Handing Out Life Lessons

The diffused light of an overcast dawn revealed a beach littered with objects. Seaweed, driftwood and mollusks torn from the offshore rocks lay strewn across the sand, as was one unfortunate Pacific Rock Crab.

Towering above the crab was a subadult Western Gull, hammering its bill into the underside of the crab’s shell. The motions of the gull are quick and decisive, as is necessary in a gull colony. But suddenly, the bird stopped feeding and held its position, sensing a familiar threat.

The footsteps were likely the biggest clue. Fast at first, then progressively slower. The sound transitioned from that of a distant pitter pat to an approaching, yet intermittent crunch against the sand. The final verification came from the prolonged silence that screamed a warning. A silence in which nobody breathes and everybody watches. Yet for the experienced ear, it was a silence which always accompanies an overly cautious step and a clear sign that a robbery attempt was imminent.

Stealing is an important skill for gulls and particularly for younger birds. While juvenile gulls obtain most of their food through stealing, older gulls are much better at defending themselves from robbery attempts. For gulls, experience matters when attempting to either steal or to defend oneself from thieves.

And this gull would know. A Western Gull in its third winter, bordering on adulthood and with plenty of experience. In fact, only moments earlier, it had stolen the very crab it was feeding on from another gull. Now it was the thief’s turn to defend its ill-gotten gains.

As the older Western Gull turned to face the thief, it found itself confronted by a larger, yet younger gull in its first winter. Without hesitation, both gulls charged toward each other, initiating a battle of experience vs. exuberance.

The older gull lunged forward, spearing the younger gull with its upper bill and securing a firm grip on the younger gull’s breast. A grip that forced an inch thick portion of breast meat to squeeze out of the side of the older bird’s mouth. A grip that left the younger bird emitting a loud squawk that more resembled a shriek.

When the older gull let go of the would-be thief, the younger bird quickly skipped away in defeat, having learned a painful yet valuable life lesson.

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