bills of the mounted specimens. Other Taxidermy specimens do not show the white lines on the bill. My belief is that the Auks did have the white bill striations because of their closet cousin the Razorbill do have a single white striation line on its maxilla and mandible. 

     On this actively preening adult Great Auk decoy sculpture I wanted to highlight and feature the Great Auk as realistically close as possible including a highly animated posture, accurate measurements, accurate anatomy and physical proportions, but mostly to showcase the chestnut red eye color, deep yellow gape color, correct foot and tarsus color, and white bill striations. I also decided to make this Auk in full winter (aka non-breeding) plumage demonstrating its life on the sea at their wintering grounds far from land. Winter specimens are under-represented in collection specimens. Only a few winter and juvenile Great Auk specimens exist. 

 

                          Adult Great Auk decoy in summer/breeding plumage.

                                   Adult  Great Auk decoy in winter/non-breeding plumage

               A pair of winter adult Great Auk decoys. When designing a decoy sculpture, taking every feature of the anatomy, etc. into account is critical to the realism you want to develop in your designs. A big part of that is to understand the moods, attitudes, body language and the postures that birds commonly assume. In my research, many of the written accounts from witnesses who observed the birds mentioned the same "normal" posture they witnessed  in swimming Great Auks. They all point to Auk's heads "tucked down" resting between their shoulders with their bills pointing up to the sky! 

                                          Great Auk precocial chick decoy sculpture- 

     There are conflicting hypothesis about the developmental stages of the young Great Auks. One theory is that the Great Auk chicks were "precocial" meaning the young Great Auk hatch in an advanced state and left the nesting colony after only four or five days joining the male parent and would grow and develop at sea. The Great Auk chick decoy carving I made was a precocial chick. The other theory is that the Great Auk chicks were "semi-precocial" which means they are dependent and rely on the parents for a period of time before they fledge. This period of development is thought to be eighteen to twenty days.....similar time to its closest living cousin the Razorbill. 

      As I mentioned on the first page of this birding cruise blog report, I made this "precocial" Great Auk fledgling to take with me on this trip.- 

      Originally, the Great Auk was thought to be and called a Penguin..... the Penguin of the North. The Great Auks scientific name still carries the origin of the Penguin name: Pinguinis impennis. I am in the process of making this exhibit display showcasing comparative underwater swimming/diving postures of the Great Auk. The display features a life-size/life-like Great Auk compared to a diving Gentoo Penguin (its mythical name-sake), its closest living cousin the Razorbill, and its smallest living cousin the "Little Auk" or Dovekie. The current status of this exhibit: I am currently painting the four birds and should be completed in a month or so. 

       This is another exhibit display project I am currently working on........the complete stages of development of a Great Auk hatchling from the Egg stage through its development period ending with a leaping fledgling. This series shows the  "semi-precocial" stages developing two days or so between each growth stage. I am also adding an hatching Egg and emerging Hatchling step (not shown in this image. I have this series generally shaped, and have now begun carving/making the other split developmental "precocial" stages. This will feature the young Great Auk branching off around the forth or fifth day of development that had made it to the sea. I will be adding all the stages shown in the semi-precocial development stages (shown in the below image) but they will be carved as swimming birds. I will continue this exhibit with advancing developmental birds from the fifteenth to the twentieth day swimming on the sea. The exhibit will conclude with several advanced stages and developing juveniles to the point of their first winter plumage with the adult male parent that has changed over to winter plumage. It is an ambitious project, but it is something that I have wanted to do for quite some time. 

                          Close-ups of the shaped semi-precocial stages- 

            The fifteen to twenty day old fledgling making its first leap into its new life on the sea, and advanced development away from the land. 

       I have made many reference sketches and illustrations of  Great Auk anatomy and Morphology. This illustration demonstrates the head to skull ratio- 

An illustration of the body skeleton and bone structure of an adult Great Auk-

     Using my illustration of the body skeletal structure of the Great Auk, I began recreating a Great Auk articulated skeleton. I am carving the skeleton from Holly wood. I am currently working on the ribs. When they are completed, I will start working on the skeletal structure of the wings, and legs and feet.-

       I posed the articulated skeleton in the same underwater swimming/diving pose of the Great Auk exhibit display- 

          Two watercolor illustrations I did of a summer adult and winter adult Great Auk-        

       On the tip of the Reykjanes Peninsula is a bronze sculpture monument of the Great Auk designed and made by artist Todd McGrain. The sculpture is a perfect memorial to honor this amazing bird! Its also the perfect location, because on a clear day you can see Eldey Island. 

                                                           Suggested reading-

     Monday, August 18, 2025- Heimaey, Westman Islands, Iceland

                         7th Cruise Port, 5th Port in Iceland.

                                             Part 1 of 3-

            "Geometric Forms, Natural Abstract Art, Puffins and                                     Extraordinary Community Solidarity"!~ 

   

      

     The Nieuw Statendam was scheduled to arrive in Heimaey in the Westman Islands at 8:00 am in the morning. This is the one location that Jen and I were really looking forward to. We did some research on all of our port locations long before our cruise. Since the cruise mainly focused on Iceland, this is where we did the most research. The one stop that were were so anxious and excited to see was Heimaey in the remote Westman Islands. These islands host the World's largest Puffin colony. Eight million Puffins nest here from April to early August, with peak numbers in June and July. It was August 18, just at the end of the Puffin season. When we signed up for our excursion tour prior to our cruise departure, a disclaimer was noted that this time of year they couldn't guarantee that we would see Puffins; they may have already left the colony. We were still here so we were going to enjoy the scenery and area. I was confident a few Puffins would still be hanging around. 

      It was a chilly morning. Heavy cloud cover filled the sky. A small crack of clear sky just along the horizon allowed the sun to slowly creep up on the morning. The distant shoreline with broken islands and fjords slowly came into view. It was an exciting morning! 

  

     This early morning like every morning on this cruise found me standing on our veranda with my binoculars and camera. This morning however, I needed an extra sweater underneath my coat.....it was crisp! The clouds slowly gave way allowing the sun to make a rapid approach. The southern sky began to light up, while the sky to the north of us towards the Westman Islands was dark.....still a little too dark for my Canon R7 camera and 100 - 500mm lens.

       The first bird of the morning passed by the bow of the steaming ship and flew right below our deck......a Great Skua! That was a huge surprise, I was waiting for the usual first flights of the Fulmar patrols. I never expected a Skua. Completely unexpected and deeply appreciated!

       Within seconds of the passing Skua, Atlantic Puffin flocks buzzed by the ship all heading northeast towards the Westman Islands. The flocks were followed by another and another. It was a great sign, the Puffins were still here!

        The next species to pass by the ship were Gannets. Contrary to the returning Puffins that were heading in from a long night on the open sea, these Gannets were heading out to their morning feeding grounds searching for Herring. 

               And the Puffins continued..... in continual flocks but now coming closer to the ship.

       Jen came out on the veranda with me to enjoy and watch the amazing Puffin show. She loves Puffins and finds them so interesting (she has a few of my Puffin carvings in "her" collection). :^) 

                 .......... and the morning Puffin flights continued, non-stop! We had already seen at least two hundred fifty Puffins so far this morning. Our Puffin excursion should be very exciting. 

     While I was caught up photographing the Puffins, Jen asked me what are these Shorebirds doing out here? They are scattered all over the sea and mixed in with the Puffins. I looked down, and Jen had spotted flocks of Red-necked Phalarope..... and they were indeed scattered throughout the area. Many were swimming in small groups and others were flying with the Puffins that passed by. I was hoping to see Phalaropes in Iceland, but so far we had missed them. I was preoccupied with photographing Puffins, and quite possibly would have missed these birds if it wasn't for Jen's great eye sight and abilities at spotting birds. This small group was close enough to the passing ship to take a few pictures. These were all Red-necked Phalarope which the majority of them were. I did see a few Red Phalarope mixed in with the more distant flocks that were swimming in binocular views only. Great find Jen! 

       This small flock followed the ship for a short distance and then decided to settle back onto the sea. This area seems to be a attractive to the Phalaropes. I am still amazed that these small delicate shorebirds spend part of their lives on the open sea........ very hardy birds! 

      The flights of Puffin continued. The sun had now successfully crept over the horizon.  

     A closer look at the flying Puffins revealed that all of their bills were packed full of Capelin, Herring and possibly Sandeels. They had a successful night at sea on their fishing grounds. This was a really great sign. They were all heading northeast towards the Westman Islands which apparently still had good numbers of hungry young Puffins just hours or days from fledging. Out timing couldn't be better! 

      For the first forty-five minutes since the waking of the distant dawn, with the exception of the Great Skua, the small cluster of Gannets, and the Phalarope hotspot, the majority of the birds flying in a continuous precession where Atlantic Puffin. They kept coming like morning rush hour traffic trying to get to work. I hadn't seen a Fulmar yet which was a little unusual, or even a Gull. That changed when a single first winter Black-legged Kittiwake flew by our veranda.        

           The morning clouds opened up and that beautiful warm sun illuminated the area. Time for the Puffin decoy to make a appearance!  

                   And out of nowhere, a dark morph Parasitic Jaeger flew into view hugging the sea!

         .......... and the morning Puffin rush hour continued, non stop!     

    

          In the distance, the southern Icelandic coastline appeared out of the remaining morning haze.

    

       Finally, there were the Fulmars! They decided to sleep in this morning. Their rafts covered wide areas of the sea. 

                                        The shunning Westman Islands..........

        I titled this page of my trip report " Geometric Forms,  Natural Abstract Art, Puffins and Community Solidarity"! The landscape dimensions and shapes were a study in Artistic Geometrical forms and natural Abstract Shapes....... a sculptors and artists inspirational dream!!

 

                                                              Endless Fulmar- 

       We must have been getting closer to our destination because the Puffins were now flying closer to the ship..... often over the ship. 

       I am adding multiple images of the Geology of the islands and the island landscapes which was absolutely captivating!

      When I first saw this house on top of this large flat island as we sailed by, I thought it was quite interesting. Maybe it was someone's summer home, or maybe a seabird study facility?? Either way, I found it fascinating that this nice house was constructed in this remote location. It was the only building we saw on these isolated islands. How did they build it and why? Jen and I will find out the true reason for this house later in the day.

        And just like that, the second Great Skua. It was following along the starboard side of the ship just below our veranda. 

      

     We were getting closer to Heimaey, and the high number of Puffins continued. It had been at least an hour and a half of a steady stream of Atlantic Puffins this morning. In this particular area, the Puffins were sitting on the sea.

     The closer we got to Heimaey, the numbers of flying Fulmar and Kittiwake steadily increased-

 

         Didn't see this bird until I recently culled through all my trip images for my blog. This is a pale blue morph Northern Fulmar. I have seen a few of them here in New England on occasion. It is lighter than a common dark morph, and is slightly grayer than a pale common morph..... a "tweener"! 

                                                            Puffins everywhere- 

                                   

                                     Third Great Skua of the morning!

    We had finally reached our destination; Heimaey Harbor area. The announcement came of the ship's P A System that we had arrived in Heimaey. The harbor is very small only designed for smaller fishing boats. The Statendam would be anchoring next to this island and we would all be shuttled to the harbor in the ship's tender boats. The huge ship spun around pointing the bow out to the open sea and dropped its anchors. The port side of the vessel was parallel to the high, steep slopes of the island that towered way over the height of the Statendam. The space between the ship and the sky-high cliffs was a stones throw! Jen and I walked to the stern and out on the outside sundeck to get a better look. Wow, it was incredible!! 

     The massive walls of the towering façade rose from the sea to the sky like breath-taking sky scrapers! The face of these enormous cliffs were sculpted with a thruway of endless configurations of fissures, crevices, cracks, ledges, mounds, caves and depressions all softened by the lush green grass on the top edges and the brow of the cliffs. This was truly awe-inspiring!  

     Being mesmerized by the amazing Geological  mass and forms, we were less aware of the staggering amount of birds coming and going from the cliffs. Northern Fulmar, Black-legged Kittiwake and of course Puffins were significantly present. Basically, everywhere you looked and in every direction, the sky was filled with birds flying in all directions!

      Fulmars and Black-legged Kittiwake were roosting in the lush green grass and in little nooks on the cliff faces. Puffin burrows dotted the grassy areas on top of the cliffs. 

                                  Puffins were moving constantly- 

        Iceland Sheep were spread out on top of  this large island. Since this was an uninhabited Island, made me wonder how they got up there?? We found out the answer later. 

       These sheep possess amazing and incredible agility. Watching them walk along the almost vertical slopes with such sure-footed confidence and natural subconscious expertise was staggering.  

        Just how I had pictured the Seabird Islands in Iceland........Puffins and Icelandic Sheep. 

                    More images of the amazing cliff faces and landscapes-

       You can see the small harbor of Heimaey in the short distance in this crooked image! :^)

                      Beautiful day! Perfect for a sight-seeing boat tour and birds!

         Westman Islands- The anchored Nieuw Statendam was located on the north side of Heimaey Island inside that small fjord shown in the map below- 

                                The Puffin decoy in the outer reaches of Heimaey Harbor.

     It was still before 9:00 am, and our Seabird excursion wasn't scheduled to leave until 12:00 noon. We decided to have breakfast. But instead of eating inside, we found a table outside on the sundeck right along the port, stern railing. There were so many birds trading back and forth, I would not have been able to sit behind windows watching all that constant bird activity. It was Jen that suggested that we just find a table outside for our breakfast, It was still a little chilly, bit it was starting to warm up under the bright sun. (These internet images show the wonderful accessibility to the outside sundecks on the stern of the ship)- 

         This (internet image) is the sundeck where we were having breakfast. It is located on the same deck level as the Lido Market Restaurant. Just walk through the doors of the restaurant and you are here.....perfect and easy. The table that we sat on was to the right of the pool, near the port stern railing. 

                       Our incredible views from our table on the sundeck.-

   

           The actual first Gull of the morning (other than the Kittiwake), an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull flew over us and then over the top of the mountain. 

                                          Classic Iceland......Sheep and Puffins! 

    Look at the confidence of this one Ram and where he chose to rest.....right on the edge of the steep, slippery slope! Amazing! 

                 While having breakfast at our table......Puffins were all over, from all directions. I hardly ever had to get up to take pictures. I just kept hitting the shutter release in between sips of coffee or bites of my toast. 

      Every now and then I would walk a few steps to the railing and see what was swimming by the ship. These were the first Black Guillemot of the day.- 

         Eiders started swimming to the area near the anchored ship. It was just at breakfast time and I had already seen my top three birds on my list: Great Skua, Atlantic Puffin and Iceland Eider. Also a couple of bonus birds: Parasitic Jaeger and small flocks of Red-necked and a few Red Phalarope-

                      The grassy areas were peppered with Puffin nest burrows- 

     

     At the bottom of the mountainous cliffs, the falling tide revealed a continual shelf that formed a lip or border the entire length of one section. This lip extension was just below the railing near our table. The exposing shelf lip was covered with rockweed and a swath of small mussels and mollusks. This food source and resting platform attracted a small group of Eiders including a few juveniles and moulting drakes.

               It was almost hard to believe that we were enjoying all of this amazing unspoiled beauty complimented with continual spectacular birds all from an outside table having breakfast! 

         At one point, the Puffin traffic increased and started flying right over our heads. I went back to the spot I had been standing at the railing a little while earlier. The sun was now at a perfect angle covering the Puffins with nice warm wash of  lighting. 

       More Eiders started showing up to join the small flock that had already gathered on the ledge on the bottom of the cliff right below us. 

    The continual Puffin traffic showed no signs of slowing down. As I have mentioned before, people love Puffins! Its one of the only birds on these cruises that ignite any interest and emotion. With the only other exception that I have witnessed being Eagles. There was a good crowd by now on the sundeck being prompted by an announcement over the ship's P A  System that this a great opportunity to see Puffins off the stern sun deck of the ship. 

     Many people were frustrated trying to figure out which of the hundreds of flying birds trading back and forth in all directions were actually Puffins. In fact, most  of them were. The Puffins were however mingling in with the many Fulmar and Kittiwake swarming the cliffs. Several people approached me and Jen and asked for help figuring out which of the birds flying were Puffins? Happy to help you!

    Not one of them had a camera with them other than their iPhones. Although that would have worked fine for standing and swimming birds, not so good for buzzing-by speedy little Puffins. By now there were almost forty people gathered around for Puffin I D school! Jen and I did our best to first help them identify the Puffins and their field marks and flight patterns. I suggested that they look for little black and white birds that resembled feathered bees with rapid wing beats!  I also mentioned that the Puffins fly fast and direct like a jet on a mission. By comparison, the Kittiwake and Fulmar fly slower and circle and glide more often with stretched wings..... they flap and glide. Jen and I would spend a little time with them and point out the Puffins within the mass of Kittiwake and Fulmars. To augment identifying and pointing them out by the field marks and flight style, I identified a Puffin to them and then took a few pictures of that specific bird. On the image viewing screen on the back of my camera, I would show them the image of the bird we had just seen together to help them solidify the identification tips and their new found identification skills. It worked out great.......everyone we helped was now savvy in spotting the Puffins. This is one of the times that birdwatching is so rewarding...... it made our morning!     

         Even now, at my desk months after the cruise was over, I am still so amazed that these images were shot sitting at a table on the stern deck of a cruise ship while having breakfast. Bird watching at its ultimate best! 

      Another one of the beautiful charms of Iceland......that amazingly clear and intensely deep blue and green water!

       Puffins were even flying over the small tucked-away harbor. I never thought I would see that!

                                                  A few Puffins swam below the boat. 

                    An unexpected second species of Shorebird for the morning: Ruddy Turnstone.

       It was getting time to go back to our suite and get ready for our excursion tour scheduled to leave in an hour and a half. We would have to meet in the World Stage room at 11:15 am. Although it was really hard to leave the sun deck..... the Puffin traffic never let up, but it was time to go. As I took the last sip of coffee, I looked up just in time to see another Great Skua gliding by overhead.

                An internet image showing an overhead view of Heimaey Harbor. The large white building on the left of the image is the commercial fish processing plant. The dock and bulkhead is the location where we would be dropped off in the tender boats. The Nieuw Statendam was anchored below the cliff and out of sight in this image below left. The distant Islands that we would be visiting on the tour are shown in the center top of the image.

                 Part 2 of 3 of this report continues..........

     Dropped off at Heimaey Harbor and boarding the Tour Boat, the Excursion begins.........

This blog report is in progress. I continue to work on it and am writing the next port destinations. I will post them when each destination page is posted. For now, I am posting them out of order. When I have completed the entire trip report, I will re-post them in order. 

To go back to the beginning of this in progress trip report, click on "Older Posts" below right