Northern fulmar
Images copyright by Mark A. Chappell
Northern fulmars are gull-like birds that are much more closely related to albatrosses and petrels than to gulls. They are oceanic nomads for much of the year, soaring above the waves, but return to northern islands to breed. These birds were photographed at the 'Ridge Wall' on St. Paul Island in the Pribilof group, in the Bering Sea off of Alaska. Most of the flight photos were taken on days with stiff winds, making flight easy for the birds but steady photography difficult for me. All but one of the birds are light phase, but they show variation in mantle color; many are also molting their primaries, so the wing looks a little ragged (their flight was not much impeded, however).
