Video Caption: Seagull stole my video camera in Cannes France. I found it on the castle wall, where I had to climb.
A filmmaker whose miniature camera was apparently swiped by a French seagull whose feathered getaway was caught on video, swears the YouTube hit isn’t faked.
The video shows a gull snatching the spy-sized camera before flying off and landing on the top of a nearby castle.
All the while, the video camera is rolling and captures every moment, including the gull’s squawks as it lands to finish off its purloined prize only to peck away in vain as it discovers the electronic device is inedible.
Source: Seagull swipes camera, shoots film, becomes YouTube sensation
I have fishing in saltwater and around seagulls for about thirty-five years and this doesn’t seem unusual to me at all. Seagulls will grab virtually anything a human has or touches because they have been conditioned to know that “humans” usually equal “foodsource.” This is especially true if the human is holding something shiny (mimicking silvery baitfish) or boxy (like a food package). The flying away part is all seagull behavior. Seagulls will regularly chase other seagulls that have grabbed food, so the seagull tries to fly away to a secluded place (like a nearby castle top) to try and eat in piece. Also, where I’m from, gulls feed on crustaceans (crabs etc.) and the grab and drop/smash move is normal gull behavior. I’m sure that gull was quite disappointed when he found that the shiny dark crab he’d grabbed was only plastic and metal. Great video by the way!
Peace,
Andy