[forthbirder]

Hi to all.
Have just been standing on my porch in Kinghorn, on the Fife coast of Scotland, and got covered in what look like flying ants. Above my house was a flock of black headed gulls and starlings, all hawking the ants in flight like bee eaters would. I have never before observed either of the species taking prey in flight. Surprisingly there were no martins or swifts around joining in the feast. Even the local lbb's and herring gulls seemed to be picking the ants off the rooftops, although I'd imagine such a tiny food source would have to be consumed in vast quantities to have any value to such a large bird.
Cheers, Mark

[Allen S. Moore]

Originally Posted by forthbirder

Hi to all.
Have just been standing on my porch in Kinghorn, on the Fife coast of Scotland, and got covered in what look like flying ants. Above my house was a flock of black headed gulls and starlings, all hawking the ants in flight like bee eaters would. I have never before observed either of the species taking prey in flight. Surprisingly there were no martins or swifts around joining in the feast. Even the local lbb's and herring gulls seemed to be picking the ants off the rooftops, although I'd imagine such a tiny food source would have to be consumed in vast quantities to have any value to such a large bird.
Cheers, Mark

Black-headed gulls and starlings sometimes feed in the same way here in the Isle of Man, too.

Allen

[ChinaBirds]

We recently had the new Boeing 787 fly over the RR site in Derby just as the flying ants came out, I was worried there may be a bird strike with the number of gulls in the air after the ants, but all went well

Cheers
Nick

[fugl]

Here’s an old BF thread on the subject: http://www.birdforum.net/showthread....using+thermals

As I indicate in the old thread, I remember seeing a mixed flock of Common & Black-headed gulls (together with hirundines & swifts) hawk for flying ants at Aberlady Bay years ago.

[forthbirder]

Thanks to those who replied. Before today I never even knew flying ants existed in Scotland, so I suppose you can always be surprised.
Cheers, Mark

[etudiant]

Ant or termite hatches are always a big hit with our warblers etc here in NY Central Park.
In spring, a dozen species or more will all gather to feast on the bounty. Red bellied woodpeckers however is as big as any of the participants were.
Gulls however I've never seen there, perhaps because they never enter the wooded areas where the swarms take place.

[derelict]

Predictably all the juvenile green woodpeckers in the park were having a field day yesterday picking off the previous day's stragglers but I was surprised by how few other birds I saw obviously doing it i.e. thrushes. I've seen kestrels walking around collecting the winged ants off the ground in the past.