Caught Stealing
Last week I saw this great egret catch a fish in the salt marsh when suddenly a gull came swooping in out of nowhere and snatched the fish right out of the mouth of the startled egret! The gull flew off with it’s stolen prize leaving the disappointed egret with no choice but to get back to fishing and hope that he could quickly catch a replacement.
It turns out that the egret did catch another fish and what happened to that one is a post for another day…
Phil Lanoue Photography 
Silly egret – he should know, at his age, that gulls aren’t to be trusted about food, certainly a wopping great wriggling fish! It could be a scene from the beach, eh, with a gull flying in to steal someone’s potato chip. Beautiful action shots Phil, with all that definition on the birds. 🙂
Thanks very much and yes indeed the gulls are normally seen at the beach looking to steal chips from sunbathers! 😀
“is a post for another day”
Oh, dear! What are you doing? 😉
Nice pics!
Glad you liked these! Yes the egret gets another fish but does he get to eat it?!? Find out soon. 🙂
Whoa! Nice catch, Phil!
Thanks very much Gracie!
So nicely seen and captured!
I appreciate it Lisa, thanks!
Awesome action capture, Phil!
I’m happy you enjoyed these pics Amy!
Cheeky! Great shots as always, Phil. Fun catching up with your work.
I greatly appreciate you looking and commenting Conor!
cool!
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Thanks Sue!
How funny is that!!?! And fantastic shots! I can’t wait to see his next fish story.
It was pretty funny! Well, for me, not so funny to Mr. Egret I’m sure!
Psych ! What an amazing thief ! Fantastic photography Phil to be able to capture this action.
I really appreciate your kind comments Emily!
Mean old seagull! You got an amazing catch too!- amy
He is a mean gull! 😦 Thanks Amy, glad you liked these!
Loved them!
What fantastic pictures Phil! Poor egret! Having lost an icecream to a seagull on a harbour one sunny day (yes, we do have sun in England!) it has my sympathy.
Yes Maggie I have heard rumors of the sun appearing in England, glad to know it truly does occur. 😉 But sorry to hear about your lost ice cream.
I saw a gull take car keys off a beach blanket and fly off with them before letting them go over the ocean.
Thank you for commenting on these photos and I’m happy you like them!
WOW! You captured these moments… Great. Thanks and Love, nia
Thank you very much Nia, I’m very happy you enjoyed these photos!
Apparently it’s surprise and not size that wins the day other there. Great captures.
Thanks, we were surprised, the egret was surprised, so I guess those gulls know what they are doing.
Truly amazing. How long did it take to capture this sequence of events? Great shots.
Thanks! We were watching pelicans and egrets all fishing in the same area when some gulls came in to see what they could rob. We spent maybe an hour or so watching the scene. It was quite fun. 🙂
Really cool, great moment!
Thanks, I appreciate you looking and commenting!
Great shots Phil, excellent timing.
Glad you like these Jan.
Wow, fabulous captures Phil.
I really appreciate the kind comment Adrian!
I’ve never seen a gull take on a heron, but it’s hilarious to watch them trail the pelicans around here. Every time you see a pelican dive, there will be a gull sitting around when he surfaces, about six inches away, just looking at that bill old pouch like, “Hey! You don’t really need that fish, do you?” 😉
There were a good size group of pelicans and egrets all fishing together (well not really together, but in the same area) 😉 and then some gulls came in. It’s not unusual for us to see the gulls stalking the other birds, but I can’t remember ever seeing a gull snatch a fish right from the mouth of another bird. Fun scene to watch for sure though.
Son of a sneaky gull! Gutsy style!
Oh he is a sneak alright! Those gulls apparently like to take more then chips away from beach goers!
Hi Phil,
…and the winner is???? The little seagull, SURPRISE!!!
Stunnings pictures!
Wish you a nice day
moni
Yes indeed, that gull was the winner this time!
Thanks so much moni, I’m very glad you liked these!
Fantastic action shots. 🙂
I appreciate your kind comments, thanks!
You are truly an amazing photographer !
I didn´t think that the Seagull could steale a fish from a big Heron // Maria
Thanks you very much Maria, I greatly appreciate your kind words!
I too was surprised to see this gull get that bold!
Can you believe the arrogance of that gull ?! Well, as the saying goes : the world belongs to the brave 🙂
I know he was really something out there! Mixing it up with much larger birds too! Brave indeed, but it worked for him this time!
Great and funny story with great pics. Well done. 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed the story and the pics, thanks!
What a cheek!! The egret looks most indignant, doesn’t he? 🙂 Fabulous photos, Phil. Love those wings.
Cheek is right! Yes, that egret was none too pleased, but does not have much of a choice but to get right back out there and continue to fish on. Unlike humans who tend to sulk and complain endlessly about misfortune, the birds do not have that luxury.
Thanks very much for looking and commenting Sylvia!
That is way more daring than the scene I photographed. My gull just walked up and the heron spit it out on the ground. Not happily I might add.