Two of my favourite Herring Gull shots here - both of the same individual predating a Gannet egg on Bass Rock, East Lothian, in July 2007. A photographer who had shown great fieldcraft to get some close-up shots of nesting Gannets moved away from the spot too quickly and accidentally scared one of the nesting birds off its egg. As the photographer retreated embarrassed from the scene I thought I would get a shot of the Gannet returning to its nest. Within seconds however this Herring Gull had checked out the scene and then landed. It scooped the egg up deftly, turned for the portrait and then was off within 20 seconds of landing. Not great shots for a Gannet fan perhaps, but a fantastic demonstration of the opportunistic scavenging habits of this equally stunning, but less loved, species.
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