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Gillian Henry
Revere Beach, Revere, MA, United States
I took this a couple of years ago on my local beach in Massachusetts. The gulls would regularly pick up clams and drop them on the ground to break them open. It could be quite uncanny walking along the deserted beach in winter and hearing the thud, thud, thud of falling mollusks! The gulls would always dive down quickly after their prize, to prevent some other enterprising bird from slipping in and snatching away the spoils. After many attempts, I finally photographed one in the act.
Week 9: Birds in Flight
Tag:
A ring-billed gull breaking open a clam by dropping it from the air.
Yes, I have also seen this rather impressive behavior on the west coast. It certainly would be a challenge to capture. Thanks for the memories…I never did get a picture of this.
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