Subject: [Tweeters] unusual behavior question
Date: Jul 26 10:26:42 2006
From: Dianna Moore - dlmoor2 at coastaccess.com


Hi Tweets....a friend of mine in the Morro Rock area of California e-mailed
me about some behavior she found disturbing and puzzling. I quote her:

"The thing is, this wasn't simple pushing away. It was groups of 8 - 12
adult gulls mobbing a juvenile as soon as it fledged. I saw it happen
to 3 juveniles and saw another dying on the ground. Again, I don't
know about this being possible, but I was wondering if the hundreds of
pelicans invading the territory of the Rock might have caused some
sort of stress reaction. Maybe a sense of overpopulation."

Last month's AP article about the juvenile pelicans dying of hunger was
carried by The New York Times and our local paper out here, The Daily World.

So, I'm looking for educated opinions; is it the stress of overcrowding or
perhaps a general lack of food?

Dianna Moore
Ocean Shores, Wa.
dlmoor2 at coastaccess.com