Hunstanton Fulmars

Recently, I mentioned the presence of an intriguing seabird spotted flying over our very land-locked Cambridgeshire village – the Northern Fulmar, Fulmarus glacialis. The nearest flock of nesting Fulmar is on the layered cliffs that back the North beach at Sunny Hunny, Hunstanton on the North Norfolk coast looking out across The Wash and beyond to St Botolph’s in in the Lincolnshire town of Boston.

Fulmars sit in the Petrels and Shearwaters group of birds, the Procellariiformes meaning the tubenoses. So-called because along the crest of their bill they have a tubular structure that encloses one or two nostrils. They might be confused with gulls but a closer view reveals them to be rather different and even at a distance their stiff-winged flight is a giveaway.

Fulmar flying off Hunstanton Cliffs
Sandwich Tern taking a dive at Hunstanton, one of dozens
In for the kill
Lots of Swifts over the cliffs, making flying pecks at the limestone
Hunstanton cliffs
Wreck of the trawler The Sheraton (launched 1907) at Hunstanton…the vessel was a WWII patrol vessel, ultimately wrecked in 1947.

Source: David Bradley Sciencebase - Songs, Snaps, Science - July 19, 2020 Category: Science Authors: David Bradley Tags: Birds Source Type: blogs