The Lincolnshire Bird Club

After a recent heavy downpour I watched as 30+ Black Headed Gulls spent nearly 30 mins catching insects in the air over a meadow at the rear of my house. I have never seen them doing this before is it unusual??

Hi Ron,
It may well have coincided with a hatch of flying ants. Hirundines, Starlings and Gulls are some of the species that hawk them when they first emerge.

Ron/Stuart.
Major hatch of Flying ants today at RAF Waddington.
Gulls noticeable by there absence but a good lump of Swal/hmart(350-400) a lot of juveniles making use of the protein before moving off.
Brian.

A large number of BHGs yesterday evening near St Leonards church, over a farm reservoir, many of which flew in from the direction of Lincoln - or Waddington?

Robert

Thanks all, thought as much, we had Flying Ants in the garden last weekend and the local House Martin's took care of most of them!!

Black-headed gulls, like many species, are opportunistic feeders and never seem to miss the chance of feeding on flying ants. When I managed a pea growing enterprise in the late sixties / early seventies the trails of rotting pea vine often attracted swarms of flies on which large flocks of starlings and black-headed gulls assembled to feed. On two occasions, on Metheringham Heath Lane, I witnessed starlings moving out of the field and on to elder bushes on the field boundary to feed on the berries, followed by some of the gulls, which hovered around the bush while pecking off the berries. I would be interested to know if anyone else has seen similar behaviour as I don't believe it has been documented.

Regards,

John