At the Shard Bridge, Hambleton, this afternoon, I witnessed a rather disturbing scene when a Greater Black Backed Gull grabbed hold of a passing female mallard whilst on the water and a battle of survival commenced whereby the gull was intent on drowning the mallard, this battle went on for 15 minutes and I thought the gull had won, both still locked together they drifted to shallow water near a mud bank with the mallard no longer struggling to free itself, however after another flurry of activity with wings and water flying the mallard managed to escape the clutches of the gull and started to swim against the ebb tide, the gull admitting defeat did not give chase, it was certainly a wildlife encounter in the raw, I hope Mrs mallard sleeps peacefully tonight.
Alan Smith.
