View puffins from a safe distance

The steady stream of tourists walking in and around the puffin nesting sites in Mykines has caused significant disturbance for the birds.

Earlier this summer, the situation became so critical that locals decided to deny access to the site for two weeks in an effort to give the puffins some peace.

According to landowner Heini Heinesen, this had an immediate effect, as he started seeing more puffins emerging from the caves when people stopped walking in the area.

Look without disturbing the birds

To help deal with this problem, Tórshavn’s Rotary Club has now set up a telescope which allows tourists to observe the puffin and gannet colonies from a distance that does not disturb the birds.

The club is a member of Rotary International, an organisation which aims to provide humanitarian services and to advance goodwill and peace around the world.

Club member Julianna Klett says: “We usually fund projects abroad, but we realised that this was an issue that needed immediate attention, so we decided to do our bit to help preserve the puffin and gannet populations in Mykines.”

Translated by prosa.fo