Great black backed gull

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 Bottom Clinger 08 Aug 2022

Yesterday I saw one come zooming into view, clearly on a mission. It chased a nearly full grown juvenile shelduck down a ditch/brook but to no avail. It then steered around leftwards and had a go at one sitting on the mere. It somehow caught it, and dealt with it. Possibly one of the most amazing wildlife sights I’ve ever seen. Long range photo. The other photos are a bit gruesome, but you’ll get the drift. They are magnificent predators. I’ve seen films of them catching puffins but this was on a totally different scale. 


 Toerag 08 Aug 2022
In reply to Bottom Clinger:

A friend of mine has seen them chasing down pigeons and eating them at our local harbour.

 Michael Hood 08 Aug 2022
In reply to Bottom Clinger:

I've seen the catching puffins videos. We tend to automatically class all gulls as scavengers forgetting that Great Black Backs are f*****g big birds and opportunist predators.

Incidentally, on my patch of the inner city River Irwell today, a Little Egret! It's amazing what's around within half a mile of a major city centre.

In reply to Michael Hood:

Nice one on the egret. A great white egret was rescued by the local fire fighters coz it got entangled in the canal close to the big Asda in Wigan last year. 

 65 08 Aug 2022
In reply to Bottom Clinger:

We saw two bonxies snatching a kittiwake from the air on Handa. Watching them tearing it to pieces on the ground was both fascinating and horrible. I have a reply unpleasant photo somewhere.

 Tringa 09 Aug 2022
In reply to 65:

GBBs are superb birds. I recall seeing a brilliant photo, on Bird Guides I think, of a GBB in flight with a puffin disappearing down its throat.

Dave

 Mike-W-99 09 Aug 2022
In reply to Bottom Clinger:

There’s videos of them eating rabbits too. Don’t remember the specific gull species.


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