Each Way the Wind Blows

The brown, large-billed bird was feeding on this morning of cruising across the shoreline, stretching his giant wingspan and decidedly displaying his dominance amongst the other shorebirds on the ground. He was a predator. He was no scavenger. He was majestic and seemed to react to the stares of importance he felt from other creatures in his environment amid the crashing waves and tides. He held his head and neck high and his keen eyes on the water where his superb eyesight provided a deep look into the mix of sediment and salty currents, allowing him to scour the selection of shallow fish so plentiful in this predatory arena. He was a master at his art.

Deep in the moving water, he spied a grouping of sardines of differing sizes and some scattered yellowtail in their midst. His immediate strategy was that he had only to open his bill in the midst of them to catch his prey. It was a method proven over many generations of pelicans from different continents. Tried and true.

The large bird slowed as he looked ahead and readied his diving musculature for action. A burst of energy pumping through him. The wind steady from the South giving him an extra force or push as he dove, rotating his body ever so slightly to the left angled toward the target, folded, then with a final plunge, split the water with his giant bill and aimed into the salty depth like a spear. The force of his bill closing cut the small yellowtail into. Not his intention, but tasty nonetheless and as he came to the surface swimming slightly, he raised his closed bill slowly, allowing the water to flow out of the pouch but leaving the fish inside. He swallowed his prey with a tossing motion of the head taking it into his gullet with a gallant gulp.

Satisfied with his result, he rose above the tossing water with an air of dominance again and returned to cruising across the shoreline continuing his hunt.

His wings carrying him low and bold across the cresting white caps and tons of water beneath him which was home to his prey. This was a journey he made several times a day up and down the ocean's course, parallel to the shore. He repeated these actions exactly the same heading in the same direction for hours. Pigfish, minnows and sardines were among his prey as he kept a keen eye trained on the water.

Up ahead, flying toward him from a distance was one lone albatross. Larger than average, he was the dominant male of his flock of scavenger birds, and stronger than most shore birds. Often an independent scout flies away and ahead of the flock to look for feeding grounds.

As the albatross watched the pelican dive and come away with a morsel of yellowtail, he wanted to have the same. He slowed and circled to watch the pelican from afar inspecting his movements which had resulted in another winning bite.

The pelican seemed to disregard his importance in the area of his hunt and did not react to the presence of the wide-winged bird. The albatross turned sharply to follow the huge bird and used the force of the winds blowing against his back to help his speed. Then just when the pelican had spotted another fish with his penetrating eyesight, the albatross mimicked the larger bird's actions. Except the albatross adjusted his wings and brought his feet up tight. He soared passed the pelican right before the bird could dive into the water. The albatross made it first and plunged deep into the water and back up quickly. In that split second of mimicry, he learned a new hunting skill.

The experience of victory would allow him to remember the act and pass it on to the birds of his flock. By observing the predator bird and learning to mimic its actions, and then steal in and grab the prey, the albatross had learned to make use of a relationship with this other species of bird. This made perfect sense as the albatross was known as a garbage bird, seeking to acquire food from easy-to-reach places and picking at the carcasses left by other predators. Yet it also proved the species capable of learning and employing new skills.

He came away quickly before the pelican could react and strike at him. Instinctually, the albatross expected to be attacked in vengeance, and knew that bill would damage his wings. He had to dart to avoid them. He adjusted his wings and used the wind to move him faster than he normally would travel. As he made the maneuver, the larger pelican slowed against the wind while trying to catch the bird that had interfered with his fresh catch. He let out an angry screech and chatter from behind the albatross.

The albatross rose above the strong tides and flew bravely back to his flock down the shoreline scavenging. He flew with an air of importance and purpose straight to his group of smaller birds. He would teach them how to dive in and intrude at just the strategic moment to grab the target from the pelican. He would show them how to let a pelican find the target and how to steal the fish from the hunter using speed adjustment and cunning.

Each predatory bird meeting the other on a different wind and coming away from the experience just slightly changed from what they were before. The exchange had taught them something. This momentary relationship created by the albatross provided an exploitative moment in which this bird learned how to use and defeat the other. The afternoon meeting giving both birds a lesson in dominance, hunting, and adaptation. Of which it was the albatross who scored highest in this competition. This was not a meeting of wills nor a test of intelligence between the species of bird, but rather a process of natural selection that would bring the albatross toward a higher place in the food chain.