The eastern cliffs and hillsides of Nólsoy are home to the largest European storm petrel colony on earth, with around 50,000 pairs nesting in burrows among the rocks and grass. The birds spend their days out at sea and return only after dark to avoid the great skuas that hunt them relentlessly in daylight. This means seeing them requires an overnight stay on the island — day visitors from Tórshavn will miss the spectacle entirely.
The colony is about an hour's walk from the village along a clear path. Guides run organised nighttime excursions from late June through August, timed to arrive at the colony site around midnight when the activity peaks. The birds emerge in their thousands from the darkness, whirring around your head with a churring call that echoes off the hillside. Locals use a special lure call — a recording of the petrel's own song — to bring birds close enough to handle, ring, and release. Jens-Kjeld Jensen, a local ornithologist, has been running the ringing operation for decades and knows the colony better than anyone.
Book a guided visit through local tourism contacts in Tórshavn before you come. If you prefer to go independently, the path is well-marked and the colony is not hard to find — just listen for the sound after dark.