Moray Firth Autumn Survey: Gull politics

WDCS Moray Firth Winter Survey: Tuesday: Gull Politics.

The big climatic depression that is circling around Scotland at this time has today brought foam-tipped waves into life all the way from the shore to the horizon. However, as the depression oscillates overhead it also brings confusion. One moment the seas seem calm, next they have have been whipped back into life. Last night a trip to the shoreline at Portessie found peace and quiet. A friendly sea gently lapped at the rocks. The next morning waves are breaking with some violence. All this makes it very difficult to find a suitable ‘survey hole’ in the weather and calm seas in the increasingly lengthy nights are of course of little use to us.

The stormy seas also seem to chase even the hardy sea birds landwards. There is a large population of gulls living and lurking in Buckie harbour. Out at sea we have noticed them following fishing boats and in one instance they surrounded one vessel in a cloud that may have numbered in hundreds. They are obviously benefiting from fishing discards and perhaps thieving from the nets as they are hauled in, and they obviously know that following a fishing boat can provide an easy dinner. Most of them are herring gulls and many of these are this year’s fledglings, still in browny-grey plumage. These youngsters are now experiencing the teeth of their first winter storm. There are also some lesser black-back gulls. These are birds of impressive size and all the gulls have large sharp bills and a stern eye.

Over the rooftops of Buckie, where the winds are shaking the TV aerials and probably threatening the odd ancient chimney pot, a crowd of gulls are in dispute. One bird obviously has a particularly exciting morsel; perhaps something that it has snatched from the grounds of the nearby fish processors. An acrobatic conflict follows. The gull is harried and pounced on from above by others. But they fail to make contact. It checks and drops, and then twists and soars to new heights trying to shake off its pursuers. It is helped by strong gusts of wings which seem to facilitate the chaos of its flight.

But the other gulls are relentless. Sometimes they seem to chase in teams. Sometimes a particular assault is the initiative of one bird alone. If there really is some team work going on, and if they win the morsel, will they then share the food? Here is a key question of gull politics; are those congregations of gulls malingering in little groups in the harbour all facing into the wind or the clouds of then following fishing boats en masse, actually helping each other, or just there to look after themselves?

Eventually, the gull being chased makes a break for it, suddenly soaring down lower than the roof tops. It flies low just above the ground along a narrow twisty lane, around a shark corner and out of sight. He or she is an adult and this display of skillful flying certainly shakes off the younger gulls. Hopefully the food reward will bring more energy that the bird had to spend in defending it.

The other gulls now spread out around the town. They keep an eye on the bins, monitor the fishing boats, scavenge the shores and patrol the windswept streets of Buckie looking for those opportunities of spilt and discarded food that they need to make their living.

The rooftops of Buckie