Hi Tweeters and Tyler,

There is actually a record of a gull in California eating a mole, which
was not quite dead. The mole once in the belly of the gull tried to do
what comes naturally to it...dig its way out. The mole apparently
suffocated halfway out. The gull did what you would expect it would do
with a mole that was half dug out of its belly...it died.

Russell

> DidjKid at aol.com wrote:
>
>> Tweeters -
>>
>> During a bird/bikeride around Mercer Slough this afternoon, I
>> witnessed a struggle that I will not soon forget. I passed a GREAT
>> BLUE HERON poised to strike something, and decided to stop and watch.
>> After several minutes (the heron never flinching), it leapt forward,
>> plunging its head into a bunch of grass. Expecting a frog or nothing
>> at all to be in its grasp, I was astonished to see that it had
>> extracted a mole from the weeds! I watched, utterly amazed, as it
>> retreated into some dense grasses. I tried to follow it without
>> spooking it, and caught glimpses of the heron vigorously shaking the
>> mole, obviously trying to kill it, while the mole was clawing at the
>> heron's face. After losing and refinding the heron again (we were
>> separated by a fence), the mole was nowhere to be seen . . . just a
>> large bulge in the heron's neck.
>> Quite exciting. Has anybody else ever witness this? My Dad
>> doesn't believe me . . .
>>
>> Good Birding!
>>
>> Tyler Davis, 17
>> Mercer Island, WA
>> didjkid at aol.com
>
>
>


--
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Russell Rogers
6637 Glenwood Drive SW
Olympia WA 98512
(360) 709-9870
mailto:rrogers122 at attbi.com
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Russell Rogers
Fish and Wildlife Biologist
Point Whitney Shellfish Laboratory
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
1000 Point Whitney Road
Brinnon WA 98320
(360) 586-1498 ex 221
mailto:rogerrer at dfw.wa.gov
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