THE PUFFARAZZI

Every summer, an epic survey of Iceland's puffins takes place - and two photographers decided to lend a helping hand

- HARRY READ and EDWIN TOWLER

EVERY SUMMER IN ICELAND, AN AVIAN odyssey takes place. A squad of seabird fanatics makes a grand tour of the length and breadth of the country, visiting a dozen or so Atlantic puffin colonies in an expedition known enticingly as the Puffin Rally. In July 2023, we joined the adventure – the second year in a row we were lucky enough to do so - as photographers.

The squad comprised Erpur Snær Hansen (a world expert on seabird ecology), seabird researcher Björg Harðardóttir (conveniently married to Erpur), and Rodrigo Martínez Catalan, a researcher who apparently got so fed up of the gorgeous Spanish climes that he moved to Iceland. This trio of experts, who work for the South Iceland Nature Research Centre (SINRC), bestowed on us the affectionate nickname of The Princes. Our royal role was to assist the research during the puffins' breeding season. While the scientists investigated the reproductive success of the colonies, our job was to document the birds' feeding habits using our photography skills. Our home and chariot for the two weeks we were here was a modified Toyota Landcruiser with a trailer tent in tow, known as the Puffmobile.