Where and When Common in seas of northwestern Europe, nesting on the coasts of Britain, Iceland, Norway, northern France, the island of Heligoland off Germany and even Denmark. Will nest on coastal cliffs as well as buildings. During the north Pacific winter, birds range through the ice-free waters and even within the ice front. Become more common in the northern portion of the Bering Sea during late summer and fall. Light phase birds are more abundant than dark-phase near the Bering Straits.
Fulmars are extremely greedy of the fat of the whale.
Though few should be seen when a whale is about being captured, yet, as soon as the flensing process commences, they rush in from all quarters, and frequently accumulate to many thousands in number. If, indeed, the fragments of fat do not float sufficiently away, they approach so near the scene of operations, that they are knocked down with boat hooks in great numbers, and sometimes taken up by the hand. The sea immediately about the ship's stern is sometimes so completely covered with them, that a stone can scarcely be thrown overboard without striking one of them. Adult dark-pahse on water. From Gulf of Alaska.