Tim writes: the Ivory Gull is inextricably linked to the ecology of the Polar Bear. The majority of Ivory Gulls remain in the high Arctic throughout the year, even in deep winter when there is 24 hour darkness. They follow Polar Bears around waiting for them to make a seal kill, then they scavenge the scraps. Really fit Polar Bears usually only eat the fat and internal organs, leaving lots of scraps for scavenging gulls, and less adept Polar Bears, such as mothers with cubs. On the rare occasions that Ivory Gulls wander to Britain they are usually found scavenging something dead. This was photographed from a boat in the pack ice north of Svalbard and the inside-out seal is a Harp Seal. This was a lucky snapshot as a millisecond later I would have lost the gull framing the Polar Bear’s face.
Taken with a Nikon D7000 using a Nikkor 70-300mm lens 1/3200 f8 ISO 800
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