Never mind the long necked crows that are killing rivers and stillwaters,has anyone else observed how Black backed gulls are now taking fish.

It wasnt untill last year that I noticed a black back lifting a fish of 2lbs out of the water and begin eating it.This continued quite often and as they are so used to people dont scare easy.Add this to the other predators fish are getting hammered all ways.

Even crows have been seen on occasion lifting a fish,albeit dead and not alive like the black backs do.

Had never seen this untill last year.

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Kevin

Sad to say but it's an easy source of food perchance is there a landfill site close.Noel

Noel,no its just normal farmland but it seems to be that these gulls are just everywhere nowadays .More land gulls than sea gulls now.

Still again all protected like the long neck crows.They cause alot of damage even when they droppings land on your car and everything else,apart from the loss of fish.

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Kevin

Easy source of food

Kevin, unless they are of the lesser variety (that nobody shot in Scotland during 2009/2010) you will be pleased to know they are still listed as 'vermin' and can be controlled/shot.

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/921/0109516.pdf

5. Bird species which may be taken or killed by the above methods for the purpose outlined in paragraph 1 are:

Great Black-backed Gull - Larus marinus
Collared Dove - Streptopelia decaocto
Feral Pigeon - Columba livia
Woodpigeon - Columba palumbus
Carrion Crow - Corvus corone
Hooded Crow - Corvus cornix
Jackdaw - Corvus monedula
Magpie - Pica pica
Rook - Corvus frugilegus


General licences
Scotland
On 1 January 2011 the Scottish general licences were renewed. There is one significant change from last year. Lesser Black Backed gull has been removed from licence 01, conservation of wild birds. This is because no returns were received for 2009 or 2010 and as a result The Scottish Government believes that Lesser Black Backed gulls are not being taken for this purpose. Should the level of demand for specific licences for this species be substantial, The Scottish Government will consider putting the species back on the general licence.

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Save the softmouth trout

Very usefull info Ephemerella
Surprised to see magpie on that list aswell.Still they take alot of the young ducks each year as do the hoodie crows.

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Kevin

You winding us up kev!
The magpie is the most voracious predator in the feathered world!
Any eggs or nestlings and indeed fledgelings are food to this avian fox.
Is responsible for the demise of more bird populations than mankind!
is on my kill on sight list above all others.
regards
bert

The only trouble trying to shoot the black backed gull is its bloody hard to tell if its got a black back when its in the air they all look the same from underneath.....

---------- Post added at 10:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:59 PM ----------

Too true buddy agree 100% with that

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LET'S TACKLE CANCER SUPPORTER!!!

Moi,never Bert,

Over the past few years there has certainly been an increase of them and our young ducklings have suffered badly because of them.getting close enough to them to get a shot with an air rifle is quite hard and they are an intelligent bird but definatly a pest.
back to the black back,just been out watching him(life span getting shorter)im sure this one thinks he is an osprey diving down into the water to stun them by the looks of it,seems they are getting more clever and it is nature developing,just as man has,but the protectors of predators are still in the past and need to understand how things are moving on and need to adjust and accept a little more,in my view.

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Kevin

I see Black backs taking live fish every season.
They have learnt to sit on the crest of the weir and wait for the fish trying to get over,then they grab them. It's usually the smaller seatrout that they are targeting.
I am quite convinced that they learnt this method by watching the Herons doing it.