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September 2015

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From:
Dan Best <[log in to unmask]>
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Date:
Sat, 5 Sep 2015 19:28:51 -0400
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This unusual flying insect hawking behavior among gulls is unusual, but not unheard of.  My guess is yes, they are going after dragonflies, especially the large green darners which migrate, and possibly cicadas as well.  Here's a link to an article by eminent Ohio ornithologist and ichthyologist Milton Trautman and his wife Mary on observations of gulls at OSU's Stone Lab on Gibraltar Island, Put-in-Bay:
  https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/wilson/v057n01/p0077-p0077.pdf.  

Dan Best

On Sep 5, 2015, at 8:42 AM, Ron Conlon wrote:

> On the evening of Sunday 8/30, very large numbers of ring-billed gulls were
> catching insects in flight just inland from Lake Erie at Cleveland
> Lakefront Nature Preseve, Wendy Park, and points in between.  The gulls
> were hghly active in flight, scanning the air, and as stated, lunging,
> braking and contorting to catch insects.
> 
> Photos at <
> https://www.flickr.com/photos/zenbikescience/albums/72157655890023213>
> Some insects are shown in the frames and you can see that they are large,
> and while they might be dragonflies, I can't say for certain.
> 
> On Fri, Sep 4, 2015 at 7:29 PM, Jon Cefus <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 
>> For the second year in a row now, at this time of year (late summer, fall
>> on the birding calendar) I just observed a decent sized flock (50-75) of
>> Ring-billed Gulls circling and catching insects in flight.
>> 
>> The birds were working over a cemetery in Stark county near Belden Village
>> Mall and slowly making their way east.  I was able to watch birds lunge
>> toward flying insects and snatch them, bringing to mind watching
>> flycatchers do their work, without the return to a roost part of the
>> behavior.
>> 
>> I was not able to get an idea of what they were feeding on, but I would
>> think it would be large enough to pay off on the effort.
>> 
>> Just thought I would share this in case others have seen it or were
>> interested in observed behaviors.
>> 
>> Jon Cefus
>> Cuyahoga Falls
>> 
>> Sent from my iPhone
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> 
> 
> 
> --
> 
> Ron Conlon
> Shaker Heights
> 
> ______________________________________________________________________
> 
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