A seagull swooped down and snatched a live herring directly from the mouth of a seal in Warkworth Harbour, Northumberland. The opportunistic bird dived in and seized the fish after the seal broke the surface, sparking a brief tug-of-war before the gull wrestled the herring free and swallowed it whole.
Photographer captures the confrontation
Photographer Linda Johnson, 71, captured the remarkable sequence while observing seals diving for fish. She said: "I'd been out taking pictures of seals for around two hours and was just packing up to go home when suddenly there was all this noise."
"Two gulls swooped down on a seal which had come up for air and one of them grabbed the fish in its beak. The seal wasn't giving up without a fight but the gull was too determined."
A swift struggle for the catch
Johnson added: "It all took a matter of seconds but I managed to fire off a great sequence of shots which showed it all unfolding in front of me. Usually the seals are pretty clever when it comes to protecting their catches but the gulls are canny too."
The feathered thief gulped down the herring in one swift motion, just seconds before another ravenous gull swooped in hoping to claim a portion.
