The Northern Fulmars are back in town! I walked down to Rock-a-Nore to look through the gulls, dreaming of a white-winger. A first-winter Yellow-legged Gull was reward enough. But I was soon distracted by the fulmars, with at least eight nest ledges occupied, and plenty of prospecting flights along the cliff face, and cackling between partners and chancers.
This long-lived tubenose [unrelated to gulls] often returns to stake out its favoured ledge with its lifelong partner after an autumn moulting exodus to the high seas.
The tube nose is shared by all other members of the order Procellariiformes and reflects a mind-blowing sense of smell as well as serving as an exit for excess salt.
Northern Fulmar only started to become widespread as a breeding bird on British cliffs in the late 19th century, but it then spread rapidly.