| The southerly range expansion of the
Fulmar - is a story of success!
Despite the Fulmar being widespread as a
breeding species around North Atlantic coasts, until the late 19th
century the only British breeding colony was on the island of St Kilda.
In 1878 they bred for the first time in the Shetlands, and since then a
steady and consistent increase has occurred with most suitable cliffs in
the British Isles now being occupied.
The spread of Fulmars in Britain has been
one of a steady extension of the breeding range southwards. Prospective
breeders have been observed visiting suitable cliffs, sometimes for
several years before occupation and breeding has taken place. Although the Fulmar nowadays is a familiar sight
around the coast of Britain particularly where there are rocky cliffs.
This colonisation has taken over 100 years to be achieved!
The Fulmar in Norfolk.
Although
birds were breeding at Bempton Cliffs in Yorkshire in 1922, it took a
further 25 years before Fulmars jumped the ninety-six miles from Bempton
to Weybourne in Norfolk. First breeding was proved at the boulder–clay
cliffs in 1947. This was 69 years after their arrival in the Shetlands.
Numbers steadily increased and by 1956 there was 40-50 pairs, which
increased to 80-90 pairs in 1990. However since then, the number of
breeding pairs and young fledged annually has drastically declined due to
a combination of predation by rats and foxes and loss of nest sites caused
by erosion of the cliff.
The
Hunstanton Colony
Fulmars
had been prospecting in west Norfolk since the early 1950’s, but they
did not breed at Hunstanton until 1965. The population
steadily increased and in 1994 there was an unprecedented 431 adults
sitting on the cliffs with an additional 30 swimming offshore. The number
of chicks fledged in 1994 was 107 from 124 breeding pairs. Numbers peaked
in 1995 with 200 pairs, 120 in 1996 and 186 in 1997. In recent years there
has been a reduction in both the number of pairs breeding on the cliff and
also the number of chicks expected to fledge. Reasons for this apparent
decline are unclear and may only reflect short term variations in the
breeding population and so may not yet be cause for concern.
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