The one that got away. **Update**

gramps

gramps

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At the Rushy Lake, WWT Slimbridge a Herring Gull has been daily picking off the young Black-Headed Gull chicks, it's amazing that there are any left but there are.
I have got use to the screeching of the adult gulls when the Herring Gull attacks the island where many of them are nesting but as usual I looked up today and saw it carrying off yet another chick, so levelled the camera when...


Falling.jpg


Down into the lake the chick went as the Gull dropped it from its beak.

The chick soon realised it needed to start swimming and take cover so it headed, rather bedraggled, for the side of the lake...


Falling2.jpg


The Herring Gull wasn't going to give up and made another attack...


Falling2a.jpg


But dropped the chick ... again!...


Falling2b.jpg



The chick eventually made it to the side vegetation and out of sight.
I was however glad to see it alive and well (apart from some apparent wing damage) when I returned several hours later...


Falling3.jpg


Looking at this last image, it is amazing that the Herring Gull thought he could take a chick this size and probably the reason he twice dropped it.

(Poorer images included to tell the story :) )
 
Wow that's an amazing story board (y)
The gulls at Warnham Reserve take a lot of the new hatched duckling, coots, etc they try their best to get
to the Terns, but boy are those aggressive in defence of their nests and chicks on a raft in the middle of
lake.
Fascinating to watch the terns chase them off, and to hear the noise a frightened gull makes, you can tell
the ones that have been caught before
 
Gremlin said:
Wow that's an amazing story board (y)
The gulls at Warnham Reserve take a lot of the new hatched duckling, coots, etc they try their best to get
to the Terns, but boy are those aggressive in defence of their nests and chicks on a raft in the middle of
lake.
Fascinating to watch the terns chase them off, and to hear the noise a frightened gull makes, you can tell
the ones that have been caught before
Click to expand...

Nothing like the beak of a Tern to discourage bad behaviour! :D
 
•



… a survivor for sure!
Cool séquence, Roger! (y)
 
Great captures,Roger. I was hoping for a happy ending as I went through them. Hopefully, the wing isn't too badly damaged. It won't be broken I wouldn't think as it will be very supple. 1-0 to the chick. No doubt it will stay close to the parents for a while.
 
Update.

Happy to say that this little fella is still doing well considering what he endured.
The wing is still damaged and as yet he cannot fly but as other Black-headed Gull chicks of the same size are not flying either it may be just a question of time or it may be that the wing is damaged too severely ... time will tell. He's getting visited by an adult, presumably a parent but I saw no feeding today so maybe he's fending for himself, in between at least.


Gull-Chick.jpg
 
Amazing set and story, one of the best I've seen here to be fair. (y)
 
Gremlin said:
Wow that's an amazing story board (y)
The gulls at Warnham Reserve take a lot of the new hatched duckling, coots, etc they try their best to get
to the Terns, but boy are those aggressive in defence of their nests and chicks on a raft in the middle of
lake.
Fascinating to watch the terns chase them off, and to hear the noise a frightened gull makes, you can tell
the ones that have been caught before
Click to expand...
:agree:
Would this be classed as "nature reportage"? :cool::rolleyes:
 
Don't know how I have missed your thread, Gramps.

A brilliant sequence of shots that tells the story very well.

Hope the youngest will be OK.

Dave
 
Tringa said:
Don't know how I have missed your thread, Gramps.

A brilliant sequence of shots that tells the story very well.

Hope the youngest will be OK.

Dave
Click to expand...

Thanks Dave, it was making attempts to fly today but not doing very well ... feeding well on the insects though. :)
 
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