Outdoor Ontario

Discussion => Behaviour => Topic started by: JimmyM on December 22, 2009, 08:33:34 PM

Title: "McDonalds" Gull
Post by: JimmyM on December 22, 2009, 08:33:34 PM

Went to a mall to do some last minute shopping and parked by the McDonalds . Since a gull dive bombed me a few years back with a very messy dropping down the back of my neck (I'm quite sure it was on purpose and his aim was perfect) I'm not much of a gull fan, however, I felt that the following behavior was interesting .
In the parking lot a large herring gull was wrestling with a take-out McDonald's bag with a few smaller gulls looking on . The gull upended and shook the bag to spill out the contents then proceeded to shake each of the wrappers - with the smaller gulls collecting the small pieces of shaken out tid bits . A very knowledgeable McDonald's customer !
Best regards,
jim

Title:
Post by: Raven11:11 on October 22, 2010, 03:34:20 PM

I worked there for just under 6 yrs - long time back and could tell you stories all right.   Seen them land on tables while people were eating at them, and attempted a french fry steal..

I have seen them fly within inches - literally inches - of people at the Woodbine Racetrack too.

There are many documented videos on the net about gulls doing brazen things. And highly intelligent opportunists.

Title:
Post by: Axeman on October 29, 2010, 11:23:04 PM

A few years ago I was hiking the Mizzy Lake Trail at Algonquin...along the way I pulled out a sandwich to eat as we hiked...as I brought the sandwich to my mouth, just before I could take a bite, a Canada Jay swooped in and took my sandwich...now that was brazen...and sneaky...and scared the crap outta me lol !!

Title:
Post by: Kin Lau on November 01, 2010, 01:35:10 PM

In Victoria BC at Fisherman's Wharf, you can buy fish pieces to feed the Harbour Seals and a few of the Western Gulls know that you're getting ready to hang a piece of fish out for the seals and setup at the top of the shack. As soon as my wife put her hand out with the fish, the gull swooped in and took fish right out of her hand... the next piece, she held on tighter, and the gull still won. She just had to learn to hold the fish differently, but those gulls learned pretty quick.

Recently here in Ottawa, I was about to take a bite out of my granola bar, and a white-breasted nuthatch came in at the same time for my bar. It swerved and landed very close. It was a very friendly nuthatch and came for sunflower seeds and such.

Title: Opportunists
Post by: JimmyM on November 01, 2010, 11:26:25 PM

Raven11:11, Axeman, Kin Lau, thanks for the interesting stories !
Jim