Regular readers will have seen me post about the fulmar colony at Rottingdean many times before. Fulmars are often mistaken for gulls (when I was taking these shots several people pointed out the ‘nesting gulls’ to their partners/parents/children). All mistaken: Fulmars are ‘petrels’, related to the albatross (not gulls at all). Anyway, Friday was good and the fulmars got into full swing by mid-afternoon.
Their main activity is flying along the cliffs and attempting to land…
Their other main activity is guarding their small rocky roost.
Combined, this means a lot of this…
I could have taken those three shots any time over the past few years (I have so many exactly like them). What made Friday special was a genuine on-the-wing spat between two of the birds.
Camera note: all photos taken with the Canon 7D Mark II and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens.
Magdalena
28 Mar 2016What an incredible set of pictures! Exquisite, from the third image onwards. Number 5 is my favourite in terms of composition and colour. Look at the feet! The detail! The shadows, the marks on the chalk cliff… You are an artist, Paul!
Words
29 Mar 2016Hi Magdalena, I love the pale colours of the cliffs and the way it brings out the white of the fulmars even more. We’re very fortunate to have this on our doorstep!
Darko
29 Mar 2016As you said, they are not gulls and I think they might be more noisy that gulls…
Words
29 Mar 2016Darko, they cackle rather than squawk. It’s an insistent noise but not very loud. You see lots of people puzzled by it, looking up at the cliffs but not spotting the fulmars nestled in the small nooks and crannies.