Despite its gull like appearance the fulmar is actually a member of the Albatross family – sometimes referred to as “the tube-noses”. This refers to the tube that lies along the roof of the bill, it’s exact purpose is unclear – it could be used to regulate air pressure or salinity.
They are set up nesting colonies in May, they only lay one egg and the chick matures more slowly than other seabirds, usually leaving the parents at the end of the summer. The young birds will then spend the first few years travelling around the open oceans before returning to their palce of birth to breed. They will continue to return to the same place to breed throughout their lifetime, they are incredibly long living birds with one bird known to be around 40 years of age!
In the UK about 100 years ago Fulmars were only found nesting in St Kilda but they gradually made their way over to the mainland and there are now around 500 colonies on the UK mainland. The reason for this is thought to be due to the modernisation of fishing boats where they were able to catch more fish and therefore produce more offal which was disgarded at sea, the fulmars would then follow the boats and eventually began to nest on the mainalnd.
The name ‘Fulmar’ comes from the Icelandic for a foul gull and refers to the fishy smelling oil in its stomach. The fulamr spits the oil as a defence mechanism, when coated with this oil the predator is unable to fly and at least one Sea Eagle is known to have drowned after being spat at by a Fulmar.
The best palce to see Fulmars on the estate are on the cliffs around the Butt of Lewis and Dun Eistean.