As I approached work at the Sumburgh Head RSPB reserve this morning, I noticed a fulmar by the side of the road. I assumed it was a recently fledged chick from one of the old quarries. They find it difficult to take off from ground, particularly when there is no wind, long grass, and dry-stone walls to contend with. I knew I ought to help the bird by putting it in the sea, but in the knowledge that fulmars can spew their guts up with gusto and the smell of the oily musty fishy stomach contents is pretty much unwashableoutable of any fabric. I think the word "fulmar" means "foul gull." I think that's a bit unfare as, apart from the spewing bit, they are rather attractive funky seabirds.
So, my dilemma this morning was whether to attempt to catch the wee fella, risking the clothes I was wearing and the company of my colleagues. Or pop home get appropriate tools for the job and prepare properly. I opted for the former. For one reason or another, I ended up with my trousers and sleeves rolled up and barefoot, almost performing an elaborate dance as I tried to catch the bird as it flapped away from me, ready to dodge the vomit. The fulmar made the appropriate gestures and sounds, but failed to produce any projectile vomit. Once I realised it's stomach was already empty I simply caught the bird and strolled down towards Grutness pier.
As I walked with the bird I had a moment to reflect on the species. Look up the RSPB website to find out more about them - http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/f/fulmar/index.asp.
Until the late 1800s, there were only a few pairs breeding in Shetland. Now there are around a quarter of a million individuals! This is for a variety of reasons, such as availability of food and breeding habitat, their impressive defense strategy and that they are long-lived. It truly vexes me to know that most fulmars in and around the North Sea will have an amount of plastic in their stomachs. We know this thanks to the results of Beach Bird Surveys (locally, these are organised by Martin Heubeck of SOTEAG/Aberdeen University) and subsequent analysis of corpses found on the monthly surveys. Plastic breaks down in to small pieces which may be mistaken by seabirds as plankton or other foodstuff. It appears that many people simply do not have any respect for the sea and life dependent on it. We all should make the effort to tidy up after ourselves and others. Here in Shetland we have a massive beach tidy up every spring, with thousands of volunteers walking miles of coastline gathering rubbish. I look forwards to the day we don't have to do it as there is no longer the need.
I've always had a fondness for fulmars. They are a joy to watch as they fly around surfing the wind, have lovely expressions, and I think they have a sense of humour (but that's for another blog entry sometime). It's funny to think that the birds I see nesting near to my parents house are likely the same individuals as was there when I was a bairn, and may be there for another decade or so. I reached the pier and placed the fulmar on the water. It quickly spread its wings and ran out across the surface of the sea. Not the most graceful of starts, but it's always a good feeling to see a bird set free, particularly when not covered in spew. The sweet smell of success!