Pelican eats pigeon (2 Viewers)

[Capercaillie71]

Great photo - shame for the pigeon though (even if it is a flying rat!):

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6083468.stm

Surprised to see the RSPB spokesperson saying it is almost unheard of - I am sure I have heard similar stories before about the St James' Park pelicans eating pigeons.

 

[lockbreeze926]

There was a video of this (or an identical incident) a couple of weeks back.

Didn't know it was London, though.

 

[Brenty]

I think it is a wind up. The picture is so restricted as to only show part of the scene. Why? Surely any picture would show at least the whole Pelican.

April 1st has past and gone!

 

[Ilya Maclean]

I think it is a wind up. The picture is so restricted as to only show part of the scene. Why? Surely any picture would show at least the whole Pelican.

April 1st has past and gone!

Actually I'm not sure it is. A bit morbid, but here's the vid.

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/249287/pelican_eats_pigeon/

 

[Capercaillie71]

Here is another photo from last year (admittedly difficult to be sure it's a pigeon):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesbunton/58732898/

 

[Strandman]

I think it is a wind up. The picture is so restricted as to only show part of the scene. Why? Surely any picture would show at least the whole Pelican.

April 1st has past and gone!

Not a wind-up. They've been caught taking Moorhens too. The twenty-minutes-to-swallow bit is a little unfortunate. They should learn from the gulls and dunk in water to drown and lubricate larger feathered or furred items before swallowing.

 

[colonelboris]

Anyone else remeber the grey heron eating the cute little bunny series of shots?
Equally brutal...

 

[nctexasbirder]

i saw two Crows trying to trap a baby cottontail once they would follow it and tease it...creepy

 

[Ilya Maclean]

i saw two Crows trying to trap a baby cottontail once they would follow it and tease it...creepy

Just to annoy everyone...I saw a Shoebill go for a baby sitatunga (swamp antelope) once....got scared by a fisherman just before it swallowed it though! Still probably the birding highlight of my life.

 

[Stephen Dunstan]

Pigeon-eating Pelican

I see on the BBC News that one of the London Park pelicans has eaten a live pigeon! There is a pic on the BBC news website.

Stephen.

 

[mattie]

Anyone else remeber the grey heron eating the cute little bunny series of shots?
Equally brutal...

on a similar note a few years ago i saw a heron catch and eat a couple of baby patridges in a field next to where i was fishing

 

[KnockerNorton]

They do it all the time in St James' Park. There have been notes in BB about it years ago.

Just watch them eyeing up the toddlers too

 

[kmonty1950]

I see on the BBC News that one of the London Park pelicans has eaten a live pigeon! There is a pic on the BBC news website.

Stephen.

Now, if we could only get them to nest under railway bridges in town, or church steeples or..............................................

 

[wurzle]

I see on the BBC News that one of the London Park pelicans has eaten a live pigeon! There is a pic on the BBC news website.

Stephen.

Yer Tiz 3

http://news.aol.co.uk/families-shocked-as-pelican-swallows-pigeon/article/20061025025009990001

 

[russ1610]

Never mind the photo here's the video

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/249287/pelican_eats_pigeon/

 

[DKR]

Ergh

I wish they would take that photo off the front page of the BBC News web site. It's doing me head in. Horrible.

 

[Rose Fletcher]

I doubt that it's a wind-up. An Australian Pelican scooped up and swallowed an entire clutch of newly-hatched Pacific Black Ducklings on the water at the Goolwa Barrages once. Quite a surprise for the tourists who were cooing over the Pelican. There was no struggle, however, it happened really quickly - now you see them, there they go - too late!

If a Pelican is hungry and no fish are available, they will do what they need to do to survive, like all wildlife.

 

[timwootton]

I remember watching a heron stalking what I thought to be small fry in extremely shallow water at Worsborough Reservoir, near Barnsley. It was in literally inches of water when it struck its intended victim . . . a half-grown coot chick! It was appalling (and spellbinding) to watch the coot parent flying up at the heron and kicking it and making all sorts of noise, but to no avail. After quite a long time of desperate parenthood, the mother took the remaining chicks away and left the heron to its prize. The heron then spent about 5 minutes soaking the chick, crunching it in its mandibles, soaking it again - until it was just skin and pulp - easy to swallow (which it then did!).

Gruesome and educational. Why though, do we marvel at peregrines swooshing across a cliff-face after rock doves (feral pigeons - same thing) and protest at bonxies eating puffins whole? Wonderful world we live in!

 

[arco13]

I wish they would take that photo off the front page of the BBC News web site. It's doing me head in. Horrible.

It’s a lot nicer than looking at Gorge Bush's goofy ass face every day. It’s all most cute compared to that. 3

 

[cidereduck]

found pics on a fellow birders website of a heron eating a rabbit, and it wasnt even a tiny rabbit either....disturbing but strangely fascinating.....?!

if you're brave.....
http://www.birdpix.nl/album_page.php?pic_id=62945&sid=b49da822b26a31f640d42892c3919080