>Though large numbers of gulls, sometimes in the hundreds, mostly
>Ring-billeds, a score or two Bonaparte's, a few Californias, a few Mews,
>some lumbering Glaucous-wingeds, even the odd juv Franklin's, and sometimes
>Northwestern Crows--hawking nuptial flights of ants and termites are a
>common sight over the western part of the Kitsilano district of Vancouver BC
>on hot mid-summer afternoons, this is the first time I've ever seen a
>Caspian Tern join the feeding melee.
>
>Michael Price

You can add Common Nighthawk and Purple Martin to this list, although
neither does it any more in Seattle. At Ocean Shores I have seen flocks of
California and Ring-billed gulls, particularly the former, that totalled
many hundreds, maybe even a thousand or more, swooping around as the
termites rose from the driftwood. Sometimes birds were visible as far as
the eye could see (well, maybe not that far....). An incredible sight, and
an easy one to study, as you can tell when a bird makes a capture. I could
watch an individual gull catch 10 or so termites, but they usually moved
around too much to follow one individual for very long. Nevertheless it
would be easy to compare the prowess of two species hunting the same prey,
or compare adults with immatures.

Dennis Paulson, Director phone: (206) 756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax: (206) 756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail: dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416