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…

52 thoughts on “Caught Stealing”

The Wanderlust Gene on March 13, 2013 at 3:33 pm said:

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. 🙂

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- Phil Lanoue on March 13, 2013 at 7:52 pm said:
  
  Thanks very much and yes indeed the gulls are normally seen at the beach looking to steal chips from sunbathers! 😀
  
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pixelspielerei on March 13, 2013 at 4:05 pm said:

“is a post for another day”

Oh, dear! What are you doing? 😉

Nice pics!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 13, 2013 at 7:53 pm said:
  
  Glad you liked these! Yes the egret gets another fish but does he get to eat it?!? Find out soon. 🙂
  
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Gracie on March 13, 2013 at 4:13 pm said:

Whoa! Nice catch, Phil!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 13, 2013 at 7:53 pm said:
  
  Thanks very much Gracie!
  
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Lisa Gordon on March 13, 2013 at 4:25 pm said:

So nicely seen and captured!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 13, 2013 at 7:54 pm said:
  
  I appreciate it Lisa, thanks!
  
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Amy on March 13, 2013 at 5:17 pm said:

Awesome action capture, Phil!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 13, 2013 at 7:54 pm said:
  
  I’m happy you enjoyed these pics Amy!
  
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Conor Cullen on March 13, 2013 at 5:29 pm said:

Cheeky! Great shots as always, Phil. Fun catching up with your work.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 13, 2013 at 7:54 pm said:
  
  I greatly appreciate you looking and commenting Conor!
  
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Susan Sohl on March 13, 2013 at 5:43 pm said:

cool!

________________________________

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- Phil Lanoue on March 13, 2013 at 7:55 pm said:
  
  Thanks Sue!
  
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Molly Argo on March 13, 2013 at 5:45 pm said:

How funny is that!!?! And fantastic shots! I can’t wait to see his next fish story.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 13, 2013 at 7:55 pm said:
  
  It was pretty funny! Well, for me, not so funny to Mr. Egret I’m sure!
  
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Bella Remy Photography on March 13, 2013 at 6:33 pm said:

Psych ! What an amazing thief ! Fantastic photography Phil to be able to capture this action.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 13, 2013 at 7:56 pm said:
  
  I really appreciate your kind comments Emily!
  
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2me4art on March 13, 2013 at 7:16 pm said:

Mean old seagull! You got an amazing catch too!- amy

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- Phil Lanoue on March 13, 2013 at 7:56 pm said:
  
  He is a mean gull! 😦 Thanks Amy, glad you liked these!
  
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  - 2me4art on March 14, 2013 at 7:54 pm said:
    
    Loved them!
    
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Maggie Davey on March 13, 2013 at 8:27 pm said:

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.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 14, 2013 at 11:49 am said:
  
  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!
  
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niasunset on March 13, 2013 at 8:35 pm said:

WOW! You captured these moments… Great. Thanks and Love, nia

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- Phil Lanoue on March 14, 2013 at 11:50 am said:
  
  Thank you very much Nia, I’m very happy you enjoyed these photos!
  
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lylekrahn on March 13, 2013 at 8:48 pm said:

Apparently it’s surprise and not size that wins the day other there. Great captures.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 14, 2013 at 11:50 am said:
  
  Thanks, we were surprised, the egret was surprised, so I guess those gulls know what they are doing.
  
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Charlie@Seattle Trekker on March 13, 2013 at 10:55 pm said:

Truly amazing. How long did it take to capture this sequence of events? Great shots.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 14, 2013 at 11:52 am said:
  
  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. 🙂
  
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david @ studio tuesday on March 13, 2013 at 11:14 pm said:

Really cool, great moment!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 14, 2013 at 11:52 am said:
  
  Thanks, I appreciate you looking and commenting!
  
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janmasyn on March 14, 2013 at 4:58 am said:

Great shots Phil, excellent timing.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 14, 2013 at 11:52 am said:
  
  Glad you like these Jan.
  
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Chillbrook on March 14, 2013 at 5:04 am said:

Wow, fabulous captures Phil.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 14, 2013 at 11:53 am said:
  
  I really appreciate the kind comment Adrian!
  
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shoreacres on March 14, 2013 at 10:06 am said:

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?” 😉

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- Phil Lanoue on March 14, 2013 at 11:56 am said:
  
  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.
  
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Cowboys and Crossbones on March 14, 2013 at 12:36 pm said:

Son of a sneaky gull! Gutsy style!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 15, 2013 at 10:44 am said:
  
  Oh he is a sneak alright! Those gulls apparently like to take more then chips away from beach goers!
  
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monisertel on March 14, 2013 at 12:43 pm said:

Hi Phil,
…and the winner is???? The little seagull, SURPRISE!!!
Stunnings pictures!
Wish you a nice day
moni

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- Phil Lanoue on March 15, 2013 at 10:44 am said:
  
  Yes indeed, that gull was the winner this time!
  Thanks so much moni, I’m very glad you liked these!
  
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pilipala51 on March 14, 2013 at 3:14 pm said:

Fantastic action shots. 🙂

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- Phil Lanoue on March 15, 2013 at 10:45 am said:
  
  I appreciate your kind comments, thanks!
  
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mariayarri on March 14, 2013 at 5:41 pm said:

You are truly an amazing photographer !
I didn´t think that the Seagull could steale a fish from a big Heron // Maria

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- Phil Lanoue on March 15, 2013 at 10:45 am said:
  
  Thanks you very much Maria, I greatly appreciate your kind words!
  I too was surprised to see this gull get that bold!
  
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pviette on March 15, 2013 at 6:10 am said:

Can you believe the arrogance of that gull ?! Well, as the saying goes : the world belongs to the brave 🙂

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- Phil Lanoue on March 15, 2013 at 10:46 am said:
  
  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!
  
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meyer23 on March 15, 2013 at 6:23 am said:

Great and funny story with great pics. Well done. 🙂

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- Phil Lanoue on March 15, 2013 at 10:47 am said:
  
  I’m so glad you enjoyed the story and the pics, thanks!
  
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adinparadise on March 15, 2013 at 7:29 am said:

What a cheek!! The egret looks most indignant, doesn’t he? 🙂 Fabulous photos, Phil. Love those wings.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 15, 2013 at 10:49 am said:
  
  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!
  
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Garden Walk Garden Talk on June 20, 2013 at 6:05 pm said:

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.

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