Clams on the halfshell anyone.....or maybe a broken windshield....

Keith Mueller

Keith Mueller

Active member
I was going through my image folders and I found these from last year. I was having lunch in my truck near the docks in Newport RI, when I looked over and saw this gull struggling with something on the small beach near the main fishing docks. It was low tide and one becomes accustomed to watching gull picking through the scattered "things" along the tide line, and usually the gulls will find a small crab, mussel or a small dead fish. When I walked out of my truck with my camera, I saw that the gull had himself a nice New England lunch but also an interesting situation. This herring gull had found a rather heavy quahog.....better suited for chowda' or a "Rhode Island stuffie"...not for a "halfshell appetizer". The gull struggled and fumbled to pick this clam up, but after several attempts it figured out how to hold the clam securely in its gape.

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This gull stood proud, as it displayed its trophy and classic New England lunch ..........


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now the gull decided it was time to leave the area in fear of losing its prize to other gulls including the larger and aggressive black backed gulls. It figured out that it would be better to leave and take his prize to a safer location so he can enjoy his lunch in peace without being harassed......just need to fly off with the clam and find that location......which proved to be a bit more challenging and difficult. The gull fumbled to get airborne and several times it droppped the clam....it was just too heavy!! But it finally triumphed.....almost; the clam was really heavy.....

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Ahhhh....success.....



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Well off the gull flew over the Newport docks. Newport is a very beautiful old fishing town that is about as charming a seaport town there is.....full of old classic New England wharf buildings that is a tourist mecca with sailing, restaurants, shops, etc.....just a great town. As this gull flew over the spectacular splendor of this beautiful wharf I had a sudden revelation......if you have ever seen gulls with mussels or crabs in their bills, they will fly up over the rocks or a road or parking lot, and drop them onto the hard surface to break them open to expose the delicate flesh inside the protective shells.......Well, as I looked over the busy town full of chaotic shoppers......all I could see was this gull as it released the half pound clam in the middle of the full to capacity parking lot! The three seconds it took to fall to the ground seemed like minutes as two sounds could be heard cascading across the wharf.....you are correct........first the loud sound of the half pound clam hitting a windshield and the second sound being the person who owned that particular car as they stood there looking at their smashed windshield wondering where this huge clam came from?!!
 
You can't trust those Gulls !! ............ I'm sure he was taking that clam back to Lenny & Joe's. Great pictures as always.
 
That is a classic story. I can picture the whole thing as I have witnessed many gulls doing the same thing, but I have never seen one take out a winshield. BTW, I really enjoy your book Keith.

Regards,
Kenley
 
Several years ago on the outer banks they had the same problem with seagulls dropping scallops on the parking areas for the beach access and breaking a lot of windshields. So to get them to stop they painted seagulls on the black top. I guess the seagulls became afraid that if they dropped a scallop the bird on the ground would scoop it up and they would lose their meal. It worked fairly well till the paint started to wear away.
 
I lived in Sturgeon Bay Wi. Lots of seagulls If you spend time at the docks eventually you will get dropped on. Some enterprising people made a tee shirt that looked like it had been dropped on, with the words " ban gulls or dirty birds" Was a good seller among the locals. They had a new resturant down town. I believe it's name was "The pudgy Seagull" When someone asked you where you were going to eat You replied "The dirty bird" every one knew where.

 
The funniest thing i have seen when gulls are dropping snails here. It when a gull goes up 20 odd feet into the air then plummets to the ground snail in beak to fearful to drop it because the chance of losing it only to drop it less then a foot from the ground. Not very effective to say the least but they didn't lose there snail.

Chris
 
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