Dartmouth: seagulls killing and eating pigeons

Well I say, let them stick to pigeons.

I had a FAR more shocking story - crossing the road from the Dartmouth Arms with a plate of sausage and chips, a gull dive-bombed the plate to grab the food and spilled the lot on the ground. I had a pint on the other hand so I wasn't quick enough to grab it and wring its neck, which was undoubtedly what it deserved. But next time I'll be ready ...
 
Sat eating fish and chips tossing the odd chip off the balcony for the gulls and pelicans. Gulls generally more nimble and successful. One gull in particular was a greedy bugger.
Pelican must have got miffed. One snatch, one gulp, seagull making its way down the pelicans neck. Granddaughter not as impressed as grandson.
Economy of scale I guess.
 
Sophie19 said:
I am probably in a minority here (nothing new) but I like all gulls. We have lots of black headed and lesser black backs here as well as a fair few other birds, waders and the like.

I love their calls in the early morning, sort of reminds me I am not at work and 'down the boat', all nautical and so on. I love watching them poking around the boat at low water looking for crustaceans and worms and I love to watch them flying about, true masters at it.

Sure, they crap on my boat as the do everyone's, but they were here long before my boat was and I consider it a minor inconvenience in return for the pleasure they give me.

Don't like gulls? Get another hobby!
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+1 Absolutely !

I've had the Dartmouth treatment too, I made the mistake of walking holding my bit of cod protruding from my hand as I ate; there was a white blurr and my cod was gone flush with my hand, didn't feel the slightest tug !

Gulls are usually brilliant flyers, it's not for nothing that very experienced pilot Richard Bach wrote ' Jonathan Livingston Seagull ' which is basically a Gull going through Flight Testing programmes and becoming a Test Pilot Gull ! :encouragement:
 
Seajet said:
+1 Absolutely !

I've had the Dartmouth treatment too, I made the mistake of walking holding my bit of cod protruding from my hand as I ate; there was a white blurr and my cod was gone flush with my hand, didn't feel the slightest tug !

Gulls are usually brilliant flyers, it's not for nothing that very experienced pilot Richard Bach wrote ' Jonathan Livingston Seagull ' which is basically a Gull going through Flight Testing programmes and becoming a Test Pilot Gull ! :encouragement:
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Agreed. All very lovely to look at and expert flyers. I admire their learning ability when it comes to dropping mussels, etc., as that's part of earning an honest living.

However, just as its not a particularly good idea to feed wild rats, neither is it a good idea to feed the gulls. People come on holiday, think they are cute, so give them chips and bits of fish, then go off back to their normal lives and leave the rest of us to be dive-bombed. My son had a chunk taken out of his finger by one when he was only 3 years old.

At least pigeons are tasty...
 
Most seagulls are carnivores and opportunistic scavengers, so killing and/or eating other animals is how they make their living. Some kinds (e,g, Skuas and Greater Black-backed gulls) are a bit more obvious about it than others, because they are big enough to go for animals we notice! And for most of them, the majority of their diet is fish, but if there is a plentiful resource like pigeons around, they aren't going to neglect it. Probably the only thing limiting their hunting/scavenging behaviour is an assessment of whether they can kill and subdue something without getting hurt themselves. And if there's an easy food source (like chips!) they probably won't go for more challenging options that might fight back!

Incidentally, some gulls - especially Skuas - aren't put off by larger prey! Skuas are quite happy going for larger penguins and seal pups; they will attack humans vigorously in defense of a chick! While I accept they are just doing what their nature demands, I don't like Skuas, having been attacked by them a few times!
 
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Seajet said:
Some here may scoff, but we'd have taken the pigeon to a vet; they should fix it for free.

In fact we did help one which was newly hatched and wandering around the garden in a bit of a state; the vet seemed to care for creatures as much as we do, gave her a check up and anti-parasite dose; would have been for free but we insisted on £10 towards his guide dog fund.

In the past we've helped Swans in the same way - couldn't leave a bird or animal suffering.
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Pity you could'nt extend that empathy to human beings a seajet ;)
 
KAL said:
Agreed. All very lovely to look at and expert flyers. I admire their learning ability when it comes to dropping mussels, etc., as that's part of earning an honest living.

However, just as its not a particularly good idea to feed wild rats, neither is it a good idea to feed the gulls. People come on holiday, think they are cute, so give them chips and bits of fish, then go off back to their normal lives and leave the rest of us to be dive-bombed. My son had a chunk taken out of his finger by one when he was only 3 years old.

At least pigeons are tasty...
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I was once stuck in Brixham for a week waiting for fog to clear - and crew to turn up - and was sure I noticed some gulls near the cafe tables put on a limp to gain sympathy and extra chips.

I was sure it was just a fanciful notion of mine, then read later that studies have found they really do this; clever or what ?!

In my experience ' bird brained ' is a lot brighter than used to be assumed.

I don't normally feed gulls bit did so at Alderney to get photo's of the magnificent specimens there in hovering flight; never had my fingers so much as touched.

Then again I do hand feed Swans which worry some people; it's all show with them but they're good parents...
 
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Concerto said:
Can anyone train the seagulls to catch the starlings that have been carping on my deck last week?

Seagulls in Chatham Marina have learnt to drop mussels from a height on the toilet block roof to make them easier to crack the shells. My neighbour was none to happy when they started using his mobo deck as well!
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lol

PS: Around here the crows have learnt that trick & forage the foreshore just like seabirds. They are in constant battle with the gulls & seem to have the upper hand.They have aerial dogfights an all.
Despite crapping on my deck along with Cormorants I would'nt change things. It's all part of the joy & delight of owning a boat & going sailing :encouragement:
 
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KristiferColumbus said:
Pity you could'nt extend that empathy to human beings a seajet ;)
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Give an example please; for a start I helped you when you were new to the forums and backed you up, scarce thanks do I get.

If you're referring to Muslim economic invaders, I'm all for chucking them a lot of money to sort themselves in situ; there is not room or reason for them to come here.

Discuss elsewhere if you like.

Now back to the subject shall we.
 
I like all birds apart from pigeons.
I can't stand the stupid noise they make. Or the mess they make. Or the dim pensioners who feed them...

So, Dartmouth gulls have gone up in my estimation.
Dartmouth is the only place where I've seen a gull walk into the yacht club bar by the way.
I regret to say it didn't get served....
 
Seajet said:
Give an example please; for a start I helped you when you were new to the forums and backed you up, scarce thanks do I get.

If you're referring to Muslim economic invaders, I'm all for chucking them a lot of money to sort themselves in situ; there is not room or reason for them to come here.

Discuss elsewhere if you like.

Now back to the subject shall we.
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The poor but valiant fighters of Afghanistan seajet for which you give them very little credit :rolleyes:
 
lw395 said:
I like all birds apart from pigeons.
I can't stand the stupid noise they make. Or the mess they make. Or the dim pensioners who feed them...

So, Dartmouth gulls have gone up in my estimation.
Dartmouth is the only place where I've seen a gull walk into the yacht club bar by the way.
I regret to say it didn't get served....
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Bit sad.......one of the most restful sounds I find is the pigeons & doves that coo in the trees out in my back garden early in the mornings.
At least they did until my mean miserable neighbour shot them with an airgun & chased them off.........all because the mean miserable scotty dog he owns was so neurotic that it's only pleasure in life was to run out barking at them or anything else that came within his sphere. :disgust:
 
KristiferColumbus said:
The poor but valiant fighters of Afghanistan seajet for which you give them very little credit :rolleyes:[/QUOTE

Give me strength...Kris take it elsewhere.

Gulls dropping mussells; well there was the Greek philosopher ( I forget his name ) who was killed by a bird dropping a tortoise on his bald head, so there's nothing new under the sun, quite posssibly Greek gulls were putting on pretend limps then too to get more kebabs than their chums.
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lw395 said:
I like all birds apart from pigeons.
I can't stand the stupid noise they make. Or the mess they make. Or the dim pensioners who feed them...

So, Dartmouth gulls have gone up in my estimation.
Dartmouth is the only place where I've seen a gull walk into the yacht club bar by the way.
I regret to say it didn't get served....
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We were once sitting in the living room in Somerset one day with the patio doors open when a tired out racing pigeon - with rather beautiful colours - strolled in and sat in front of us on the rug, and watched the TV.

After we fed & watered it it flew on a few hours later.

Once motoring back across the Channel an exhausted racing pigeon tried to land on the boat, crashed and went into the water; it was the saddest sight in the world as it tried to swim to us with its wings on the glassy calm surface.

We were already swinging round and my chum leaned over to scoop the bird up, putting him / her looking somewhat p'd off to dry out on deck, with bits of biscuit & water.

The bird stayed aboard into Salcombe and I was lucky enough to see it shake itself and take flight for home the next morning; that was 20+ years ago but I remember this little event clearly as yesterday - I pity anyone who wouldn't treasure such moments.
 
"Gulls are highly adaptable feeders that opportunistically take a wide range of prey. The food taken by gulls includes fish and marine and freshwater invertebrates, both alive and already dead, terrestrial arthropods and invertebrates such as insects and earthworms, rodents, eggs, carrion, offal, reptiles, amphibians, plant items such as seeds and fruit, human refuse, chips, and even other birds."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gull


I think of them as flying rats, myself.
 
We have a lot of fat pigeons who eat my black currents and figs. There is a Peregrine in the area which will take pigeons. It started to rip at the breast of a pigeon in my back garden, until a cat came to investigate and chased it away. The pigeon then got up and staggered off, with the cat in pursuit....at least it got eaten in the end - one less pigeon to eat my fruits.

On the other hand, I caught a gull on a Rapala lure - managed to unhook it once I'd reeled it in. A friend also caught a 2-3 lb ling, which he tried to return, but it had had it. He then threw it to a gull. I thought "It'll never swallow that"! Well, it took a long long while, but it got it down eventually. The bird didn't take off for a good while, though! :)

I'd like to know where the gulls get the mussels that they leave the shells on the pontoon from - they are a good size - I'd eat them myself!
 
Neil said:
We have a lot of fat pigeons who eat my black currents and figs. There is a Peregrine in the area which will take pigeons. It started to rip at the breast of a pigeon in my back garden, until a cat came to investigate and chased it away. The pigeon then got up and staggered off, with the cat in pursuit....at least it got eaten in the end - one less pigeon to eat my fruits. . . .
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Out of the frying pan, and into the fire! :eek:
 
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