Where seagulls dare: The great ice-cream robbery

Where seagulls dare: The great ice-cream robbery

By DAN NEWLING - More by this author » Last updated at 23:02pm on 17th August 2007 Comments

Like all air raids, it required meticulous planning, precision flying and a great deal of confidence.

First the herring gull selected its vantage point near to the seafront kiosks selling ices and fast food.

Patiently it waited on a wall for the right victim to stroll along.

At last, a tourist arrived, ice-cream cone held at the perfect angle, blissfully unaware that the food snatcher of St Ives was about to strike.

It was all over in less than a second.

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Down swooped the gull and suddenly the horrified tourist found her vision obscured by a large bundle of white feathers.

It pecked up a sizeable portion of her ice cream, pushed its feet against her shoulder for better lift-off and soared away, instantly swallowing its precious booty.

And while we are assured that birds don't laugh, its triumphant expression compared with the victim's crestfallen features was a sight to behold.

It might comfort the hapless cone-bearer to learn that holidaymaker is far from the first victim of the snatcher, which has also seized whole burgers, sausages and countless chips from those eating on the move in the Cornish tourist town.

Photographer Mark Patterson, who took these pictures, said: "He stays in the same area - right next to the food kiosks.

"He watches and waits for a tourist to walk towards him and then he pounces.

"Before he attacked this woman I saw him grab a whole billfull of chips.

"All the local children know what he is like but the tourists are unaware - and it's them the gull goes for."