Fisherman's (unlikely) friend: The unusual bond between a man and the seagull who followed him home from fishing trip

By SAM ADAMS

Feathered friend: Ron Ifield with Herbert the herring gull. The fisherman revealed how the pair had bonded over a cup of tea while he was out to sea

A fisherman has told how he befriended a seagull after it followed him home from a voyage.
Ron Ifield, 70, struck up an unlikely bond with the bird - which he has named 'Herbert' - when it landed on his boat during a fishing trip in the Thames estuary.
After handing him a scrap of fish the plucky herring gull then flew into Mr Ifield's cabin, sipped from his cup of tea and nestled up to him on his bunk.

Herbert somehow managed to search out Mr Ifield's home after following him back to port in Rochester, Kent

The bird stayed with him for the entire day before following his ship back to port at Hoo Marina in Rochester, Kent, during the trip in July.
Amazingly, the gull then managed to search out the fisherman's family home, which is 400 yards away from the mooring site - and the pair have been friends ever since.

Backing: Mr Ifield has denied claims from neighbours that Herbert has attacked pets and stolen sweets since his arrival in town

Mr Ifield said: 'I fed him with the odd bit of fish and he stayed on the boat for about four hours. He was hungry.
'He even went in the wheel house and got onto my bunk and started drinking my tea.
'I have been sailing for 40 years and I’ve never had anything like it before.

'I’ve no idea how he found our mobile home, its about 400 yards from my boat but as soon as he saw me by my home he started squeaking and recognised me.
'I have become attached to him. He is like a pet now.'
But their friendship has been tested, after Mr Ifield was forced to defend the gull from families complaining that he been attacked people and pets in the area.
Residents claim Herbert has swooped down to steal children’s sweets and has even attacked dogs in the neighbourhood.
Mr Ifield, who lives with wife Christine, has denied the claims.

source: dailymail

Read more!

Is this the hardest seagull in Wales? Injured bird carries on flying despite having crossbow lodged in its side

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Bird Bolt: After being spotted with the crossbow bolt lodged in its side the tough bird has been nicknamed Usain after the Olympic champion

The seagull survivor caught the eye of local bird-lover Phil Thomas, 58, who spotted the gull flying around the Canton suburb of Cardiff.
Retired scientist Mr Thomas said: ‘Usain is still alive but it’s clearly injured.
‘I’ve spotted it a few times over the last week it seems to be staying in the vicinity of the same four buildings and only coming down to feed when the road is a bit quieter.’

Survivor: Usain the seagull is miraculously still alive after being shot with a crossbow in Cardiff, Wales

The seagull survivor caught the eye of local bird-lover Phil Thomas, 58, who spotted the gull flying around the Canton suburb of Cardiff.
Retired scientist Mr Thomas said: ‘Usain is still alive but it’s clearly injured.
‘I’ve spotted it a few times over the last week it seems to be staying in the vicinity of the same four buildings and only coming down to feed when the road is a bit quieter.’

Rear-view: Locals report that although Usain is flying around the rooftops of Cardiff itr is clearly injured by the spear in his side

‘It is sad to think of the suffering of the bird but it is also really quite dangerous.
Although concerned about Usain and fellow flying friends, Mr Thomas raised a more serious question – that there is someone firing a crossbow in a residential area.
‘What concerns me is that there’s some maniac who has a crossbow and is quite prepared to shoot it in an urban area.
‘There are several schools nearby and it doesn’t bear thinking about if the shooter was to miss - it really would be a bolt out of the blue for anyone.’
The RSPCA said there are often reports of attacks on seagulls - but air rifle shooting more often common than cross bows.
A spokesman said: ‘It is a very cruel thing to do and we will try to help the bird if it is spotted again.’
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said the crossbow culprit could be prosecuted if caught.
Spokesman Daniel Jenkins said: ‘All wild birds are protected in law including gulls.

source: dailymail

Read more!

Bird Strike! Isle of Man TT rider ducks for cover as low-flying sea gull collides with his Superbike at a blistering 170mph

By DAMIEN GAYLE

Watch where you're going! A low-flying sea gull collides with John Hutchinson's Swan Yamaha Superbike as he hurtles down a straight at the Isle of Man TT motorcycle meet

This Isle of Man TT racer was sent ducking for cover when one of the island's ever present sea gulls strayed in front of his Superbike, just as he was picking up speed.
Swan Yamaha rider Ian Hutchinson was tearing 170mph down a straight on the world famous motorcycle meet when this low flying bird collided with his bike.
The impact shattered the screen of his 1000cc Superbike, sending Hutchinson ducking for cover as the spinning scavenger hurtled towards his helmet surrounded by a corona of shards of glass.
Luckily both rider and, incredibly, bird survived the incident. The bird suffered a severely damaged wing and, according to bikesportnews.com, was taken to the RSPCA.
Hutchinson had been on his opening practice session for the long-running motorcycle event on Monday evening, for many years the highlight of the world's bike racing calendar.
He completed his practice with a top lap of 123mph average speed, putting him in 17th position at the end of the day's qualifying.

High speeds: John McGuinness on his TT Legends Honda at Creg Ny Baa during the third Superbike qualifying session for the 2012 Monster Energy Isle of Man TT

Race: Guy Martin on his Tyco Suzuki at Creg Ny Baa during the third Superstock qualifying session for the Isle of Man TT

Superbike racing is a class of motorcycle racing that employs modified production motorcycles.
The restriction to production models distinguishes Superbike racing from MotoGP racing, which where racers ride prototype machines bearing little resemblance to production machines.
This is somewhat similar to the distinction in car racing between touring cars and Formula One cars, though the performance gap between Superbike and MotoGP racing is much smaller.

source: dailymail

Read more!

The moment a heron sneaks up on a tiny gosling and grabs him out of the water for a lunchtime snack by the lake

By JILL REILLY

Predator: The small fuzzy bird was swimming through the water in London's Serpentine lake when the heron moved quickly behind him

They are known for eating lots of small fish, but herons are also partial to small birds as this unlucky gosling found out today.
The small fuzzy bird was swimming through the water in the Serpentine, a lake in London's Hyde Park, when the heron moved quickly behind him.
The yellow gosling didn't stand a chance as he was picked up by the scruff of his neck. He clasped the small animal in his orange beak and flew across the pond, securely holding onto the young bird.
He then put him down, ready to eat, on dry land next to a jealous seagull who was eying up his prey.
It is unclear if the gosling's mother was nearby or he had become an easy target become he was separated from the gaggle.
Geese are known for being very protective over their offspring.

Too late: The gosling didn't stand a chance as he was picked up by the scruff of his neck out of the water in Hyde Park

Secure: He clasped the small animal in his orange beak and flew across the pond, holding onto the young bird

Survival of the fittest: A seagull looks on as the heron walks along with the gosling in his mouth

Menu: As well as ducklings, herons also eat small mammals like voles, and amphibians

As well as ducklings, herons also eat small mammals like voles, and amphibians.
After harvesting, grey herons can sometimes be seen in fields, looking for rodents.
Herons have two ways of hunting for prey - they can stand with their neck stretched out, looking for food, or hunched down with their neck bent over their chest.

source: dailymail

Read more!

The day the ducks fought back: Chick-eating seagull goes back for a second helping - but gets chased away by the furious mother

By TED THORNHILL


Foiled: The seagull scoops the chick out of the water, but drops it when the mother swoops in

A murderous seagull that gobbled up a duckling got more than it bargained for when it returned for another helping.
It swooped on the ducklings as they swam with their parents in Herbert Park, Dublin, last week. But the mother duck, who initially had eleven ducklings in tow, finally forced the gull away by aggressively flapping her wings.
‘This is the time of year ducks raise their young, so predatory birds like gulls are always on the look out for an easy meal.
‘The gull was waiting for one of the ducklings to stray from the group and when it finally spotted one it swooped in for the kill.

Brave: The fearless mother is not deterred by the seagull's size advantage

In a flap: The angry mother proved she was no sitting duck and chased the attacker away

Taking flight: The seagull is in no mood to hang around
Photographer Paul Hughes said: ‘I was taking pictures in the park and saw this gull watching the young family.

Murder most fowl: The seagull successfully securing a first course

‘The gull was able to grab hold of a duckling in its beak.
‘But when it came back for a second helping mum was ready and fought the gull away until it had to turn tail and fly off.
‘The chick ducked under the water. There was a lot of quacking and squawking going on.
‘It was a stressful moment for the mother, but in the end she saved her family.’


Happy family: The ducklings with their protective mother

source: dailymail

Read more!

Amazing picture of acrobat seagull stealing a shrimp dinner - by flying upside down!

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER



Gullible bird: An upside-down seagull steals a shrimp from the mouth of an egret. The moment was caught on film by an amatuer photographer in Florida



This is the incredible moment a seagull showed off some spectacular acrobatics - by flying upside down to steal a shrimp dinner right from the mouth of an egret.

The unassuming egret had spent more than half an hour patiently fishing before finally landing the fish.

But within seconds a cheeky gull swooped upside down and snatched the tasty treat right from its mouth before spinning up right and flying off for a dinner of its own.



Keen photographer Andy Long, 55, captured the extraordinary scene while taking pictures of the wildlife in Fort Desoto Park in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Andy, from Denver, Colorado, said: 'It all happened with about one or two seconds - I've never seen anything like it before especially in such quick motion.

'It flipped upside down and grabbed the shrimp right out of the egrets beak. The momentum of tucking its head downward seemed to swing it back upright in such fluid motion.



1- The approach: The seagull glides unseen from behind as the unsuspecting egret fishes a shrimp from the sea to eat for himself



'The egret just stood there for a minute before going back to hunting - it looked completely stunned at what had just happened.

'A couple of other egrets had caught some shrimp before and a group of three gulls had flown in over them but didn't force any to drop something.

'But after this one made a catch the gull came in and stole it. I've photographed great egret fishing so many times but have never seen this before.'

Anatomy of a mid-air theft



2- Acrobatic stretch: Just as the egret thinks he's about to have a tasty dinner, the seagull suddenly cranes over, extending its neck and grabs the food in its beak



3- The getaway: Now upside down, the seagull has snatched the shrimp away from the egret before swooping off to enjoy the stolen meal



source: dailymail

Read more!

A bear with a sore head - and an empty belly: Polar bear that fancied snacking on a seagull ends up biting off more than he can chew

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER


Bear bites back: The polar bear surfaces immediately behind the unsuspecting gull and clamps its jaws into the bird's back


This brave seagull heroically took on a polar bear in an epic battle of David v Goliath - and won.

The ten-minute encounter between bird and beast stunned onlookers as the seagull dramatically escaped with its feathers intact.

After the scrap the shame-faced half tonne bear scampered off in search of easier prey to pick a fight with.


Bird fights back: The gull pecks its attacker in the eye in a desperate attempt to get away


Photographer Ole Jorgen Liodden was shocked when he captured the incredible moments on film.

Before the bruising encounter Ole had been happily snapping away at the Glaucous gull as it gently bobbed on the water minding its business.

The polar bear appeared from nowhere and unusually, instead of hunting for its preferred prey of seals, decided to dive into the water and swim up to the bird.


Where's he gone? Temporarily blinded, the bear appears to have lost sight of his quarry


The bear launched a ferocious attack on the gull by biting it on its back and following up with a flurry of blows.

However, this gull was no bird brain and, using its beak, instinctively landed a few hits of its own to the bear's sensitive eyes and nose.

Sensing the bird was not about to become dinner, the bear swum off and the fearless gull was able to make a getaway.


On a wing and a prayer: The seagull managed to fend off the bear for several minutes


On the back foot: The polar bear is on the defensive as the tussling pair move into shallow water


Ole, 37, from Norway, took the photos in the north of the country, in Svalbard.

'This was our second photo expedition to Svalbard and we experienced an incredibly rare situation between a polar bear and a Glaucous gull,' he said.

'The bear suddenly dived and swam a good ten to 15 metres underwater before it attacked the surprised young gull.

'I have never seen anything like this on previous expeditions and the fight was more interesting than I had expected.

'Usually a polar bear can easily kill a 100kg seal, and a gull weighing in at 1.5 kg should be an easy catch.

'After the first bite to the back of the gull, the bear continued its attack in the water.

'The gull fought heroically, and with its bill managed several direct hits to the bear's eyes and nose.

'This made the bear back off and the gull escaped after ten minutes.'



Everything but the gull: Polar bears may be at the top of the food chain, but the only thing this bear got to swallow was its pride

source: dailymail

Read more!

A bear with a sore head - and an empty belly: Polar bear that fancied snacking on a seagull ends up biting off more than he can chew

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER


Bear bites back: The polar bear surfaces immediately behind the unsuspecting gull and clamps its jaws into the bird's back


This brave seagull heroically took on a polar bear in an epic battle of David v Goliath - and won.

The ten-minute encounter between bird and beast stunned onlookers as the seagull dramatically escaped with its feathers intact.

After the scrap the shame-faced half tonne bear scampered off in search of easier prey to pick a fight with.


Bird fights back: The gull pecks its attacker in the eye in a desperate attempt to get away


Photographer Ole Jorgen Liodden was shocked when he captured the incredible moments on film.

Before the bruising encounter Ole had been happily snapping away at the Glaucous gull as it gently bobbed on the water minding its business.

The polar bear appeared from nowhere and unusually, instead of hunting for its preferred prey of seals, decided to dive into the water and swim up to the bird.


Where's he gone? Temporarily blinded, the bear appears to have lost sight of his quarry


The bear launched a ferocious attack on the gull by biting it on its back and following up with a flurry of blows.

However, this gull was no bird brain and, using its beak, instinctively landed a few hits of its own to the bear's sensitive eyes and nose.

Sensing the bird was not about to become dinner, the bear swum off and the fearless gull was able to make a getaway.


On a wing and a prayer: The seagull managed to fend off the bear for several minutes


On the back foot: The polar bear is on the defensive as the tussling pair move into shallow water


Ole, 37, from Norway, took the photos in the north of the country, in Svalbard.

'This was our second photo expedition to Svalbard and we experienced an incredibly rare situation between a polar bear and a Glaucous gull,' he said.

'The bear suddenly dived and swam a good ten to 15 metres underwater before it attacked the surprised young gull.

'I have never seen anything like this on previous expeditions and the fight was more interesting than I had expected.

'Usually a polar bear can easily kill a 100kg seal, and a gull weighing in at 1.5 kg should be an easy catch.

'After the first bite to the back of the gull, the bear continued its attack in the water.

'The gull fought heroically, and with its bill managed several direct hits to the bear's eyes and nose.

'This made the bear back off and the gull escaped after ten minutes.'



Everything but the gull: Polar bears may be at the top of the food chain, but the only thing this bear got to swallow was its pride

source: dailymail

Read more!

A bear with a sore head - and an empty belly: Polar bear that fancied snacking on a seagull ends up biting off more than he can chew

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER


Bear bites back: The polar bear surfaces immediately behind the unsuspecting gull and clamps its jaws into the bird's back


This brave seagull heroically took on a polar bear in an epic battle of David v Goliath - and won.

The ten-minute encounter between bird and beast stunned onlookers as the seagull dramatically escaped with its feathers intact.

After the scrap the shame-faced half tonne bear scampered off in search of easier prey to pick a fight with.


Bird fights back: The gull pecks its attacker in the eye in a desperate attempt to get away


Photographer Ole Jorgen Liodden was shocked when he captured the incredible moments on film.

Before the bruising encounter Ole had been happily snapping away at the Glaucous gull as it gently bobbed on the water minding its business.

The polar bear appeared from nowhere and unusually, instead of hunting for its preferred prey of seals, decided to dive into the water and swim up to the bird.


Where's he gone? Temporarily blinded, the bear appears to have lost sight of his quarry


The bear launched a ferocious attack on the gull by biting it on its back and following up with a flurry of blows.

However, this gull was no bird brain and, using its beak, instinctively landed a few hits of its own to the bear's sensitive eyes and nose.

Sensing the bird was not about to become dinner, the bear swum off and the fearless gull was able to make a getaway.


On a wing and a prayer: The seagull managed to fend off the bear for several minutes


On the back foot: The polar bear is on the defensive as the tussling pair move into shallow water


Ole, 37, from Norway, took the photos in the north of the country, in Svalbard.

'This was our second photo expedition to Svalbard and we experienced an incredibly rare situation between a polar bear and a Glaucous gull,' he said.

'The bear suddenly dived and swam a good ten to 15 metres underwater before it attacked the surprised young gull.

'I have never seen anything like this on previous expeditions and the fight was more interesting than I had expected.

'Usually a polar bear can easily kill a 100kg seal, and a gull weighing in at 1.5 kg should be an easy catch.

'After the first bite to the back of the gull, the bear continued its attack in the water.

'The gull fought heroically, and with its bill managed several direct hits to the bear's eyes and nose.

'This made the bear back off and the gull escaped after ten minutes.'



Everything but the gull: Polar bears may be at the top of the food chain, but the only thing this bear got to swallow was its pride

source: dailymail

Read more!

Firefighters deploy their £500,000 aerial ladder... to rescue a SEAGULL caught up a tree

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Heavens above: Firefighters use an aerial ladder platform to rescue the bird who has been named 'Willy'


A seagull sparked a major rescue operation involving dozens of emergency service workers - after it became trapped 50 feet up a tree.

The bird - who has been dubbed 'Freed Willy' - was spotted in distress by car salesman Steve Candler who called the RSPCA.

But because of the bird's precarious position firefighters had to use their £500,000 aerial ladder platform to get to it.

However, before the rescue could start a busy road had to be closed to traffic so they could rescue 'Willy'.

Salesman Mr Candler said: 'I came in to open up and I could hear this horrible screaming noise, I could tell it was a bird and then I spotted him hanging there from a branch where it had got stuck.

'I was really expecting it to wrench its leg off to get free as there were other birds attacking it.

'The woman from the RSPCA turned up but there was no way of getting a normal ladder up that high. It was as high as a three-storey house so she decided to call in the firefighters.'

A lone officer from Essex Fire and Rescue Service initially came out to the scene in Colchester, Essex, but the decision was made to deploy the aerial ladder platform to get to the bird - something which is normally used to rescue people from burning buildings.



Major operation: Firefighters cordon off the road as the seagull is rescued from the tree


A firefighter was able to free the seagull by cutting down the branch it was trapped on and placing him in a large box.

Mr Candler, 36, said: 'I was quite surprised with the extent of the operation that was put into place, but I was glad that they cared about something so small as I am a bird lover.

'I was surprised at the lengths they went to though. It's certainly very unusual to see a seagull trapped in a tree - I wonder if he had been drinking some Christmas brandy a bit early in the day?

'The main thing is that he got saved and it was a happy ending.'

After the rescue Willy was taken to a nearby animal sanctuary where it was checked over and released.


source: dailymail

Read more!

Where seagulls dare: Eagle is ambushed for his supper above Norwegian fjord

By Mail Foreign Service

Brave: A sea eagle swoops down in a bid to catch a fish, unaware a plucky seagull is on his tail


This is the moment a brave seagull decided to take on an eagle mid-flight in a battle for fish.

Soaring over the Norwegian fjords the sea eagle was not expecting trouble as it scanned the deep water below for a meal.

With its razor sharp beak and talons the huge bird of prey swooped down for its catch of the day.

However, before it could grab the fish, it was subjected to an astonishing attack by a seagull which landed on its back.


A word in your ear: The seagull briefly touches down on the back of the eagle, preventing it from catching the fish


The daring interception was caught on camera by wildlife photographer Paul Beastall.

In a series of incredible images the gull even seems to ride the back of the surprised eagle in a desperate bid to put him off his catch.

Mr Beastall captured the wildlife confrontation during a trip to the Norwegian fjords, which are also known as sea lakes.

The 38-year-old, from Cambridgeshire, said despite the cheeky seagull's attempt to disrupt dinner the eagle got his fish in the end.

He said: 'The eagle flew off I think more through surprise than anything but the gull didn't get the fish either.

'Happily for the eagle he managed to come back later and get it.

'When I first saw the gull attack I was amazed, I had heard that this does happen but never thought I would capture it on camera.


Success at last: The sea eagle returns for its fish dinner, without accompanying seagull this time
'The sea eagle has a wing span of over eight feet so it's much bigger than the gull and would be more than a match for it.


'But as you can see from these pictures the gull attacks from behind in an ambush to put the eagle off and hopefully get the fish for itself.

'In one shot the gull is right on top of the bird of prey, it's like a real David and Goliath battle, the seagull clearly didn't know the pecking order of things.'

Mr Beastall, who was in Norway leading an expedition to film wildlife, said getting the confrontation on camera was a once-in-a-lifetime event.

He said: 'I have been on photography trips all over the world and a lot in Europe taking pictures of birds, but I've never seen anything like this.

'I have been taking pictures of wildlife for more than 20 years and this is one of the best sights I have seen.'


source : dailymail

Read more!