Carrion Crow - Corvus corone
Canon 600mm f4 for 1/500th @ iso400
Just off shot is a Herring Gull, another Crow and a Swan Mussel frozen onto the surface of the pond. Really with that old benefit of hindsight I should have gone to video, but then again with the number of aerial drone video views stacking up and several years worth of photos needing organising.....
The Herring Gull had possession of the Mussel and was busy breaking opening the shell to get at the contents, up close there is some size comparison between a Gull and Crow and this is the point I should have gone to video as the few stills I took don't do the Crow tactics any justice.
One crow would stand just in front of the Gull and just out of striking range, the second Crow would approach the Gull from behind and firmly grab the Gull's tail feathers causing the Gull to turn around and at that point the Crow who was standing in front of the Gull would make a dive for the contents of the Mussel Shell, whilst the Gull was preoccupied fighting off the attacker from the rear.
After a few attempts the Gull got wise and was keeping a watch on the Crow behind it and as it approached would warn the Crow off with a strike of it's beak.
Just off shot is a Herring Gull, another Crow and a Swan Mussel frozen onto the surface of the pond. Really with that old benefit of hindsight I should have gone to video, but then again with the number of aerial drone video views stacking up and several years worth of photos needing organising.....
The Herring Gull had possession of the Mussel and was busy breaking opening the shell to get at the contents, up close there is some size comparison between a Gull and Crow and this is the point I should have gone to video as the few stills I took don't do the Crow tactics any justice.
One crow would stand just in front of the Gull and just out of striking range, the second Crow would approach the Gull from behind and firmly grab the Gull's tail feathers causing the Gull to turn around and at that point the Crow who was standing in front of the Gull would make a dive for the contents of the Mussel Shell, whilst the Gull was preoccupied fighting off the attacker from the rear.
After a few attempts the Gull got wise and was keeping a watch on the Crow behind it and as it approached would warn the Crow off with a strike of it's beak.