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great skua killed an adult ganet (2 Viewers)

Caracaras clearly have stronger feed than their coulsins (falcons) Have you ever held a cormorant? You would know they are much stronger than a duck. This one has no trouble killing one with no stoop. There are plenty of displays with caracaras for shows. Anyone who has worked with one will agree they can easily kill a rabbit or a hare in seconds.

http://www.arkive.org/striated-caracara/phalcoboenus-australis/video-08b.html

You clearly still have no experience in even researching them. They are scavangers sure but can be killers when they want to be. Just like some vulture species have strong feet.

It does not take a scientist to figure out a goshawk has stronger feet than a falcon. But still not nearly as strong as the buteo hawks.

Your "Duck" is a male Upland Goose.......
 
A bit below the belt and very discriminating comments. If they are in the 60's think of it this way - they have all that more knowledge and experience than us younger folk.


53 years and you still have not learned much. I imagine most of these are in their 60s. Which is why they are acting this way. All vile and offended. Most people know how to debate without busting their blood vessel.


Anyone with the amount of experience you claim would never say "johnny rook is not an aggressive bird. Nor would you consider a LBB gull and a herring gull that far apart. Clearly you would have known by now that great skuas kill herring gulls if you were 53 years into birds. I should not have had to show you all this. You would have known the largest skuas are the new zealand sub species also.

There are people here that do have a lot of field exerience with skuas and all sorts of birds. None have posted in this thread so far. Recently. They are probably out in the field or writing articles not on the internet making up things trying to pretend to be an expert.
 
Of course it is lacking. You lack that main requisite - being able to trawl the internet and being able to post random photos in no particular order and assume what happened next! Once you can do that you would be rated very highly! ;)

Hadn't intended doing this but here's my experience, feel free to comment on whether or not it's lacking; birding for the last 42 years (since the age of 4). Professional birdwatching guide. Previously a Schedule 1 Disturbance Licence holder for three of Britain's rarest breeding raptors (although I gave that up when another research project took over all of my non-work time). Well over 1000hrs at sea in the last 16 years - finding, identifying and photographing marine wildlife and carrying out research projects - so I'm pretty familiar with all 4 Northern Hemisphere skuas, LBBG, GBBG, Herring Gull etc. PhD, so I think I have a pretty good grasp of how to do research ;)

Well, got to give you credit for persistence. Still waiting for you to detail your own experience though.



The only thing in that link is that contradicts anything posted here is the photographer's lack of understanding of aerodynamics and physics. He confirms that the GBBG has a hold of a fish that the Osprey is gripping in it's talons. In the picture that he says shows the GBBG has flown the Osprey into the water, the relative positions of the birds is such that they're still both hanging on to the one fish



Only people who are familiar with both species...



If it never surfaced, are you postulating that the fish it is carrying was caught in mid-air? You do know how Osprey's catch fish don't you?



You're as persistent as herpes aren't you?

That's me finished with trying to have any sort of discussion with you now. Your posts make it clear that either (a) you were dropped on your head as a baby (b) you're on drugs (c) you're illiterate and genuinely don't understand what other posters are writing or (d) some combination of the above. Whichever, you're a waste of oxygen that could otherwise be feeding the brain of someone that is capable of using it.
 
Just another couple of questions.

And someone here seriously thinks a herring gull will be harder to kill than a LBB gull?

Which is larger, heavier and bulkier, Herring Gull or Lesser Blackbacked Gull?

Here someone captures a johnny rook killing a brown skua

http://www.jandcimages.com/photo_8587077.html

Streaked Caracara = Sthn South America and the Falkland Islands
Brown Skua = Where do Brown Skua come from?

Please answer, as it seems I may have been wrong about the difference between the larger, paler grey backed gulls and the smaller, more delicate darker grey backed gulls as well as Skua taxonomy and distribution all these years.

Chris
 
Must. Stop. Reading. This. Thread.

...even if it is rather amusing.

Wonder when there'll be any threads about actual sea-watching.
 
Scuba. Perhaps you missed this rather simple list of questions earlier, but then I note that you have not directly answered any of the quesitons put to you about your OWN experience or ability to identify birds, let alone study them...

I saw this thread a while back when it was first posted and thought it was an interesting point about the the Gannet. I have now noticed it has grown to the fourth page, and wondered why. Now I know. Absolutely brilliant! I cannot honestly believe that scuba0095 is for real, unless he is 13 years old. Perhaps answers to the following simple quesitons would enlighten us, ignorant, non-ornithologists as to your experience:

1. Which of the following have you seen in the wild - Great Skua, Common Buzzard, Northern Goshawk, Raven, Gyr Falcon?
2. Have you ever witnessed any of the above attack anything or each other?
3. If you disklike falconers so much, why are you quoting falconer friends anecdotally?
4. How old are you?
5. Are you for real?
6. Do you honestly think that your half-baked attempts to discredit very knowledgable people on this forum will have any effect other than to discredit yourself?

Andy M.
 
This, from post #20, answers a few questions. Both about your knowledge of birds, and your 'ability' to ignore any facts that don't fit with your beliefs.

I don't think a crested caracara is found in the same area as bonxie though? I know they will attack one though.

Not knowing the distribution of Great Skua or Crested Caracara you blithely, and categorically state that one would attack the other. How do you come by such a conclusion? Could you tell us if a Brown Goshawk would, in the wild, 'win' against a Swainsons Hawk, for example? Would a Pomarine Skua succeed in a face off against a Saker?

Chris
 
Just another couple of questions.



Which is larger, heavier and bulkier, Herring Gull or Lesser Blackbacked Gull?


Which seems to dominate at feeding stations?


Andy like I am going to take any questions here seriously when people here are obv not telling the truth about themselves. I never claimed to be close to an expert. But clearly know more than many self proclaimed experts here lol
 
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OK. I'll bite. Would you mind providing answers these questions, as I'm sure many on here would benefit?

1. The latest photograph shows a Northern Giant Petrel, a Black Vulture, a Kelp Gull and a South Polar Skua around a carcass. The Vulture is attempting to mantle the carcass, the Gull is feeding, it is impossible to assign a definite behaviour to the Giant Petrel and the Skua is standing there. What does that show, apart from the fact there are 4 species of bird around a food source?

what Picture are you looking at?

2. I've mentioned before that you really should do your research. The photograph previous to that does not show a Caracara predating a duck, but a Magellan Goose. This is another of your 'straw men', an attempt to divert people away from your initial premise and so, not worth commenting on. But, as you've brought it up, could you comment on how this photograph refers to either the dominance, or not, of Caracara over Skua, or vice versa or how it applies to the strength of the feet of Caracaras?

Where On earth did I claim the goose being killed was a duck?

3. The previous two photographs show ....... what? A Caracara and a Black Vulture, but is the Caracara the aggressor, or is it defending itself? No-one can tell from that photo. The second shows a feeding Northern Giant Petrel, an American Sheathbill and a South Polar Skua. Has the Skua just arrived and not started to feed yet? Yet again, no-one can tell. Random photos of birds standing close to each other or of birds in ambiguous interactions prove absolutely nothing.

You are telling me after what 50 years of birding you seriously think brown skuas can man handle a giant petrel?

Did you skip over the picture of the johnny rook killing the brown skua?
 
Who called the goose a duck? I was comparing a cormorant to a duck saying they are harder birds to kill.
So, if you're talking about cormorants and ducks, why post a picture of a goose in the same context? And, just because A has been proven to dominate B on some occasions, while B has dominated C on some occasions, doesn't automatically imply A always dominates C as well. Interspecies relations can be very complex, they're not like "rock, paper, scissors". Just look at humans and wolves - they're both predators, and ccasionally eat each other, or avoid each other, depending on the circumstances.

Also, what happened to answering Andy's questions?
 
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Did you not read what i said? Re read what you just posted to me, I was showing that caracaras are capable predators.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=so6LSuM3BhI

Like a brown skua is going to come down and take away this birds meal chris lol
 

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Great Tits can take down Redpolls! Skuas better be carefull with those Tits!
 

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In answer to the questions you raised in #112 :-

1. Post #97.

2. In this case I misunderstood. I'm still not sure why you mentioned ducks and cormorants and posted a photo of a Caracara with a goose.

3. Yes. The photo you posted shows nothing, other than birds around a prey item. No interaction whatsoever. I noticed you didn't answer the point raised but resorted to personalising things, as you seem to when put on the spot. Let's have an answer from you that is relevant to my statement.

In post #93 and #95 you show a lack of knowledge concerning Lesser Black-backed Gulls and Herring Gull taxa. Lesser Black-backs,even the largest males of graellsii, are smaller and subordinate to Herring Gull. If you think I'm mistaken then I have to mention that there are thousands of Herring Gull and hundreds of Lesser Black-backs not 10 minutes walk from my house at this very moment. What is your experience with these species of gull? I have previously been courtious when asking for answers from you but this time I'm demanding an answer. Why I never mentioned the photo of the Caracara and Skua is easy to answer. It shows a Caracara feeding on a Skua. Nothing more, nothing less.

Chris
 
Post #109. Answers please scuba0095.
Post #114. ? Why post these photos? Apart from a certain aesthetic appeal they neither prove or add anything.

Chris
 
1. The latest photograph shows a Northern Giant Petrel, a Black Vulture, a Kelp Gull and a South Polar Skua around a carcass. The Vulture is attempting to mantle the carcass, the Gull is feeding, it is impossible to assign a definite behaviour to the Giant Petrel and the Skua is standing there. What does that show, apart from the fact there are 4 species of bird around a food source?

Ok where was this photo? what number post??

Cheers

Alan
 
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