I try to avoid applying human standards to birds but sometimes I can’t help myself.
Yesterday I spent about 40 minutes with as many as six Hooded Mergansers, four males and two females, while they were hunting for prey (mostly small fish as far as I could tell). They were hunting/fishing as a loose group and they usually had unwelcome company.
This Ring-billed Gull followed them everywhere they went and tried to steal their fish whenever they caught one, which was often. Over time I developed a strong dislike for the gull because of its bullying, extremely aggressive behavior.
One part of me knows that stealing food is a natural behavior for many gulls and I shouldn’t judge it by human standards but eventually that part of me was overshadowed by my developing dislike for the behavior of the gull. By the time the mergansers took off and left the area I couldn’t help but think of the gull as a full-blown villain.
Following is a series of photos documenting one of the many attacks the gull made on a Hoodie who had just caught a fish. I never had enough depth of field to get both birds sharp so I made it a point to try to keep my active focus point on the gull, the largest of the two birds and the one that would likely be easiest to keep in focus.
Both birds were sidelit and in this series the fish (a small weather loach) in the merganser’s bill is often hard to see, but it was there from beginning to end.
This photo was taken almost immediately after the male Hoodie popped up to the surface with the loach in his bill. You can see how close the gull was from the very beginning.
The following seven photos are sequential in a burst without any skips.
The gull went into attack mode in an instant.
The action was fast and furious and I was fairly close to the birds so I had no chance to avoid clipping or cutting off body parts in at least some of my photos.
The gull meant business but in the speed and maneuverability departments the gull…
was seriously outclassed. The Hoodie put on a burst of speed that the much larger and slower gull had no chance to match. But that didn’t stop it from trying, hard.
As they always did in this situation, the merganser dived in his attempt to avoid the gull. Gulls have only a very limited ability to dive below the surface so this strategy can be very effective.
The merganser dived almost straight down and he was so incredibly fast I almost…
couldn’t keep him in frame as the tip of his tail disappeared below the surface.
But the thieving gull still wasn’t ready to give up.
The water here is very shallow, significantly less than 1′ deep, and the gull knew it so it landed on the water where the Hoodie had disappeared and attempted to find him and make him release the fish. The gull’s attempt failed, the Hoodie popped to the surface far away (sans fish, which he must have swallowed underwater), so the gull eventually gave up.
Sorry, this photo is soft but I wanted to include the behavior.
When it comes to stealing food (kleptoparasitism), gulls are nothing if they aren’t persistent. About 20 seconds later this gull attempted to steal a fish from one of the female mergansers.
I almost cheered when the attempt failed.
Ron
Note: My good friend Jim DeWitt says “It’s really, really hard to like kleptoparasitic behavior. It’s bullying for a living.” I couldn’t agree more, even though I know it’s applying human standards to birds.
Pictures and your comments made me smile. š
Great action shots. Thank you and as usual your comments and those of your readers make the experience all the richer.
PS – I’ve never seen a gull look so terrifying! If I were that merganser, my hood would been standing straight up in the air.
“If I were that merganser, my hood would been standing straight up in the air”
Made me smile, Pat. But since I don’t have any hair up there my “hood” can’t stand up… ::
What an exciting series! I’m impressed with your skill in getting the whole fracas in frame and sharp. Seeing that gull’s gaping maw is more than unsettling. I’m imagining that one or both of these birds might have finished your video commentary from yesterday — but at different times during the melee. š
Glad you liked it, Marty. And yes, “gaping maw” is a very good way to put it.
Great sequence!
Thanks, Anthony.
It is very, very hard not to anthromorphise and I often fail. Big time. I am glad that the little guy won – which they often don’t.
Size isn’t everything though. On our feeders the rainbow lorikeets (definitely bully boys) often take on the sulphur crested cockatoos and win (despite being less than half their size).
Agreed, EC – larger size helps but it’s no guarantee. Speed, maneuverability and aggressiveness play a significant role too.
Great series! Don’t normally see a photographic series with a gull as one of the principal protagonists.
Thanks, John.
I loved Arwen’s story. If you are going to apply human standards to birds, go all the way (well, ok I do draw the line at dressing poodles in tutus and ribbons etc). As for your exciting morning, Ron, when there is fantastic action like that I can easily ignore clipped wings and softness because action rules ( at least when it is part of a good “story”). Thanks for getting my morning off to a rousing start.
Thanks for helping to explain Arwen’s story, Granny Pat. I guess I can be a little dense.
Yes, me too.
The second cup of coffee for me did not help.
“well, ok I do draw the line at dressing poodles in tutus and ribbons etc”
Thank you, Granny Pat! I heartily agree. š¹
OMGosh Ron – that 2nd shot took my breath away! Excellent capture of the gull’s aggressive behavior!
Thanks, Kathleen. That’s one of my two favorites in the series. I also like #5.
What a sensational series Ron, thanks for sharing!
Charlotte Norton
Thank you, Charlotte.
WOW! Wonderful series! š Glad the Merganser won that round and you were able to keep up with the action – NOT an easy thing to do! The size difference is right up there with the Mallard! Yep – those “damn gulls” š Only time I ever enjoyed them was when they were following the tractor in the field snagging worms and mice……… -10 this morning – in theory, in the 40’s tomorrow and for the next week.
Judy, your comment brought back lots of memories of when I was driving tractor and hordes of gulls would follow behind the plow, mostly looking for grasshoppers that I’d stirred up.
Sometimes hawks would do the same thing but they were usually after small rodents.
With the no-till/limited till I haven’t seen that in many years….. š
Maybe some of today’s farmers don’t even know what summer fallowing is…?
Some do tho not like “the old days” – discing mainly. Sooner or later that ground has to be worked after several years of “traffic” over it. Ours was “it” this year. Field by the house took a few times as HUGE clumps came up with the 1st round. š
We stopped discing back in the 50’s. It made the soil blow too much.
I must admit that after the last 10 years or so, I have become sensitized to BULLYING to a degree I never had been before in my life. Before that time, I would have just written this off as “gull behavior” and walked away. Nowadays, after what I see regularly
from humans, I’d be way too tempted to pick up a rock ( but wouldn’t,
for fear of hitting the innocent merganser ).
“Iād be way too tempted to pick up a rock”
I actually thought about the same thing, Kris. I didn’t, and I never would, but it came to mind…
Merfy just wanted to fish. He needed a full belly to get his day started. And he wanted one perfect fish to offer to the lovely Carlotta. He was ready to settle down.
There!!! He dove just like his mother had taught him. As he came up a yellow bill stabbed at his fish. He jerked his head away then paddled hard and fast. The gull, he recognized Pesky Jack, kept coming. He flew over Merfy trying to force him to drop the fish. Damned gulls! They were lazy bastards who rare fished for themselves.
But Merfy knew a trick or two. He was very observant of how others dealt with Pesky Pete and other gulls.
Swiftly he dove. Straight as an arrow he sliced through the depths giving thanks for his streamlined head and crest. He felt the disruption of the water as Pesky Pete slammed into the water in hopes of getting his fish.
But Merfy continued his underwater feat surfacing to the left of the damned gull. As he laughed loudly, Merfy headed for the shore and the lovely Carlotta.
I’ll admit, Arwen. I’m confused. Maybe I need more coffee…
NO worries! š I just used your pictures to create a story line. š
Great series! And thanks for sharing your thoughts about human reactions to animal behavior. We are never completely removed emotionally from our observation and experiences of phenomena.
“We are never completely removed emotionally from our observation and experiences of phenomena.”
Exactly, Brett. At least that’s true for me, even though I try…
Absolutely outstanding. What a great job trying to keep up with the Ring-billed who is bullying those poor little Hoodies. Even after years of spending significant time in nature I still sometimes make human judgments regarding nature that of course has zero relevance. Nature is what it is and at one time obviously we were very much a part of that as we had to kill to eat. I have seen the Gulls do this at our lakes from time to time. And in nature BIG is important. Just watch your bird feeder when the finches and others are eating and along comes a Scrub Jay or Northern Flicker.
“What a great job trying to keep up with the Ring-billed who is bullying those poor little Hoodies”.
Thanks very much, Everett. I think it takes a photographer (like you) to fully appreciate how difficult it can be to photograph behaviors like this, especially with more than one bird involved.
Another great set of photos and story. You really captured the drama! That 3rd photo, wow! If I were that Hoodie I would have been terrified.
I have spent a fair amount of time at the beach in my lifetime, and can testify that gulls, while handsome looking in certain settings, do offend human sensibilities with their kleptoparasitism. They are equal opportunists, as they will attack one of their own as freely as any other, including humans. Any picnic at the beach is fair game to them.
“gulls, while handsome looking in certain settings, do offend human sensibilities with their kleptoparasitism.”
Well said, Michael.