Re: [Maine-birds] Gull foraging in tree

Hi,

I have seen herring gulls picking crabapples from the tree canopies while on the wing, almost hovering.  I have also seen them consuming rose hips on the South Lubec bar(plucking them off of lower branches).  Finally, I have seen herring gulls grabbing native mountain ash fruits by quasi-hovering.

The most interesting gull foraging behavior I have observed was at the Bangor Mall where I watched herring gulls emerging from inside MacDonald's parking lot trash bins (two birds in separate bins).  They kept going in and out, completely disappearing.  The openings were not that large.

One other feeding behavior that I saw in Eastport was Ruddy turnstones eating squid eye-balls along a beach where hundreds of squid were stranded by the rapidly falling tides.  Mark McCullough pointed this out to me at the time.  The squid were very good eating even though they were missing eyes.

Norm Famous

On Wed, Dec 4, 2013 at 11:02 AM, Derek and Jeannette Lovitch <freeportwildbird@yahoo.com> wrote:

I have noted Herring Gulls feeding on crabapples UNDER these trees (especially along the Eastern Promenade), but I have not noted any in trees.  I'll look harder next time, and I will try and get some video.

 

-Derek

 

*****************************************
Derek and Jeannette Lovitch
Freeport Wild Bird Supply
541 Route One, Suite 10
Freeport, ME 04069
207-865-6000
www.freeportwildbirdsupply.com

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From: Jeff Wells <jeffwells@borealbirds.org>
To: Derek and Jeannette Lovitch <freeportwildbird@yahoo.com>; Maine-birds <maine-birds@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, December 4, 2013 10:35 AM
Subject: RE: [Maine-birds] Gull foraging in tree

Interesting! I wonder if there are any videos of this out there on the Internet.

 

Have you seen any other gull species that have figured it out as a foraging strategy?

 

Jeff

 

From: Derek and Jeannette Lovitch [mailto:freeportwildbird@yahoo.com]
Sent: Wednesday, December 04, 2013 10:32 AM
To: Jeff Wells; Maine-birds
Subject: Re: [Maine-birds] Gull foraging in tree

 

Hi Jeff,

I think this is a fairly common occurence.  I see it regularly in Portland, especially along the Eastern Promenade and in Deering Oaks Park.  Although I have observed this behavior from Ring-billed Gulls in plenty of places, I wonder if the frequency of such activity in certain areas suggests that this is a learned behavior.

-Derek

 

*****************************************
Derek and Jeannette Lovitch
Freeport Wild Bird Supply
541 Route One, Suite 10
Freeport, ME 04069
207-865-6000
http://www.freeportwildbirdsupply.com/

****************************************

 

From: Jeff Wells <jeffwells@borealbirds.org>
To: Maine-birds <maine-birds@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, December 4, 2013 10:28 AM
Subject: [Maine-birds] Gull foraging in tree

 

Coming out of the supermarket in Gardiner yesterday, I looked up to see an adult Ring-billed Gull perched in the top of a small ornamental crabapple tree and pulling at the small apples while trying to maintain its balance. This was a new gull feeding behavior for me although I know that gulls are amazingly adaptable! This same crabapple has hosted Bohemian and Cedar Waxwings as well as American Robins in past years. I tried to get a quick photo or video of the gull feeding in the tree but it was startled off before I could get the shot.

 

Jeff Wells

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Norman Famous, Wetlands and Wildlife Ecologist

513 Eight Rod Road

Augusta, ME 04330

(207) 623 6072

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