Snæfellsnes is the place to go if you ever visit Iceland. There are usually a lot of seals there if seeing seals is on your agenda. This is the Harbour Seal (Phoca vitulina) but you can also expect to see the Gray Seal (Halichoerus grypus). The photos are taken near Kolgrafarfjörður on the northern side of the Snæfellsnes peninsula.

In the last few years Kolgrafarfjörður has been in the news quite often. In 2012 and 2013 the fjord was so overfull of herring that there was lack of oxygen so the herring died. Herring is food for various animals such as seals, killer whales and birds. So everything was teeming with life.

In 2013 we took a trip to the South East of the country. One of the most interesting places there is Jökulsárlón, Glacier Lagoon. When we got there we spotted a small group of people near the shore. They had gathered around a Walrus  (Odobenus rosmarus). We were so surprised, we had never seen a Walrus before.

This huge animal just lay there enjoying the rest, flipping over every once in a while. Some tourist asked us if it was common to see a Walrus in Iceland and we could tell them that this was a first for us.

Walruses are very seldom seen in Iceland but this animal, a male, is probably accountable for several sightings in 2013.

Reykjavík Grapevine in English:
http://grapevine.is/news/2013/09/30/a-wealth-of-walruses/

Morgunblaðið in Icelandic, with a photo from ORNOSK/Örn Óskarsson:
http://www.mbl.is/frettir/innlent/2013/09/18/rostungur_flakkar_milli_faereyja_og_islands/