Kirkjubol (Kirkjuból) Eider Ducks
Kirkjubol (Kirkjuból) Eider Ducks
Kirkjubol is a good stopping off point for birdwatchers. Please be considerate and keep away from the nesting birds.
Around 70 eider ducks nest on the grassy ground above the tide line. The ducks line their nest with down plucked from their breast.
When they are incubating, they are well-camouflaged and almost invisible. Meanwhile, the more conspicuous and colorful males are already back in the sea, molting their fancy feathers once the breeding season is over.
When the eggs hatch, their mother leads the chicks to the relative safety of the sea and the local farmers then collect the valuable down from the nest.
Near Kirkjubol, black guillemots also come ashore to breed, looking for nest sites under rocks though old tires and driftwood logs will also do!
You'll find arctic terns and oystercatchers along the same stretch of coast.