These photographs were all taken on Hornøya Island which we reached by a boat trip out of Vardo. The cliffs on Hornøya are a very important breeding ground for a wide variety of sea birds.

The species that we most wanted to see here was the Brünnich's Guillemot (or Thick-billed Murre) which is a member of the Auk family, sometimes known as alcids. It is an arctic species with its range overlapping the northern range of the Common Guillemot (or Common Murre) which was present on the island in large numbers. The nest and breeding sites for the Brünnich's are much the same as the Common Guillemot and they often form mixed colonies. Unfortunately most of the Brünnich's were quite high on the cliffs. Also present in good numbers were Razorbills.