The Lemon Fool

We are off for a week to Mull, and, as usual, we have been visiting likely otter-frequented areas around Loch Na Keal (for the past couple of days) - so far without spotting one. But on both days we have watched a White Tailed Sea Eagle sitting on a small outcrop in the middle of the loch (which gets covered at high tide). Periodically it takes off, and harasses smaller seabirds to hand over their catch, then it returns to its perch to consume its ill-gotten gains. Piracy! On reading up about the feeding habits of the Sea Eagle, apparently this piracy extends to dispossessing otters as well. Maybe that (or worse!) accounts for the missing otters.

Seagulls steal human food. Out of your hands, if you're not careful! It doesn't seem to drive the humans away.

Back in the Good Old Days when travel was allowed, I was on the platform at Bristol station (Temple Meads) with an Upper Crust baguette for lunch. Something hit it hard, and I could easily have dropped it. Seagull landed on the platform, looked nonchalant: a human miscreant might've been whistling innocently. I said to it, "nice try".

UncleEbenezer wrote:Seagulls steal human food. Out of your hands, if you're not careful! It doesn't seem to drive the humans away.

Back in the Good Old Days when travel was allowed, I was on the platform at Bristol station (Temple Meads) with an Upper Crust baguette for lunch. Something hit it hard, and I could easily have dropped it. Seagull landed on the platform, looked nonchalant: a human miscreant might've been whistling innocently. I said to it, "nice try".

The gulls seem to be more polite in Tobermory. This afternoon I spotted a couple of tourists, sitting beside the town clock, and eating fish & chips from the nearby van (as approved by an HRH). They were surrounded by herring gulls waiting patiently for odd distributions.
But getting back to the Sea Eagle -its huge, with large talons. Whenever it flew near gulls on neighbouring rocks, they took off and scattered. Birds and small mammals are part of a Sea Eagle's diet. The remains of lambs have been discovered in Sea Eagle nests, although its believed that the majority of these were taken as carrion, but live-lamb predation has also been reported. So I suspect that an otter territory close to a Sea Eagle perch is no longer as desirable as it once was. Or at least that's my excuse for not having spotted an otter so far.

scotia wrote:But getting back to the Sea Eagle -its huge, with large talons.

Yes, as can be seen in this picture



Note, the eagle is behind the stag, so perspective is making it look smaller.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland- ... s-43307984

Scott.

swill453 wrote:

scotia wrote:But getting back to the Sea Eagle -its huge, with large talons.

Yes, as can be seen in this picture



Note, the eagle is behind the stag, so perspective is making it look smaller.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland- ... s-43307984

Scott.

We have seen Sea Eagles in the past - flying high above us, or returning to a distant nest, But this is the first time we have watched one, sitting on the rocks, then taking off and flying close to the water with those enormous wings. Then after it had carried out its act of piracy, it returned to its perch, and repeated its actions. On the first evening we watched it, the tide was rising and the rocks were about to disappear - so eventually, to avoid its toes getting wet, it flew off inland. Sometimes, in the past I have wondered about a Golden Eagle high above - could it just be big buzzard a bit lower down? But with the Sea Eagle those Barn Door wings can't be mistaken for any other UK bird.
We were off to a different area of Mull today, looking for otters where we have seen them in the past - but still no luck.

UncleEbenezer wrote:Seagulls steal human food. Out of your hands, if you're not careful! It doesn't seem to drive the humans away.

Back in the Good Old Days when travel was allowed, I was on the platform at Bristol station (Temple Meads) with an Upper Crust baguette for lunch. Something hit it hard, and I could easily have dropped it. Seagull landed on the platform, looked nonchalant: a human miscreant might've been whistling innocently. I said to it, "nice try".

I was mugged by a gull in central Plymouth once. I'd bought a sausage roll from a local pasty shop and was walking up the street when I felt a sharp, hard bang on my back. I let go of the sausage roll, only for it to be scooped up by the felon, a very large herring gull. I felt it only right that the gull should have his pickings given his skill and sheer nerve.