Seagull appreciation time

[Insequent]

The first thought I had after reading the OP's start to the thread was 'Jonathan'. I can't find my copy, have been looking for it for a few months. I'll buy another copy and keep it on the boat. My daughters would enjoy it I'm sure.

https://www.harpercollins.com.au/9780008162986/jonathan-livingston-seagull-a-story/

I've got the Neil Diamond album (1973) on the iPad. I guess I saw the movie, can't remember. Reading the book was a bit of a cult thing at the time. Really well written! Read it!

And play the album at a quiet, calm anchorage just before sunset sometime, with your favorite beverage.

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

There are two thoughts of gulls when I was a kid:

1. I would throw a herring out salmon fishing and every once in a while a gull would grab it and get hooked. Cut the line cause them birds will tear you up!

2. We would throw bread in the air and watch the gulls catch it mid-air. Then we would throw an alkaseltzer and watch the bird blow up. Keep in mind I was a kid.


Now I have a "pet" gull that shows up each afternoon around 3 and I feed him a piece of bread.

 

[Jeff F]

I lived near the water when I was a young adult. Used to throw bread in the air off the dock. The gulls had air superiority but once the bread hit the water the ducks were dominant. Everyone has their domain.

 

[Boat]

I grew up with seagulls. I remember well my first in-person encounter with a pelican.

Bait fish feature prominently in my story

Watched a dog swim after a pelican. Pelican seemed unconcerned. Dog got within reach and pelican hit him with the beak. It was like a pinpoint accurate sledge hammer. Dog swam straight back to shore, pelican still unconcerned.

 

[rsn48]

Feeding any bird bread isn't good for the bird, just as it isn't great for humans. I will link a short article on feeding gulls but here is a short blurb from it:

"Organic chips, low-salt nuts and cooked, un-spiced spaghetti are good food options for seagulls. Try to stay away from empty carbs like white bread and sugary cereals. Regular Cheerios also are a good source of vitamins for the birds, as are unshelled and unsalted sunflower seeds"

https://www.101corpuschristi.com/seagulls

 

[Jeff F]

Feeding any bird bread isn't good for the bird, just as it isn't great for humans. I will link a short article on feeding gulls but here is a short blurb from it:

"Organic chips, low-salt nuts and cooked, un-spiced spaghetti are good food options for seagulls. Try to stay away from empty carbs like white bread and sugary cereals. Regular Cheerios also are a good source of vitamins for the birds, as are unshelled and unsalted sunflower seeds"

https://www.101corpuschristi.com/seagulls

Good point. I didn't realize that 35 years ago. I do now.

 

[O C Diver]

They make a terrible mess on the floating dock in Crisfield, MD. Apparently there don't like to be pressure washed.

Ted

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

Well better than 1000 sea lions taking over the dock

They make a terrible mess on the floating dock in Crisfield, MD. Apparently there don't like to be pressure washed.

Ted

 

[markpierce]

Yeah, tell me about it, although these aren't technically seagulls.

 

[Nickair]

There are seagulls in every one of the 50 United States. Some say due to the giant garbage dumps allowed a year around steady food supply for them to expand their populations farther and farther inland. That is what I read somewhere. Who knows for sure. They sure can live in any conditions from the South West deserts to Alaska. They seem to survive far out to sea also. A hardy bird, for sure. Jonathan Livingston Seagull. A very short book some 45 years ago gave me a different perspective on them, than only a nuisance.

 

[BruceK]

Never seen one of these on the boat but often seen in the garden and street,alone or in small groups. It`s called a brush turkey. Builds massive egg mounds and messes up gardens. When the supermarkets were low on meat and chicken there was a young (?tender) one hanging around and I started to think how to catch one and .....