Common Hoopoe

This Hoopoe (Upupa epops) was Photographed about 200 kms off Gujarat coast and it made me wonder what was it doing so far away from land. The first photograph was clicked when the bird was trying to catch something off the water, just like a seagull, something very unusual for a Hoopoe. I wonder if any one could explain this unusual behavior. The standard diet of a Hoopoe includes Insects, grubs and pupae. It digs out its food from the ground by using its slightly open beak like a forecep.
When the bird digs the crest is folded back and projects into a point as photographed above, time to time it opens it like a fan and it a beauty to watch.
The first photograph is one of my favourite and was clicked as i was panning the bird standing on the ship side and the bird was skimming the sea surface.

Hoopoe

Nothing Gives me more pleasure when sailing, than wake up one morning and find a Hoopoe perched outside you cabin. That is what exactly happened here. The image is not as sharp as i wanted it to be, because I have clicked it through my cabins porthole( nautical term for Window) which sports a toughened glass. The pipelines of the ship are visible in the background and to blur out the rust of my 20 year old ship, shot this photograph with a large aperture.
f/4.5, 1/250 sec.