[CT Birds] Screech Owl -

[Dennis Varza]

Hi Folks

I found the Gull-Merganser situation quite interesting. My guess was  
that the gull was after fish but things got out of hand.

Paul's Comments reminded me of an dark humorous event I was told  
about. It is in the literature but I don't know were.

Apparently a Great Black-backed Gull (I think it was the species)  
captured and swallowed a mole whole and alive. The mole then  
proceeded to burrow out of the gull. The gull went into convulsions  
and finally died and I presume the mole escaped!

A cow does not kill the the grass but crops the top of it. But,  
finches are seed predators.

Dennis Varza
Fairfield


On Jan 3, 2008, at 2:00 PM, Carrier Graphics wrote:

> Hi Steve,
>
> Guess you witnesed a life and death situation that nature usually  
> hides
> so well from our eyes.
>
>   This is not so unusual though. Prey can often become the killer, and
> killers can become prey. The key is - both must stay on their regular
> natural track of things. When one gets just a little out of place, the
> other takes advantage of it.
> When a Sharpie surprises birds at the feeder, the sick, wounded, or  
> just
> plain not with it bird is the most likely taken, culled out of the  
> flock
> for the good of that species overall.
>
> On the other side of the coin, I once witnessed a wounded Im Coopers
> hawk, trying to get at my chickens from the ground, attacked by a  
> flock
> of Crows - killed, and then, not to waste -  eaten. As cruel as we  
> might
> think it, this is survival, or not, in the daily workings of nature.
>
> I also have read in Owls, the larger species will often kill smaller
> ones when given a chance. Guess we can sum all this up by saying -
> nothing in nature is ever completely safe from predation of some kind.
> But the longer they can stay healthy and alert, the better chance they
> will live for another day.
>
> Question: Is the Cow a predator of Grass? Any thoughts on this one?
>
> Paul Carrier
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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