Wildlife

This page has a list of birds and mammals local to the West Fjords.

The following is a list of 54 bird species that breed in the West Fjords:

Enskt heiti	Latneskt heiti	Íslenskt heiti
English name	Scientific name	Icelandic name
Whooper Swan	Cygnus cygnus	Álft
Greylag Goose	Anser anser	Grágæs
Eurasian Wigeon	Anas penelope	Rauðhöfðaönd
Eurasian Teal	Anas crecca	Urtönd
Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Stokkönd
Tufted Duck	Aythya fuligula	Skúfönd
Greater Scaup	Aythya marila	Duggönd
Common Eider	Somateria mollissima	Æðarfugl
King Eider	Somateria spectabilis	Æðarkóngur
Harlequin Duck	Histrionicus histrionicus	Straumönd
Long-tailed Duck	Clangula hyemalis	Hávella
Red-breasted Merganser	Mergus serrator	Toppönd
Goosander	Mergus merganser	Gulönd
Ptarmigan	Lagopus muta	Rjúpa
Red-throated Diver	Gavia stellata	Lómur
Great Northern Diver	Gavia immer	Himbrimi
Northern Fulmar	Fulmarus glacialis	Fýll
Cormorant	Phalacrocorax carbo	Dílaskarfur
Shag	Phalacrocorax aristotelis	Toppskarfur
White-tailed Eagle	Haliaeetus albicilla	Haförn
Merlin	Falco columbarius	Smyrill
Gyrfalcon	Falco rusticolus	Fálki
Oystercatcher	Haematopus ostralegus	Tjaldur
Ringed Plover	Charadrius hiaticula	Sandlóa
Golden Plover	Pluvialis apricaria	Heiðlóa
Red Knot	Calidris canutus	Rauðbrystingur
Purple Sandpiper	Calidris maritima	Sendlingur
Dunlin	Calidris alpina	Lóuþræll
Common Snipe	Gallinago gallinago	Hrossagaukur
Black-tailed Godwit	Limosa limosa	Jaðrakan
Whimbrel	Numenius phaeopus	Spói
Common Redshank	Tringa totanus	Stelkur
Red-necked Phalarope	Phalaropus lobatus	Óðinshani
Arctic Skua	Stercorarius parasiticus	Kjói
Black-headed Gull	Larus ridibundus	Hettumáfur
Lesser Black-backed Gull	Larus fuscus	Sílamáfur
Glaucous Gull	Larus hyperboreus	Hvítmáfur
Great Black-backed Gull	Larus marinus	Svartbakur
Iceland Gull	Larus glaucoides	Bjartmáfur
Black-legged Kittiwake	Rissa tridactyla	Rita
Arctic Tern	Sterna paradisaea	Kría
Common Guillemot	Uria aalge	Langvía
Brünnich's Guillemot	Uria lomvia	Stuttnefja
Razorbill	Alca torda	Álka
Black Guillemot	Cepphus grylle	Teista
Atlantic Puffin	Fratercula arctica	Lundi
Meadow Pipit	Anthus pratensis	Þúfutittlingur
Pied Wagtail	Motacilla alba	Maríuerla
Wren	Troglodytes troglodytes	Músarrindill
Northern Wheatear	Oenanthe oenanthe	Steindepill
Redwing	Turdus iliacus	Skógarþröstur
Common Raven	Corvus corax	Hrafn
Redpoll	Carduelis flammea	Auðnutittlingur
Snow Bunting	Plectrophenax nivalis	Snjótittlingur

And these species can occasionally be spotted in the area:

Velvet Scoter	Melanitta fusca	Korpönd
Northern Gannet	Morus bassanus	Súla
Sanderling	Calidris alba	Sanderla
Turnstone	Arenaria interpres	Tildra
Snowy Owl	Buto scandiacus	Snæugla
Short-eared Owl	Asio flammeus	Brandugla
Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	Hvinönd
Grey Heron	Ardea cinerea	Gráhegri
Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica	Landsvala
Bohemian Waxwing	Bombycilla garrulus	Silkitoppa

These are land mammals local in the West Fjords. Of these, only the Arctic Fox is "original" to the area, others have been "imported" with people:

Wood mouse	Apodemus sylvaticus	Hagamús
House mouse	Mus musculus	Húsamús
Brown Rat	Rattus norvegicus	Brún rotta
Arctic Fox	Alopex lagopus	Heimskautarefur
Mink	Mustela vision	Minkur

Below are the two species of seals that can be found here:

Common Seal	Phoca vitulina	Landselur
Gray Seal	Halichoerus grypus	Útselur

Twelve species of whales are normally in the waters off North Iceland. On our regular trips we are still most likely to see only Minke Whale, Dolphins and Porpoises.

Northern Bottlenose Whale	Hyperoodon ampullatus	Andarnefja
Sperm Whale	Physeter catodon	Búrhvalur
Long-finned Pilot Whale	Globicephala melaena	Grindhvalur
Killer Whale	Orcinus orca	Háhyrningur
Harbour Porpoise	Phocoena phocoena	Hnísa
Humpback Whale	Megaptera novaeangliae	Hnúfubakur
White-beaked Dolphin	Lagenorhynchus albirostris	Hnýðingur
Minke Whale	Balaenoptera acutorostrata	Hrefna
Atlantic White-sided Dolphin	Lagenorhynchus acutus	Leifturhníðir
Fin Whale	Balaenoptera physalus	Langreyður
Sei Whale	Balaenoptera borealis	Sandreyður
Blue Whale	Balaenoptera musculus	Steypireiður

The following four additional species of whales are rare in Icelandic waters:

Common Dolphin	Delphinus delphis	Léttir
Bottlenose Dolphin	Tursiops truncatus	Stökkull
Sowerby´s Beaked Whale	Mesoplodon bidens	Norðsnjáldri
Bowhead Whale	Balaena mysticetus	Sléttbakur

"Thank you for an unforgettable trip; great scoff, fantastic scenery and weather. We will miss you and the mother ship next time we´re paddling. ..."
- Sonia, England

"
Amazing adventure with two fantastic explorers. Memories are so important and I will never forget this trip.

"
- Paolo, USA

"
We had a great trip. The company was outstanding, the food was excellent and each night we arrived to the comfort of the boat exhausted. Thanks so much for the fun and adventure.
"
- Rolf, USA...

Our Adventures

General Information

Miscellaneous

Welcome to the website for Borea Adventures, Iceland, your number one stop for Arctic adventures in high latitudes. We provide great adventures and expeditions in Iceland, Greenland, East Greenland, Jan Mayen and Svalbard (Spitzbergen), mainly using our spacious yacht, the Aurora. Our philosophy is to make our trips as silent as possible where we minimize the use of motorized power and encourage physical activities, whether sea kayaking, climbing, sailing, walking and hiking, wildlife, ski touring and backcountry skiing for beginners, experts and people of all ages. The North Atlantic is our playground and we offer scheduled trips for individuals and groups as well as customized itineraries and charter for groups. We travel in harmony with the wildlife of the area: Arctic Foxes, Birds, Seals, Whales and Polar Bears. Aurora is a sturdy expedition yacht and was raced four times around the globe as part of the Clipper Round the World yacht race under the ownership of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston. She gives us a great opportunity to provide Arctic adventures in areas that are hard to reach otherwise. We call her our floating basecamp. Our name is derived from Greek mythology where Boreas was the god of the north wind. Aurora on the other hand was the Roman rosy-fingered goddess of dawn. Aurora Borealis is a name for the Northern lights which are common in our area. As we humans have proven through the decades, names can be hard to remember. Especially if a bit of alcohol gets passed around the galley too many times! You might spell our name Boreal Adventures, Borial Adventures, Borea Adventrues and Borealis Adventures. Thank you for visiting Borea Adventures.