Gull tries to steal a pelican's fish.
By David McRee of BlogTheBeach.com
These pelicans on Siesta Key were having a hard time eating the fish they caught. As soon as they caught a fish, a gull would land on their head and try to make them drop it. I guess the pelicans are used to this because they seemed not to be terribly bothered by it. I didn’t see any gulls successfully steal any fish, but I’m sure they must get lucky from time to time.
Snowy egret with catch.
This snowy egret has caught what looks like a small pompano or some kind of jack. It took a long time to swallow it–making sure it was very dead. I once saw a black skimmer catch one of these and finally decide not to eat it. The skimmer flew away and left the fish on the beach. A willet came along and tried to eat it as well, but also gave up. I sauntered over to find out why they gave up and discovered that this little fish is well protected with very stiff spines near its dorsal and anal fins. Too much for a skimmer or a willet, but not too much for a cautious egret.
