I was standing in the front of a Washington State ferry last week when a large Seagull landed on the deck on the outside of the webbing. As it landed, I noticed it had a seastar in its beak.
It dropped the seastar upside down, pecked at the inner part, and started swallowing it.
Seastars are what we used to call Seafish (Stars) when I was a child. The smaller ones are a favorite for hungry gulls looking for an easy meal.
It was kind of freaky, yet cool to watch, as it ate the seastar whole.
I had never seen a Seagull do this, and so I researched it. It is very common for them to try to eat Seastars. At low tide it is easy pickings, on the rocks around the beach. Seagulls eat whole, so it can take a bit for the Seastar to collapse and go down the hatch. When they are alive. their outer is flexible (they harden once dead). Fascinating to learn about.
It took the gull at least half the crossing. I wondered….does the gull fly back? Or fly up to the top of the ferry and ride back?
So many deep thoughts for the day.
~Sarah