Vík Hostel, a small hostel in Vík in South Iceland, shared the above photo on their Facebook page yesterday, urging drivers to be careful and try not to kill the fulmar chicks who leave their nests in the fall.
Northern fulmars are a seabird species which resembles seagulls, being big and white, but are readily distinguished from afar by their flight on stiff wings, and up close by their tube noses. The birds breed in cliffs near the ocean. In August and September the young chicks fly out to sea, but as the poster shared by Vík Hostel points out, the young birds are still not strong enough to always make the full journey:
Since their feathers are not yet fully developed they usually land in rivers that carry them to the sea. Sadly, the birds often mistake roads for rivers. … So it happens that they sit in the middle of roads and cannot fly or go away when cars are coming!!!
Young fulmars are not the only seabirds who face challenges when they make their way to the sea in the fall. Every year thousands of puffin chicks are rescued in towns and villages.
Read more: Slideshow: The Pysja Patrols and the kids who rescued nearly 5000 pufflings in 2017
Northern fulmars are especially common in the cliffs of South Iceland. So, please: If you see a big white bird sitting in the road, it might be a confused fulmar. Slow down and try to avoid hitting these birds! Of course your safety and that of other motorists should always come first: Never make any sudden moves while driving, breaking or swerving suddenly, or driving on the wrong side of the road have caused many serious road accidents in S. Iceland in recent years.
Respecting the speed limit and keeping your eyes on the road (rather than on the scenery and landscape) should do the trick!
Vík Hostel, a small hostel in Vík in South Iceland, shared the above photo on their Facebook page yesterday, urging drivers to be careful and try not to kill the fulmar chicks who leave their nests in the fall.
Northern fulmars are a seabird species which resembles seagulls, being big and white, but are readily distinguished from afar by their flight on stiff wings, and up close by their tube noses. The birds breed in cliffs near the ocean. In August and September the young chicks fly out to sea, but as the poster shared by Vík Hostel points out, the young birds are still not strong enough to always make the full journey:
Since their feathers are not yet fully developed they usually land in rivers that carry them to the sea. Sadly, the birds often mistake roads for rivers. … So it happens that they sit in the middle of roads and cannot fly or go away when cars are coming!!!
Young fulmars are not the only seabirds who face challenges when they make their way to the sea in the fall. Every year thousands of puffin chicks are rescued in towns and villages.
Read more: Slideshow: The Pysja Patrols and the kids who rescued nearly 5000 pufflings in 2017
Northern fulmars are especially common in the cliffs of South Iceland. So, please: If you see a big white bird sitting in the road, it might be a confused fulmar. Slow down and try to avoid hitting these birds! Of course your safety and that of other motorists should always come first: Never make any sudden moves while driving, breaking or swerving suddenly, or driving on the wrong side of the road have caused many serious road accidents in S. Iceland in recent years.
Respecting the speed limit and keeping your eyes on the road (rather than on the scenery and landscape) should do the trick!
