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Fulmars

Fulmar - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Mallimack surprise

The Fulmars on Westray are littering the coast with their ungainly earthly forms, as well as flying effortlessly along the cliffs with …

Fulmar and Arctic Skua - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

A Scootie Allan attacking a Mallimack

A Scootie Allan attacking a Mallimack. An Arctic Skua attacking a Fulmar. A Stercorarius parasiticus attacking a Fulmarus glacialis. Dramatic, isn’t it, in …

Fulmar - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Mallimack life

Fulmars are my favourite birds to watch flying. They have an effortless confidence on the wind, and glide with stiff wings as …

Fulmar - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

One dramatic evening

It’s a dramatic evening, already quite dark, yet this Fulmar is still flying. The sun is lighting up the high clouds with …

Fulmar - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Mallimacks

We’re aboard the Ailsa Jane and I’m taking advantage of the creel boat having a very low side where the creels get …

Fulmars - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Alternative nesting sites

On the cliffs of Westray are two Fulmar resting places. They’re both in the north-end of the island. One is a bare …

Fulmar - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

If ever I could fly

Of all the birds of the sea, the greatest fliers are the Fulmars: There is no bird so alive to the shifting …

Westray - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Seasons

It’s the middle of winter. It’s time to rest and appreciate another year gone. It’s time to see distant family members, or …

Fulmars - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Fulmars

The Fulmars look beautiful in this light. They look odd on land because they sit low down on their feet rather than …

Westray - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

The Fulmars of Backarass

We’re walking down past Backarass on Westray. It’s a special landscape of shattered rocks and still pools: The weather is fabulous and …

Fulmar - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Magnificent Mallimacks

There are Fulmars, called Mallimacks here in Orkney, on the wing at the pier on Papa Westray This one is flying a …

Fulmar - The Hall fo Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Mallimack

Along the Westray coast are hundreds of Fulmars’ nests. Their fluffy chicks are a constant surprise while scrambling among the rocks. They …

Fulmar - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

The crossing

It only takes an hour and a half to cross the Pentland Firth from Scrabster to Stromness on the Northlink ferry. Standing …

Flying Fulmar - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

The Fulmar Triathlon

Fulmars are one of my favourite birds. All animals have some sort of compromise in their bodies because of the range of …

The Atlantic - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

The Atlantic

Westray has two sides: a North Sea side and an Atlantic Ocean side. They meet with dramatic consequences at the northernmost and …

Fulmar Chick - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Fulmar Chicks

Westray is an environment of sea and stone and air. Fulmars have complete mastery of the air. Their flight is elegant and unflapping irrespective of the direction in which they fly. They can turn and wheel around, adjust their position and react with astonishing speed.

Risso's Dolphins - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Never a dull day

The weather on Westray may be dull, but there’s never a dull day on Westray.

A white blanket of cloud shrouds the island but life continues as normal for the incredible menagerie which inhabits the shores of Westray.

Feeling alive - photograph (c) 2016 David Bailey (not the)

Feeling alive

Seeing birds close up, in the wind, with rain on the horizon and a glorious sunset in progress, sat at the top …

Fast Fulmar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Fast Fulmar

This Fulmar was so fast without even flapping that it was nearly out of the frame before I captured it.

Fulmar at sunset - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Fulmar at sunset

The sun is already half-way down past the horizon when this Fulmar flies past, lit up with glorious low golden light.

Fulmar sunset flypast - photograph (c) 2016 David Bailey (not the)

Fulmar sunset flypast

A ragged-tailed Fulmar is alive to every variation in the breeze as the sun sets at Noup Head.

Fulmar at Noup - photograph (c) 2016 David Bailey (not the)

A sense of taste

Hardly any bird species have a sense of smell – and that probably means they have very little sense of taste either. …

Fulmar

Casting a shadow upon yourself

Evolution is a wonderful thing. Being grey above and white below is a classic countershading strategy used by many seabirds and often …