On Iceland
dram/mcvth

As spring moves into the country, it's also time for the colourful, cute puffins to return to the shore and head to the breeding grounds.

Breeding colony, dram/mcvth, 2019 

The cute birds spend the entire winter half-year on the open sea and only come ashore, e.g. to Iceland, to breed. Here, with about 3 million pairs, half of the breeding population can be found, and so the puffin was understandably also chosen as the national bird.

Just like geysers, glaciers and volcanoes, the colourful bird is on every tourist's wish list.

An absolute highlight of an Iceland holiday is standing on the cliffs and watching the lively activity! Unceasingly, animals fly in with a rapid beat of their wings, the next ones are already pushing themselves off the cliff with their bright red feet and going searching for food. In between, they calmly have their nap in front of the cave entrance and are not even disturbed by the enthusiasm of countless observers and photographers.

Colony, dram/mcvth, kasaan media, 2019 

Year after year, the birds return to the same breeding colony and seek out their breeding cavity, which is dug up to 1.5 m deep into the ground. Inside is the brood chamber, where the egg is hatched and the young bird is raised, and also a side chamber that serves as a privy.

With fish, mcvth/dram, kasaan media, 2019

After all, the chick should sit in the clean! Only after about 6 weeks does the chick leave the brood and immediately head out to sea. Only there do they find their food, which consists mainly of small fish.

It is hard to believe how many of them there is room in their beaks!

Dozens of sand eels can be brought to the hungry chick in the cave at once.

After the breeding season, the colony is abandoned and the breeding pairs separate during the winter - but only to meet again at the old breeding site the next spring. Fidelity is paramount and the small birds can reach a remarkable age of at least 30-40 years.

Puffin, dram/mcvth, kasaan media, 2019 

They may live on! A great wish because for some years now there has been concern about these colourful friends: due to a lack of food, breeding success is failing more and more often, populations are declining and some are already classified as endangered! Another reason to protect the oceans and our planet - so that we can continue to enjoy these photogenic little animals!

For R.

We want to open this article for everyone to post contributions in English language for the protection of wild salmon. The contributions can be sent as photos, film or simply as text. 

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Write us what you think about farmed salmon. 
 

In a world we live in, no one should have to fear publishing their thoughts just because they face the power of lawyers, lawsuits or attempts at bribery.

Capital has had its day. There are people who dislike this form of power and who resist its use.

The Earth's heritage is more important than fast euros.

The salmon is only synonymous with the environmental sins we leave behind for the next generation. Not to mention the children of our children.

It is unacceptable that large international corporations torture the creature salmon and systematically poison the consumer throughout Europe.

 
A predatory fish cannot feed in cages on pesticides, antibiotics and cheap food made from plant ingredients. Without respect for the creature animal that must die for our food.
In addition, fish are threatened by epidemics, such as the infectious anaemia of salmon (highly contagious ISA virus) caused by keeping them in cages. Because salmon kept in aquacultures is so poisonous that it is inedible, it also kills wild salmon in the surrounding area. It also causes numerous diseases, such as diabetes mellitus.

What remains are underwater worlds in Chile, Norway and elsewhere that look like a poisoned desert.

 
When consumers protest, the EU sets pesticide levels high. No.

If you have money like hay, you should find ways to breed these fish naturally, not in dirty and miserable environments.

Big business should be obliged to repair the underwater damage at their expense. And they should do so quickly before further damage occurs.

Beneficiaries are a few who are only interested in money, but not in nature, health or even species protection.
Although they emphasize this fact time and again. Nobody believes the corporations any more.

Now consumers must act.
And us.

Next article
The track of the salmon leads to Hamburg