{"id":1152,"date":"2013-04-10T10:25:09","date_gmt":"2013-04-10T14:25:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/naturalcrooks.com\/rambles\/?p=1152"},"modified":"2025-05-20T18:33:12","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T22:33:12","slug":"merganser-versus-gulls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/naturalcrooks.com\/rambles\/merganser-versus-gulls\/","title":{"rendered":"The Bullied, the Bully, and the Bystander: a Tale of a Determined Merganser and Two Loser Gulls"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was a cloudy, wind-swept late winter day on Lake Ontario. One lone merganser braved the chilly depths in search of life-sustaining fish. Two tough guy Ring-billed Gulls stood on shore eyeing passing pedestrians to see if any had life-limiting (but tasty) bread. No one did. What happened next was the classic case of the bullied, the bullies and the bystander.<\/p>\n

Why Barbara Colorosa Would Not Be Pleased with Me<\/h2>\n

Several years ago, Barbara Colorosa wrote a book\"\"<\/strong>with the title that I cribbed for this post. In it, she describes that without the passive support of the bystanders, bullies would be unable to assault the bullied. Shamefully I must admit in this case, I was one of those do-nothing bystanders.<\/p>\n

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Or was I? Perhaps by documenting their bad behaviour (however natural) and by sharing it with the world I am not a complicit aide to the bullies. I hope so. Frankly, I not sure what I could have done, anyway, given I lack webbed feet, waterproof feathers and a sharp bill.<\/p>\n

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Red-breasted Merganser Fishes with Success for Afternoon Meal<\/h2>\n

While I was watching, the female Red-breasted Merganser slid back up from the icy depths with some delectable prey trapped tightly by the tiny teeth-like notches in her bill. Unlike some birds that swallow while underwater, mergansers often eat their meal while on the surface of the water.<\/p>\n

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The gulls reacted immediately. Lifting effortlessly into the air, they both dove repeatedly at the merganser, trying to steal the fish.<\/p>\n

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She had to really fight for her rights. She swam like a torpedo along the surface of the water. She swerved and ducked. Eventually, she won! She and she alone got to eat the by now somewhat ragged and bedraggled fish.<\/p>\n

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Related Reading<\/strong><\/p>\n