I don’t know much about gulls, but I’ve learned a thing or two lately. They are handsome in flight, often soaring with wings outstretched. They can be seen just about anywhere in North America at some point during the year. You know what else? They are bullies and thieves!I watched this gull swoop and dive at a poor little coot that had been lucky enough to find a nice meal. The flock of coot outnumbered the lone gull by about 20 to 1.

Still, the gull was able to dive-bomb the coot and steal his meal.

It looks like shrimp to me…but that doesn’t make sense, does it? You can decide for yourself what the prized meal was, but this little stinker stole it!

This Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) is probably somewhere between a juvenile and an adult, based on plumage. I’ll think of it as a teenager, stirring up trouble!

Though I personally witnessed this gull scavenging and pestering the other birds, I know that the gulls are no less important in nature. That’s what is so amazing to me about nature – it is like a symphony with many instruments, players, conductors, and audiences. Oh, and lets not forget the stage.