The Foul-Gull of the North

The Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) inhabits the waters of the North Atlantic and North Pacific. Their genus name Fulmarus derives from the Old Norse word ‘Full’ meaning Foul and ‘mar’ meaning Gull. They are named such because of the foul smelling stomach oil they produce. They vomit this oil on avian predators to matt their feathers. It is also used as an energy rich food for chicks and adults when migrating. Even though they look like a gull they are actually part of the tube-nosed family (Procellariiformes) of seabirds which include Albatrosses and Petrels.

In Iceland, the Fulmar is the second most abundant seabird, after the Puffin, with about 1-2 million breeding pairs. They are a surface scavenger and so benefited enormously from the fishing industry. The eggs and chicks were once an important food source to the Icelandics’ but now they are collected for sport to a much lesser extent.

The pictures below were taken when out on a sea angling tour with Elding Whale Watch.

Show me the moneeeeee!!!!!!!

Just wanted to mention that Icelandair airlines http://www.icelandair.co.uk/ is using one of my Humpback Whale images on their homepage, Whoo hoo!!

Once again back on the land of ice and fire.

Currently, I am working as an on-the-water naturalist in Iceland for Elding Whale Watching Reykjavik. The tour operates out of Reykjaviks’ old harbour and spends 3 hours sailing Faxafloi Bay, the largest bay in Iceland, in search of 4 species of cetacean that frequent the area. These species include the Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), Minke Whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), White-beaked Dolphin (Lagenorhynchus albirostris) and the shy Harbour Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena).

I first came to Iceland in 2008 to help in the research and photo identification of Minke Whales and White-beaked Dolphins and fell in love with the country and people. Thus, here I am again and below are a couple of pictures that I have taken in 2008 and this summer.

This picture was taken only a couple of days ago when the Tjörnin pond, found at the heart of Reykjavik City Center, was frozen. The large pond attracts over 40 species of migrating birds including the Whooper Swan pictured above.

Old Reykjavik Harbour at dusk, with a slow shutter speed i was able to get the movement of a large fishing vessel that was heading out to sea.

The popular tourist attraction of Reykjavik. This is Jón Gunnar Árnason's ship like Sun-Craft sculpture.

Largest seabird of the North Atlantic Ocean, the Gannet (Morus bassanus). They have air sacs under the skin in their face and chest which absorbs some of the impact of hitting the water after dropping from a height of up to 30 meters and reaching speeds of 100 km/hr.

The Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea) pictured above undergoes the longest migration (70,000 km pole to pole each year) than any other bird species.

The Minke Whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), is the most frequent visitor to Faxafloi Bay especially between May and August.

The Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is viewed throughout the year in Faxafloi Bay and is well known for their acrobatic nature and interaction with tourist vessels.