September 16, 2022
Salish Sea, Pacific Northwest
A bay near my house is clam heaven. A combination of sheltered shallow water with lots of nutrients, a vigorous tidal exchange and a nice sandy muddy bottom makes for excellent clam habitat. There are so many washed up clam shells they form drifts.
Clams (and crabs and other marine invertebrates) draw in all sorts of predators, from oystercatchers to otters, leaving shells and fragments littering the bottom of the bay. Gulls feed on invertebrates too. But that’s not what was going on yesterday amongst a group of freshly fledged Glaucous-winged/Olympic gulls by the shore.
At first it looked like they were fishing a bait ball (a dense school of small fish at the surface, usually in deep water). Gulls can’t swim under water but they can pounce, and even dive a short distance to catch fish a foot or so below the surface. When I got a closer look it became clear that yes they were pouncing and plunge diving, but they weren’t bringing up fish. Rather, it was shells of various sorts. Even bits of seaweed.
These are all gulls who fledged from nesting islands offshore, mostly in late July and August. They are on their own now to feed themselves. They have many skill sets to learn if they are to survive. I’m guessing these baby gulls were practicing how to catch fish, crabs and clams in an easy setting.
They we’re also practicing stealing from other gulls. That’s an important survival strategy too. As is avoiding getting stolen from.
A video (1.5 minute) shows the techniques they were practicing:
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It’s hard to imagine that all these gulls are just a few months old. The fact they are adult size is misleading. They are all probably pretty hungry for calories. But this is also the peak exploratory time of their life.
I wish them well. In general, only about half of baby birds in nature survive their first year, if that. Luck plays a big part, as well as their mastery of skills. Lots to learn through fall and winter.
The drifts of clam and crab shells on the beach are a reminder that many wild animals don’t live long, and rarely die of old age. It’s the way of the world, in nature.
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Cool in the PNW islands today. Partly cloudy, moderate west wind. Temps in 50s. Fall is here.
WHAT’S UP IN NATURE IN YOUR AREA TODAY?