Duck! There's a flying crab!

PeterD-2009PeterD-2009 Registered Users Posts: 618 Major grins
edited May 3, 2011 in Wildlife
Taken at the Oysterbed site, North Hayling, Hampshire, UK.

I was watching the gulls and tern flying overhead when I head a gull calling out very loudly behind me. Imagine my surprise when I saw a Mallard Duck flying, flat out, with a Black-headed Gull chasing it. I just had time to take these shots before they disappeared.

The Duck has picked up a crab from the beach and refuses to give it up. The gull's kleptomaniac instincts have kicked in and is trying to get the crab.

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The normal food of a Mallard is small aquatic invertebrates, seeds, roots, shoots and grain. A crab hardly falls into any of these categories.

Comments welcome as always
Cheers

Peter

http://www.imageinuk.com

Comments

  • kdogkdog Administrators Posts: 11,681 moderator
    edited April 30, 2011
    You sure that's what it is? It's hard to tell at that size. Maybe you could provide a 100% crop of the duck.
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  • DonRicklinDonRicklin Registered Users Posts: 5,551 Major grins
    edited April 30, 2011
    kdog wrote: »
    You sure that's what it is? It's hard to tell at that size. Maybe you could provide a 100% crop of the duck.

    Yeah, looks more like possibly a prawn or crayfish to me.

    Nice series, anywho! :D

    Don


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  • PeterD-2009PeterD-2009 Registered Users Posts: 618 Major grins
    edited April 30, 2011
    kdog wrote: »
    You sure that's what it is? It's hard to tell at that size. Maybe you could provide a 100% crop of the duck.
    DonRicklin wrote: »
    Yeah, looks more like possibly a prawn or crayfish to me.

    Nice series, anywho! :D

    Don


    Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

    Thanks kdog and Don for your repliesthumb.gif.

    We do not have prawn or crayfish that size over here in Langstone Harbour. Nice thought though:D.
    Cheers

    Peter

    http://www.imageinuk.com
  • PGMPGM Registered Users Posts: 2,007 Major grins
    edited May 1, 2011
    Nice story! Best, Pam
  • PeterD-2009PeterD-2009 Registered Users Posts: 618 Major grins
    edited May 2, 2011
    PGM wrote: »
    Nice story! Best, Pam

    Thanks Pamthumb.gif
    Cheers

    Peter

    http://www.imageinuk.com
  • PeterD-2009PeterD-2009 Registered Users Posts: 618 Major grins
    edited May 2, 2011
    PeterD-2009 wrote: »
    Thanks kdog and Don for your repliesthumb.gif.

    We do not have prawn or crayfish that size over here in Langstone Harbour. Nice thought though:D.

    The only other possibility is that it is seaweed. This would not be of any interest to the gull though so either it is a crab or, both the gull and I were fooledheadscratch.gif.
    Cheers

    Peter

    http://www.imageinuk.com
  • peargrinpeargrin Registered Users Posts: 191 Major grins
    edited May 3, 2011
    Peter, I was so interested to see this! I was amazed to watch Mallards fight seagulls for dead gizzard shad (fish) in the breaking ice this February. I guess if they're hungry enough, they'll go for anything... Great and unusual capture! Cheers, pear
  • PeterD-2009PeterD-2009 Registered Users Posts: 618 Major grins
    edited May 3, 2011
    peargrin wrote: »
    Peter, I was so interested to see this! I was amazed to watch Mallards fight seagulls for dead gizzard shad (fish) in the breaking ice this February. I guess if they're hungry enough, they'll go for anything... Great and unusual capture! Cheers, pear

    Thanks for your reply pearthumb.gif. I wish I had seen the start of this story rather than just the brief glimpse of these two making two circuits over me then disappearing out to sea. I might have got a better understanding.
    Your observation is also very interesting. When times are hard, hunger will drive most things to a desperate battle for food of almost any kind.
    Over here though, food is nearly always plentiful in the harbour that's why it is such a great spot for winter and summer migrants.
    Cheers

    Peter

    http://www.imageinuk.com
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