There
are more fulmars on St Kilda than anywhere else in Britain
and Ireland.
They nest at the top of the cliffs, choosing a nest
site with a bit of earth and grass rather than just
bare rock.
Fulmars fly with almost flat wings and are one of the
best birds at gliding on air currents.
Fulmars will spit a fishy smelling oil at anything (or
anyone!) that gets too close to their nest. If fulmar
oil gets on your clothes, the smell stays there, no
matter how often you wash them.
The fulmars were very important to the people who used
to live on St Kilda. They ate them and used their oil
for burning in oil lamps and for rubbing into tired
muscles. They paid their rent in fulmar feathers and
used their wings as a kind of brush to sweep up the
ashes from the fire.
|