A Fulmar and chick. I like these birds, their flying skills are fantastic. They just seem to glide effortlessly, be it far out at sea, skimming the wave tops, or closer inshore, they put on impressive displays of aerial skills as they cruise to and fro, riding the thermals along the cliff tops. They hardly ever actually flap their wings.
They also seem to have quite a chilled out life style as well. This young chick will be fully fledged at about ten weeks old, it will then take to the skies and seas roaming far and wide. Sometime between six and twelve years old it will pair up for life, they are long lived and regularly reach thirty years of age.
They use the same nest site returning year after year.The egg is incubated for around 52 days, by both sexes. Each bird takes turns sitting on the egg, as the other one goes in search of food. Each spell of incubation can last from one day to as many as thirteen days, but I think after 13 days the sitting bird might have something to say when its partner returns.
