Bird Gourmets

I have heard many bird watchers say that most bird behavior can be explained by food or sex. This long post is a collection of some photographs of birds engaged in food acquisition or consumption that I have taken over the years. It’s a post that I have worked on as a side project to be used to fill a gap when field excursions aren’t possible. We are having a very wet week that includes a nor’easter with high winds and multiple inches of rain so this is a good time to use it. Hopefully it will amuse you as much as it amused me in putting it together.

These pictures of a Cedar Waxwing snatching a flying insect and a Yellow-rumped Warbler going after a dangling caterpillar are the result of being prepared, persistence, a bit of luck and a big memory card!

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Ospreys grabbing a fish from the water or hauling a big catch back to the nest always make for an interesting photo.

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The Anhinga is another proficient fisherman. Unlike the Osprey, it swims after the fish rather than swooping down on the from the sky. The bird in the bottom photo had no problem getting that fish down.

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Great Blue Herons are excellent stealth hunters and will eat anything they can get down their throat. I once missed getting a shot of one grabbing a field mouse but I did get these.

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A Great Blue Heron eating a snake is not uncommon. But how about a Bluebird snacking on a small lizard? I don’t think the lizard subscribes to the “Bluebird of Happiness” thing.

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This is a favorite of mine. Our group spotted a Snowy Owl in the exposed rocks just offshore. It was hunkered down with his meal, a gull. The tide was beginning to cover the rocks and it finally had to grab his lunch and fly to a drier location.

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These are nesting Least Terns sharing a catch with their mate and chicks.

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I can’t pass up an opportunity to include some pirates in my story. Anyone who has tried to have lunch on the beach can identify with these pictures of a young Herring Gull laying claim to someone’s lunch and a Great Black-backed Gull checking out the goodies.

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Here a Laughing Gull tries to snatch part of a Brown Pelican’s catch. Pirates are bold fellows.

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This Herring Gull may have come across the crab on its own or may have stolen it from someone else. You never can be sure with a pirate.

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I’m heading out into the cold, the wind and the cloudy skies and hopefully will find some interesting things to share soon.