Subject: [Tweeters] Madrona berries
Date: Dec 5 20:47:42 2006
From: James Duemmel - j.duemmel at worldnet.att.net


Many years ago on the Anacortes to Sidney, BC ferry CBC, while the ferry
stopped at Orcas Island, all counters were gathered on the upper deck
carefully watching the ground around the ferry landing for whatever land
birds we could add to our list. My peripheral vision caught a weird motion
of an immature Glaucous-winged Gull. I thought it had crashed into the top
of one of the large madronas near the ferry landing. I watched the bird as
it flew away from the tree and began to circle back. Nothing seemed wrong
with the bird's flight and there was no damage to its plumage. The bird
continued to circle back toward exactly the spot where I thought it had
crashed into the tree. Just as it almost hit the upper branches of the tree
it stalled, quickly grabbed a madrona berry, and recovered from a slight
fall and resumed normal flight, again circling. Another CBC member and I
watched the bird repeat the process again and again until the ferry finished
unloading/loading and pulled away.

Glaucous-winged Gulls eat madrona berries - and they can do it in flight!


Jim Duemmel
Bellingham, WA
Mailto: j.duemmel at att.net