What I love so much about birding is the unexpected moments you experience. I had one of those this past Sunday morning while visiting Black Point Wildlife Drive on Merritt Island.
I was photographing so many different birds along the drive, but about halfway through I caught sight of a young Ring-billed Gull fishing in a little pond next to the road. This bird dreams big.
It kept going after fish much too large for it to ever swallow. I photographed one sequence with it trying to grab and eat a Striped Mojarra, a native Florida bait fish.
It would grab the fish by the head, then the back, then the tail and fins. The fish kept getting away because there was no way this bird could fit it into its mouth, but the gull kept tracking it down for another attempt. It was a fun sequence to watch.
Most Ring-billed Gulls you see are usually scavenging – they’re in parks, parking lots or at beaches looking through trash. So it was fun to watch this one actually trying to hunt.
Based on its coloring, this Ring-billed Gull appears to be in just its second winter. It will eventually turn gray and white as it becomes an adult. These gulls can live to be more than 25 years old, so I am sure this was a good learning experience for this enterprising young bird.
