Please Indentify the Culprit -- U.K. (1 Viewer)

auchinbowie · May 29, 2013

During a WeBS yesterday, I encountered a macabre sight. Near a little used stile, there were the carapaces of 4 Common Shore Crabs and 5 opened birds' eggs. I think that two of the eggs were either Teal or Shoveler and the others were waders -- about Lapwing or Avocet size but beige with fine dots. All would have fitted into a circle 2 metres in diameter. The crabs' bodies had been eaten and the main shells and uneaten claws remained. The eggs had been crudely broken open. Some claws were on a fence post so the culprit was presumably a bird. I cannot think of any species which would carry food to the same spot to eat it.

Corvids and Gulls seemed the most likely culprits. There are also Marsh Harriers nearby, which feed on the young wader chicks. Most unusually, a Short-eared Owl was in the field, less than 100 yards away, having been mobbed by Lapwings.

Has anyone encountered anything similar? Can anyone identify the culprit?

Endeavour

FergusJBend · May 29, 2013

auchinbowie said:
During a WeBS yesterday, I encountered a macabre sight. Near a little used stile, there were the carapaces of 4 Common Shore Crabs and 5 opened birds' eggs. I think that two of the eggs were either Teal or Shoveler and the others were waders -- about Lapwing or Avocet size but beige with fine dots. All would have fitted into a circle 2 metres in diameter. The crabs' bodies had been eaten and the main shells and uneaten claws remained. The eggs had been crudely broken open. Some claws were on a fence post so the culprit was presumably a bird. I cannot think of any species which would carry food to the same spot to eat it.

Corvids and Gulls seemed the most likely culprits. There are also Marsh Harriers nearby, which feed on the young wader chicks. Most unusually, a Short-eared Owl was in the field, less than 100 yards away, having been mobbed by Lapwings.

Has anyone encountered anything similar? Can anyone identify the culprit?

Endeavour

1/2 Herring Gull, 3/1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 7/1 Carrion Crow, 100/8 Bar

Fergus

AlfArbuthnot · May 29, 2013

Carrion Crows do this a lot, taking food to the same spot, as do Otters.

auchinbowie · May 31, 2013

Thanks. We had thought a Gull most likely. It is not behavior any of us had previouly encountered. I would love it to have been Otters, but none have been recorded locally, at least during the past 27 years. Also hard to see how they could have got the crabs legs onto a 4 foot fence post.

I guess it was either a corvid or Larus crapeator after all. The crabs tend to make gulls more likely. While we usually have as many L B-b as Herring Gulls present, tuesday's count was 1:9 in my sector. Are you a bookie or a Stockbroker, Fergus? There again, is there a difference?

Dave

Please Indentify the Culprit -- U.K. (1 Viewer)

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