Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Q is for..... ABC Wednesday


Q is for 'queue' as illustrated above by this line up of gulls awaiting their turn to catch a Gaspereau at the falls.
Q is for 'quest' as each year gulls begin to gather at the Gaspereau Falls on the North Oromocto River in the expectation of the large numbers of Gaspereau that will be returning to their spawning grounds at the headwaters of the Oromocto. As the Gaspereau move from the Saint John River into the Oromocto, manoeuvring the falls and rapids make the Gaspereau easy prey for the waiting gulls.
Q is for 'quarrelsome', which aptly describes the behaviour of many of these gulls, for frequently when they see that one has had a successful catch they rush to grab and steal from each other. Often when this occurs they all lose out, for in the melee that follows the fish is dropped back into the river and no one is the winner.

Q is for 'quick-footed', as this gull has to be, as its performs a balancing act between the weight of the fish it has caught and the steadiness of its footing in the fast moving waters.
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This year the Gaspereau are late, perhaps due to the flooding of the Saint John and the colder water temperatures. These action photos were taken other years; but no doubt the same behaviours will be repeated again this year when the Gaspereau start to run.
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Thanks to Mrs. Nesbitt's Place for hosting ABC Wednesday.

31 comments:

Rune Eide said...

Among some people gulls have a bad reputation. In my opinion that is wrong. Our area would not be the same wiyhout them, and I love to take photos of them.

Petunia said...

Love this shots! Like Runee I like gulls too. I think it is a beautiful bird:)

Mike said...

Great action shots, thats some fish they are fighting over.

Unknown said...

What a great compilation of photos!
Well done for ABC Q.

imac said...

Great post = SNAP.

Pop over to see my Q post and the Bluebells.

Berit T said...

Amazing!!! Great photo.

Stacey Olson said...

this is a great Q post! Quite creative.. (grin)

Anonymous said...

What a great creative Q post! Great photos!! Now to go google Gaspereau.

Leslie: said...

A unique and interesting story with great segues into the next Q. I thoroughly enjoyed your post! :D

photowannabe said...

Perfect choice for your Q post. You really described the gull to perfection. It seems greed is the same in the human world too. No one comes out a winner in the end.

Mary said...

Wow! Those are wonderful shots! Both the flight and the fish capture are terrific! I can imagine the battles over these fish! I notice that some of the gulls are speckled, some dark backs, some red on beaks, some dark....how many differnt types of gulls are there in these pictures and in your banner?

Anonymous said...

What awesome pictures. You did a great job with this.

me ann my camera said...

mary:
They're mainly Great Black-backed and Herring Gulls and sometimes maybe a Ring-billed Gull too. Gulls go through quite a few different stages such as: 1st winter, 1st summer, 2nd winter, 3rd winter, adult, and there are maybe differences in their appearance in each.... its a bit confusing to me at times. Glad that you enjoyed.

Paulie said...

Great Q adjectives and photos to accompany them. Come and see mine.

nina at Nature Remains. said...

Very clever Q's.

Nina at Nature Remains

Texas Travelers said...

This is a great set of Q's.
Nice photos.
Thanks for sharing.

Come visit my Quadruped,
Troy

Neva said...

These are great pictures! I don't mind sea gulls.....very interesting to observe.

Profile Not Available said...

A very clever Q post! These were very interesting shots!

Juliana RW said...

wow...great shots....

Will you visit mine Thanks

ArneA said...

Beautiful shots
What was the Quest for Don Quijote in the man from la Mancha

DeeJay said...

excellent 'Q' choice

Gerald (Ackworth born) said...

a quick quarrelsome queue - excellent.

bobbie said...

So very clever! and wonderful photos!

Sandpiper (Lin) said...

Great action shots! A very creative "Q" post!

Janet said...

Great shots!! And a very nice way to show the letter Q.

Katney said...

Nicely done and now I must go take a better look at your loon.

Powell River Books said...

What great gulls. We go to a small island in the Strait of Georgia called Mittlenatch to see them up close.

I chose to use another nearby Quadra Island for Q. It is a fun vacation destination that you can see by clicking here. – Margy

RaleighKat said...

Very clever!

Patty said...

I love the gulls. We are near the ocean so I see them often here.

me ann my camera said...

Island:
Thank you for your kind comments and I am glad that you enjoy visiting here. I haven't been getting around to anyone's blog recently either as we have just retuned home today from Quebec, after having spent almost a week away. Hopefully I'm get back to posting by tomorrow.

Thank you everyone for your comments; they are very much appreciated.

Mary said...

I'm glad to know that you have just been gone....I was getting concerned when you didn't post anything for several days!