[nysbirds-l] LI Birds: Gulls feeding on ant swarms

[Shaibal Mitra]

While driving home along the Belt Parkway this evening I saw at least seven 
large swarms of gulls (mostly Laughing Gulls, but also many Ring-billed and and 
a few Herring), apparently feeding on flying ants. This phenomenon is expected 
at this time of year in coastal Long Island, e.g.,

http://www.nybirds.org/KBsearch/y1977v27n2/y1977v27n2p87-88lauro.pdf

--but it is still very interesting, for instance, how do different colonies 
come to swarm at precisely the same time?

The swarms I saw tonight were at Plumb Beach, east of Gerritsen Inlet, 
Paerdegat Inlet, Pennsylvania Ave., Erskine St., and two sites in South Ozone 
Park.

I've posted a photo of an ant from a similar mass-swarming event along the Long 
Island shore a couple of years ago at:

https://picasaweb.google.com/109808209543611018404/CrittersAndOthersFunctAndNotSo#5380791796728136466

Shai Mitra
Bay Shore



Change is in the Air - Smoking in Designated Areas Only in 
effect.
Tobacco-Free Campus as of July 1, 2012.

--

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Please submit your observations to eBird:
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--

[nysbirds-l] LI Birds: Gulls feeding on ant swarms

[Shaibal Mitra]

While driving home along the Belt Parkway this evening I saw at least seven 
large swarms of gulls (mostly Laughing Gulls, but also many Ring-billed and and 
a few Herring), apparently feeding on flying ants. This phenomenon is expected 
at this time of year in coastal Long Island, e.g.,

http://www.nybirds.org/KBsearch/y1977v27n2/y1977v27n2p87-88lauro.pdf

--but it is still very interesting, for instance, how do different colonies 
come to swarm at precisely the same time?

The swarms I saw tonight were at Plumb Beach, east of Gerritsen Inlet, 
Paerdegat Inlet, Pennsylvania Ave., Erskine St., and two sites in South Ozone 
Park.

I've posted a photo of an ant from a similar mass-swarming event along the Long 
Island shore a couple of years ago at:

https://picasaweb.google.com/109808209543611018404/CrittersAndOthersFunctAndNotSo#5380791796728136466

Shai Mitra
Bay Shore



Change is in the Air - Smoking in Designated Areas Only in 
effect.http://www.csi.cuny.edu/tobaccofree
Tobacco-Free Campus as of July 1, 2012.

--

NYSbirds-L List Info:
http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME
http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES
http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm

ARCHIVES:
1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html
2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L
3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html

Please submit your observations to eBird:
http://ebird.org/content/ebird/

--