(8)Day Eight: Puffin Séance on Runde Island – Birds, Mystery, and Sheep Poop

The next morning, after a rest so deep it felt like we had dreamt of puffins all night, we set out to explore one of the island's lesser-known but scientifically significant spots: the Runde Miljøsenter, or Runde Environmental Centre. While it wasn't the most thrilling attraction of our lives, it did have some interesting features. For example, they had a collection of stuffed birds native to the island. Although I'm not a fan of taxidermy (who is?), at least we could see the birds up close this way. Puffins are much smaller than I expected.

Runde is famous for its puffins, but let's not forget that many other unique bird species live on the island. If we wanted to observe every bird with our own eyes, we'd probably spend the whole day sitting on the cliffs with binoculars in hand.

Take the seagulls, for example—here, they're not just ordinary seagulls. They are huge, loud, and endlessly confident creatures. They screech as if they are the island's sole rulers, as if every stone and blade of grass is part of their kingdom. Imagine walking on the island and suddenly a squad of giant seagulls takes over the local radio station's role—nonstop broadcasting, and all of it at full volume.

Runde itself is a tiny island, just 6.4 square kilometers, located on the western coast of Norway in the Sunnmøre region. It's close to Ålesund and is filled with so many natural treasures that you can't help but keep turning your head. What's even more interesting is that there are no cats here. Not a single cat in sight! Perhaps it's forbidden to keep them, or maybe everyone respects nature so much that they don't want to endanger the island's wildlife.

Our host recommended that if we were looking for souvenirs, we should visit the Environmental Centre or the Kiosk, which is closer to our accommodation. Unfortunately, we didn't find anything at the Environmental Centre that we couldn't live without, but the Kiosk was a treasure trove of trinkets. It was like stumbling into a Scandinavian gift empire, though we didn't find anything particularly unique. We walked there from our lodging, watching in amazement as the narrow streets teemed with people.

After returning to our accommodation, the fatigue from the previous day caught up with us again, so we took a short nap. Later, we couldn't resist heading back to the famous bird cliffs. This time, we took the other route and quickly reached those legendary, steep cliffs that take your breath away. I was a bit scared to get too close to the edge, but the view was stunning. Not far from there, people were gathering to catch a glimpse of the puffins. We joined them, but the puffins were still just fluttering around in the distance like a mini aerial ballet troupe. Without a telephoto lens, we decided to take another walk around the island.

The rest of the island was a bit wild and wet, and the sheep made sure we watched our step wherever we went. However, they themselves were nowhere to be seen except near the Environmental Centre at the beginning of the island.

Tourists were there almost exclusively for the puffins, so wherever we went, we only encountered locals wandering around. An inexplicable calm enveloped the island, even if the weather was damp and cool. By evening, around nine or ten o'clock, the sunset cast magical lights over the landscape.

We returned to the cliff's edge where we had been watching the puffins, and something wonderful happened: this time, they flew much closer, resting at their nests, allowing us to see them up close. I even managed to take some photos, which felt like a small miracle. Peter was so moved by the experience that he declared this would surely be the highlight of the entire trip for him. And who wouldn't be enchanted by the puffin-filled Norwegian cliffs? For me, they are a huge source of inspiration; I love drawing puffins.

We walked back to our accommodation, tired and happy, around half-past ten, as the sun set. The entire experience was so magical that we were already sad about having to leave the next day. But the beauty of travel is that there is always something left to come back for. :)

More About Puffins:

Puffins (also known as the Atlantic puffin, Fratercula arctica) are unique and iconic birds, often referred to as "flying penguins," though they actually belong to the puffin family. They are most commonly found along the coasts of the Northern Hemisphere, especially on the rocky islands of Iceland, Norway, the United Kingdom, and Greenland. Due to their unique appearance, they are often called "sea clowns," with their colorful, orange beaks and contrasting black and white plumage. Their beaks change with the seasons, becoming paler in winter and brightening up during the nesting season in summer. Puffins are extremely skilled swimmers, using their wings to "fly" underwater while hunting fish like herring and sand eels. They can also fly surprisingly fast, reaching speeds of up to 88 km/h, although they have to flap their wings quickly to achieve this speed. To us, they looked a bit like larger bats. They nest in huge colonies, so places like Runde Island see hundreds of thousands of puffins return during the summer months. Besides their distinctive looks, puffins attract attention with their funny, "clownish" behavior. They spend a lot of time on the coasts, often walking awkwardly and hopping between rocks while balancing with their little wings. The puffin population is at risk in some areas due to climate change and declining fish stocks. Global warming affects marine life, including the prey preferred by puffins, leading to declining populations in some areas. Their largest colonies are found in Iceland, home to about 60% of the world's puffin population. Norway's rocky islands, such as Runde, also host huge colonies. Interestingly, puffins are called "lunda" in Hungarian, a name they share with the Scandinavian languages.