While driving on the beach I could see a crab boat or two off in the distance. I didn’t expect to see a crabber close to shore or even on the shore, but I was mistaken. As I gazed out the car window looking for shorebirds there was a western gull crabbing at the waterline. It was trying to conquer a live crab. The crab’s legs were flailing. It was trying in vain to use its large pair of pincers to grasp on to the gull’s beak. This western gull was skilled at avoidance!

The gull had turned the crab over on its back so its soft underbelly was exposed. The gull’s very strong beak poked the softness until the crab was no longer able to flail. It wasn’t able to fight for its life any longer.

From there the western gull proceeded to eat lunch. It carefully picked away at the crab is if there was no tomorrow. It needn’t have been so impatient because no other gulls or raptors like the Bald eagle were in sight. There was no chance of kleptoparasitism!

The crab was quite large, one that you would wish to be able to buy at the market. The gull ate away for at least 20 minutes eating what must have seemed like the best crab meat ever. I was slightly envious!

Usually, gulls are opportunistic scavengers. It isn’t often that I have seen one take a live creature. Gulls, as a species, tend to be raucous, competitive, and a stealer of food from other birds. They can be aggressive predators and pirates! In general, gulls prefer fish, carrion and trash. They will drop shellfish onto rocks or other hard surfaces to break them open. When we walk on the beach we have all noticed gulls loafing or prowling the tide flats for a tasty meal. Watch closely for those gulls soaring like raptors over the ocean. You may witness them spiraling downward to pluck goodies off the surface of the water.

Most gulls choose marine invertebrates like crabs, clams or sea urchins, but many specialize regarding food types. The western gull is said to prefer marine invertebrates, fish, and the eggs and chicks of seabirds, according to Cornell Laboratory. It also scavenges for carrion and garbage. So it is not surprising that the western gull is relatively common at garbage dumps feeding on refuse. Scientists have found that the western gull will steal food from seals, cormorants and other gulls. The western gull is also purported to swallow its prey whole. On this day, however, the crab that my western gull was working on was far too big, and I suspect too heavy, to be swallowed in one gulp!

Long ago I witnessed a glaucous-winged gull swallowing a starfish whole. It had dragged the creature onto one of the docks at Nahcotta and proceeded to gulp it down with one swallow. I could see the bird’s throat bulging and stretched out wide by its treasure. I watched and photographed the action. It took a very long time for the bird to move it on down and out of its gullet. I will look for those photos one day. It was taken in the day of film and slides so I may not have much luck!

Western gulls are found year-round on our coast. It is abundant in spring and summer, and common during the rest of the year. They also nest in our area. Most likely on the islands off shore. Look for the western gull the next time you are on the beach. It is large, has a white head and a heavy bill. It has an orange ring around its eye and a red spot on its lower mandible. Its back will be a darker gray than other gulls. Maybe the gull you zero in on will treat you to a behavior you have never seen before!

”Common Birds of the Long Beach Peninsula,” by Kalbach and Stauffer, is available from the Chinook Observer, Bay Avenue Gallery, Time Enough Books and the Long Beach Peninsula Visitors Bureau.