On another visit to Arbroath Cliffs last week there were many more butterflies, but this time I didn't feel I needed any more Bumblebee photos. It won't be long till the Kittiwakes, Razorbills and Herring Gulls fledge all of their young, leaving the Fulmars in peace, sitting on a single egg in an apology for a nest, just a shallow scrape with some dry vegetation. Fulmars are not a gull but are classed as Petrels, there are only two species, Northern and Southern, there is also a dark morph.
Before the 1800s, only 1 or 2 Northern Fulmar colonies existed in Iceland, and none off the Faeroes or the British Isles. Now, hundreds of colonies occur across all these islands. It's been suggested that humans helped spur this population explosion, by providing food in the form of whale carcasses and fishing discards.
When nesting, fulmars generally forage in the vicinity of their colonies but sometimes travel more than 600 miles round trip to procure food for the nestling.
The Northern Fulmar can dive as deep as 10 feet underwater.
When threatened, Northern Fulmars have an effective defence: a vile-smelling stomach liquid that the birds can spray out of their mouths for several yards—a good reason to keep your distance from nesting birds!
Northern Fulmars begin breeding at an exceptionally old age. Most do not breed until they are at least 8 to 10 years old; one study found an individual that started breeding at age 20.
The Northern Fulmar is one of the longest-lived birds, with adults regularly living into their 30s. In Scotland, several Northern Fulmars ringed as adults in 1951 were still breeding in 1990, probably in their 50s.
Fulmar in flight, and below. You'd think these birds would be easy to photograph but the gliding they are expert at is much faster than it looks, and sudden changes of direction and pitch occur often
The Razorbills were more active than before, I wasn't even sure they had nested in the area this year as I avoided getting too close and disturbing a nesting Rock Pipit
The females at the nests were sending the males out to forage, I guess that means the chicks are getting quite big
The gentle Gull, although not the quiet one, a Kittiwake
The Kittiwake chicks are developing well with a few stretching their wings precariously on the narrow ledges. Most have two chicks and like this one not so easy to see
One of this years Herring Gull juveniles exercising, just look at the detail in the plumage
Sometimes even the Herring Gulls adopt a decent pose
Common Blue Butterfly male, on a sunny warm day will less wind, all of the butterfly species were much more active
This and the one below are also males
The numbers of Meadow Browns had increased greatly and often there were in groups, few were prepared to sit up for photos
Another Meadow Brown showing the upper-wing
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