Oct. 11, 2015 - Gulls Eating Berries

At the end of September, Diana and I took our annual fall trip to Minnesota’s North Shore of Lake Superior. At the boat landing in Tofte, MN, we saw some Ring-billed Gulls eating berries from a Mountain Ash tree. Look near the lower part of the bird’s belly, just above the tail. You’ll see a red berry suspended in the air. I think the gull plucked that berry off the tree but then it slipped out of the bird’s bill.

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Mountain Ash trees are found all along the North Shore; it’s apparently a good environment for them. The clumps of red berries ripen in fall and are a popular source of food for birds. The top gull is an adult and the other one is a juvenile.

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Juvenile Ring-billed Gulls have streaky plumage in fall. This one, with its wings spread, gives us a really good look at the intricate feather patterns.

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The Mountain Ash branches are not strong enough to hold the gull’s weight so it has to hover near the tree and pluck the berries one by one. The hovering results in some interesting wing positions like this one.

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Here’s another look at the intricate pattern of a juvenile’s wing.

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This bird has an especially interesting wing position. It is just beginning its down stroke. Note the more uniform white color of the wings on this adult gull.

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This juvenile gull is getting ready to pluck a berry off the tree.

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And here it is with one berry in its mouth. It’s a slow way to get lunch!

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