Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) UB2A1552

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Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) UB2A1552
Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) UB2A1552

Kingsdown, Kent, England.
This is one bird that the Peregrine falcon will avoid.

Fulmars are pelagic (meaning they live entirely at sea) outside of their breeding months. When they’re hunting (as opposed to scavenging) they are ocean divers, plunging several metres under the water to nab prey, or plucking them out from just under the surface.
Chicks and eggs are prey to scavenger birds like skua and sheathbills, as well as foxes, squirrels, and rats.
Fulmars create a kind of stomach oil that they store in a section of their stomachs called the proventriculus. They use this oil for 2 reasons:
1. They spray it out as a defensive measure. It can gum up the wings of predator birds, causing them to plunge to their deaths.
2. They can regurgitate it as an energy-rich resource they use for long flights or to feed their young.
Like some other seabirds, Fulmars have a gland above their nasal passage that excretes a saline solution to help them get rid of all the salt in the water they imbibe while feeding.
The name “Fulmar” comes from two Old Norse words - fúll meaning “foul” and már which means “gull.” This refers to the awful-smelling stomach oil.
Although Fulmars looks like gulls they are actually related to petrels.
Fulmars were first described by Scottish naturalist Andrew Smith in 1840.
Fulmars are one of the few bird species that have a well-developed sense of smell. They can use it to locate fish by the smell of fish oil rising to the surface of the water.
Fulmars will chase fishing ships in order to nab waste.
oceanwide-expeditions.com/to-do/wildlife/fulmar-1

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Taken on: April 22, 2020
Tags: Everybody's photos tagged with Fulmarus glacialis Fulmarus glacialis Everybody's photos tagged with fulmar fulmar
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Camera: Canon EOS 7D Mark II, f/5.6, 1/4000 sec, 400mm, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)
Camera: Canon EOS 7D Mark II
Lens: EF400mm f/5.6L USM
Aperture: f/5.6
Exposure Time: 1/4000 sec
Focal Length: 400mm
ISO: 100
Exposure Bias: -1/3 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program: Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode: Auto
Metering Mode: Partial
White Balance: Auto
Color Space: sRGB
Software: Adobe Photoshop Elements 11.0 Macintosh
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