[Himalaya]

Originally Posted by lalows

Am I right in thinking that is the afterbirth they are tucking in to?


Once pulled a trapped Lesser bbg out of a refuse skip or rather it grabbed my fingers and I was able to hoik it out - really glad I had thick gloves on!

Cheers

Dave

I hope it is afterbirth! G BB Gulls are more than capable of killing seal pups I guess if the parents are nt there to protect.

People talk of Gull bite - how powerful is it?

[Himalaya]

It makes me think would a G BB Gull be able to bully a Buzzard, Red Kite or Goshawk if feeding in the open?

[scuba0095]

gbb gull i dont think can take an adult shelduck or wombat by itself if they r healthy

i have a hard time believing that one could take an adult rabbit

[scuba0095]

no gull can bully a goshawk anywhere anytime any day period

[Himalaya]

Lone Carrion Crows can sometimes make Sparrowhawks including females leave their kills so what would make it impossible for a a G B B Gull to force a Goshawk off a kill if it was feeding in the open. G B B Gulls can force Osprey' to drop their fish?

It might not happen regularly but surely it does happen?

[scuba0095]

goshawk is to much of a good flyer for a gull to mess with it

[Julian Bell]

Now in February the Great Black-backed gulls are setting up their territories.
Here is one chasing a White-tailed Eagle off "his" rock....

For more pictures of GBBG see here

[Julian Bell]

Here are a couple more pictures of GBBG.
One going after a Gannet and another eating a dead lamb

[scuba0095]

was it mobbing the gannet because it got to close?

[Himalaya]

it has a longer wingspan than the gannet?

[Julian Bell]

Scuba - it seemed to be trying to rob the gannet in the same way Great Skua do. There are, however, a lot of active GBBG nests in the area I took the photo so there may be something territorial going on.

Himalaya - it looks that way in the photograph but the gannet does have a bigger wingspan than GBBG - although there is not much in it between a small gannet and a large GBBG.

[Himalaya]

This Springwatch episode has footage of GBBG's hunting Puffins - only UK viewers will be allowed to see it as its made by the BBC.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...rdon_Buchanan/

watch form the 13th minute

[JordanRHughes]

Wow, there are some great shots here. Thanks for sharing.

Jordan.

Originally Posted by Himalaya

Here are some photos of G BB Gulls in action:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gu...cking_coot.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/18232677@N00/369344540/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/14939179@N00/914737676/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jggilbert/1895025407/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/suerob/341040027/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lbricephoto/3076764250/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tinyfishy/2490774652/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/omarrun/3102509461/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sjohanna/2389134929/


some excellent photos of G B B Gulls preying on others, with birds of prey....

[Articuno]

Thought I'd post here and just mention that GBBG's are my absolute favourite gulls alongside Glaucous Gulls, the only bird I know of that will frighten the GBBG is the Gyrfalcon who have been known to catch them even! Now THAT is impressive! GBBGs are feared by all except the Gyr.

[Edward]

Originally Posted by Articuno

Thought I'd post here and just mention that GBBG's are my absolute favourite gulls alongside Glaucous Gulls, the only bird I know of that will frighten the GBBG is the Gyrfalcon who have been known to catch them even! Now THAT is impressive! GBBGs are feared by all except the Gyr.

Where did you hear that, about Gyr Falcons catching GBBGs? I find it slightly hard to believe but I'm willing to be corrected. I've seen lots of Gyrs and lots of GBBGs and they generally give each other a wide berth. I did see a Gyr with prey being mobbed by 40-50 GBBGs last year and the Gyr very impressively, and agaainst my expectations, held its own and kept hold of its prey. I've seen Gyrs with bigger prey than themselves (geese) before but I'd be surprised if Gyrs actually hunted GBBGs.

[scuba0095]

gryfalcons have caught them but its usually by fluke or if the gbb gull is yng or weak

gryfalcons predate on gbb gulls like great skuas but i think a healthy adult is just a bit to much to kill

[Himalaya]

GBBG's have featured in the diet of Peregrines. GyrFalcons have been known to predate Glaucous Gulls which are only slightly smaller than GBBG's.

By the way what do Glaucous Gulls hunt?

[scuba0095]

glaucous gulls bills are not as thick and powerful as a gbb gull ive seen both up close

[Articuno]

Originally Posted by Edward

Where did you hear that, about Gyr Falcons catching GBBGs? I find it slightly hard to believe but I'm willing to be corrected. I've seen lots of Gyrs and lots of GBBGs and they generally give each other a wide berth. I did see a Gyr with prey being mobbed by 40-50 GBBGs last year and the Gyr very impressively, and agaainst my expectations, held its own and kept hold of its prey. I've seen Gyrs with bigger prey than themselves (geese) before but I'd be surprised if Gyrs actually hunted GBBGs.

Was doing some research on the internet for GBBGs a while back and came across quite a few photos of dead ones under the claws of Gyrfalcons, bit more research and I found it's not exactly rare, adults included by the way, could have been sick or weak but no reason why they couldn't be healthy either.

[Himalaya]

Excellent footage on Springwatch of a GBB Gull capturing a Manx Shearwater and waiting outside a rabbit burrow and then grabbing one in its beak. It managed to fly off with the rabbit.

On the other hand one puffin actually stood up to a GBB Gull very boldly! That was amazing!

[Himalaya]

http://martinjump.blogspot.com/

GBBG vs Wigeon! I found this online. It is not my own.

[scuba0095]

http://www.nature-photographers-port...%20gull%20.htm


the tables turn on the gull

[Himalaya]

wow...what went wrong there? LOL

[NZparadise1]

I was walking on the beach here the other day and saw an interesting thing. A southern black-backed gull was chasing a Caspian tern. They ducked and dived as the tern tried to escape. The funny thing was at one point the tern out maneuvered the gull, and for a few seconds it was the one doing the chasing and the gull doing the fleeing. Then I guess they both figured out that it was the wrong way about things, and the chase of "gull on tern" resumed. The whole thing lasted for I guess 2-3 minutes before eventually they went their separate ways. Wished I could have filmed it.

[MJB]

Originally Posted by Himalaya

no problem! was a pleasure looking at them all.
I did'nt know G B B Gulls could capture rabbits....how on earth could that be possible?

On some rabbit warrens inland in Norfolk the Herring Gulls, Lesser Black-backed Gulls and the occasional Great Black-backed Gulls will roost, and during the day may hunt rabbits. See, for example Bridgham Warren (attached); the warren lies in the triangle at the Bridgham Road junction with the A11.
MJB