What has this gull got?

littlebug

Whatever it is they all want a piece...


Looking closer it looks like a .... big glob of something


but closer again it looks to me like it could be the remains of another bird? Is that a long neck and beak hanging down?



There again it could be some fish.. part Whatever it is it's big.
I think it was dropped a few seconds later.

Sorry... not the prettiest of nature pics you'll see on here :pac:

Edited to clarify my question. Do gulls kill/ eat other birds?

trebor28

im no expert but yes they do kill and eat other birds, especially others young.

they are essentially scavengers so will eat anything that is going.

skua's are quite big and are notorious for killing young of other birds mammals etc.

bogtreader

Skua s diet mostly consists of mostly fish,either stolen from other birds
(Kleptoparasitism) or collected from the sea;Also smaller gulls,waders and auks
and their eggs and chicks;baby rabbits and carrion.It looks like it has fur on it

littlebug

Thanks.
I didn't even recognise they were skua (must brush up on seabird info).
I didn't realise that they would kill a) mammals or b) something that big.
You learn something every day (esp on this forum:))

Feargal as Luimneach

littlebug wrote: »

Thanks.
I didn't even recognise they were skua (must brush up on seabird info).
I didn't realise that they would kill a) mammals or b) something that big.
You learn something every day (esp on this forum:))

The birds are not Skua, but are most likely herring gull. Would be better to see upperwing pattern to see pale window on inner primaries to rule out non-adult lesser black backed gull. Identifying gulls in non-adult plumage can be difficult (for me it is) and usually requires multiple views.

recedite

It looks like they have a small duck, though whether they killed it or found it is another matter.

littlebug

Feargal as Luimneach wrote: »

The birds are not Skua, but are most likely herring gull. Would be better to see upperwing pattern to see pale window on inner primaries to rule out non-adult lesser black backed gull. Identifying gulls in non-adult plumage can be difficult (for me it is) and usually requires multiple views.

Thanks Feargal, I'm not as bad as I thought then. I had them pegged as "probably" herring gull but that always seems to be my default guess!
Upperwing visible in this pic. There were a few black backed gulls in the mix just to confuse matters.

Feargal as Luimneach

littlebug wrote: »

Thanks Feargal, I'm not as bad as I thought then. I had them pegged as "probably" herring gull but that always seems to be my default guess!
Upperwing visible in this pic. There were a few black backed gulls in the mix just to confuse matters.

I think that bird in photo is a juvenile Great black backed gull.
Confusingly similar large juvenile gulls would be juvenile lesser black backed gull (jLBBG) and juvenile Herring gull (jHG).

Some id points of this bird:
1. Incomplete terminal black band on tail which is reduced in width towards edge of tail. Good contrast between rump and black tail band. In jLBBG and jHG this black band is broader and uniform in width.
2. Lack of very distinct pale panel (but a hint of it!)on inner primary feathers (outermost flight feathers)which jHG shows well and jLBBG never shows.
3. We see a strong heavy bill in this bird (we can't see all the bill unfortunately), the other two gulls have more slender bills.
4. This bird appears large however this can be hard to pick up in a photo easier to see in real life, the other gulls are much smaller.
Some pictures of 3 juvenile gulls.
http://www.pbase.com/clydebirder/image/100518557 jLBBG

http://ebird.org/content/ebird/news/subspecies-in-eBird/featureImage_summary jHG

http://seanetters.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/image_large2.jpg?w=510&h=366 jGBBG

The Great Blacked Backed Gull is a powerfull bird. I once saw a puffin literally swallowed whole and alive by one of these cool birds.

littlebug

Feargal as Luimneach wrote: »

I think that bird in photo is a juvenile Great black backed gull.
....

The Great Blacked Backed Gull is a powerfull bird. I once saw a puffin literally swallowed whole and alive by one of these cool birds.

Wow! I didn't know they could do that. They're an amazing bird to watch alright. Looking at my other pictures I think you're right here. If the Birdwatchireland distribution map for lbbg is correct then I can probably rule them out.

Thanks again.