My new favorite birds

I have found my new favorite birds.

It might change over time, however, right now I am simply impressed that one of the species of bird I am thinking of, have in the past been a source to extreme irritation!

The bird I am talking about here is the SEAGULL!

A seagull that just caught a fish

They are loud, confusing, a little crazy, no wait, very crazy and a little aggresive - I love them!

A seagull, just moments after catching a fish

Seagulls,

There are more than 50 different types of gulls, they live all over the world, eat whatever they can get their beak into, and they adjust to all kinds of climate.

Like white and grey dots on the ocean surface, the seagulls will gather, hundreds, sometimes thousands of birds, quietly waiting for the next meal.

Seagulls, hanging out, waiting for the next feeding frenzy

A Rhinoceros Auklet, just surfaced from a dive

Rhinoceros Auklet,

Small, clumsy, shy, extremely good divers not to mention very fast, will also gather around the thousands of seagulls, not a large number compared to the seagulls, but enough to create a bateball under water.

Rhinoceros Auklet

The Auklets can dive as deep as 57 meters for as long as 148 seconds to catch their prey. If you see an auklet while on a zodiac, you will most likely see them as they take a quick dive, always leaving you wondering where they went.

A diving Rhinoceros Auklet

A bateball is created by the Rhinoceros Auklets attacking a scool of smaller fish from below while the seagulls will attack from above.

And when that happens, the seagulls state of mind will change so quickly, without any warning, into a frenzy of screaming, flapping, diving, splashing, and then, quiet again, waiting for the next one.

Seagulls feeding from a bateball

It is quite amazing to see the two species working together!

And that concludes todays essay on why I love Gulls and Auklets.