Bird Paradise

In the mouth of the Fáskrúðfjörður fjord lies Skrúður island. The island is one big rock made of basalt and acid volcanic rock that rises 160 metres out of the sea. The island belongs to the Vattarnes land and was protected in 1995; it is 530 metres wide and 590 metres long. Over the centuries, there has been a lot of egg harvesting on Skrúður, as 18 bird species nest on the island. The birds number in the hundreds of thousands. There are, for example, 300,000 puffins in Skrúður alone. It is the most common nesting bird along with the gannet, which started nesting on the island in 1943. Fulmar and blacklegged kittiwake are also common nesting birds on Skrúður. There is a remarkable cave on the island coast named Skrúðhellir. It is estimated at around 4,000 m², 125 metres long, and 80 metres wide at its widest point. Many puffins nest in the cave. Decades ago, fishermen sailed from Skrúður and between rowing tours, they stayed in the cave.