Teaching the Kids to Forage

Juvenile gulls are as determined to get free food from their parents– as their parents are to wean them from the freebies. I’ve seen many adult gulls swimming or flapping away from their begging youngsters, forcing the juvies to forage on their own. I haven’t often watched a parent gull patiently teach the babies to forage … in this case, luring them toward the meat of a floating salmon carcass.

Begging - ©ingridtaylar

For the sake of writing convenience, I’ll say the adult was their mother, although I’m not sure. She circled the carcass repeatedly with the pleading youngsters on her tail. She’d then leave them on their own near the salmon, whereupon the two would simply stare at the dead fish without a hint of interest. Back to mom, swimming behind her in submissive poses, wailing some more.

More Begging - ©ingridtaylar

Mom then climbed onto the nearby tethered log, and reached into the salmon carcass from her perch, showing the young how to get the meat for themselves. They watched, but, disinterested in the salmon, continued to peck at her bill.

Look, Kid, Here, Food ... See? - ©ingridtaylar

Eating - ©ingridtaylar

Please - ©ingridtaylar

She finally gave into the cries and regurgitated a crop-full of roe for them. Then, she tried showing them again how to get the salmon meat for themselves by reaching down into the carcass.

Giving In - ©ingridtaylar

Feeding, Gull Style - ©ingridtaylar

One of the juveniles, pushed aside from mom by the more aggressive youngster, finally had enough and dipped back into the water. The gull paddled around the salmon which kept moving with the current and, after intense examination of the spot where mom had been pulling up meat, dipped its own beak into the fish.

Taking the Plunge - ©ingridtaylar

Checking Out the Salmon - ©ingridtaylar

The second young gull, eying from the log above, jumped in and joined the feast. They both eventually gave it a go, feeding on their own with the adult gull watching from a distance.

Seeing the Way - ©ingridtaylar

Done - ©ingridtaylar

When they were done eating — and off preening in the late sun — the parent gull swooped in one last time and filled herself up on surplus from the floating fish.

Kids All Fed - ©ingridtaylar

I’m not 100 percent sure of the species on this adult and juvenile. I thought perhaps Glaucous-winged Gull, but I’m not certain if the coloration of both the adult and the young matches the profile. If you know gulls and can positively ID them, please feel free to post a comment to let me know. After I off-loaded the pics on my Mac, I noticed that one of the juveniles may have been slightly oiled. I do hope it’s mud or some easily-cleaned substance, not a slick oil sheen on the bird’s underside.

These shots were taken on Puget Sound in Seattle, where the Sound meets the ship canal at the Ballard Locks.