Sunday 29 August 2021

Seagulls.


I've always rather liked Seagulls; but less so these days because they make a nuisance of themselves. There are far too many of them, and no-one does anything about the problem. But generally they are very attractive and atmospheric birds.

My good friend Jan says 'she has no problem spotting one of my paintings because they always contain Seagulls, or a Shotgun, or both'.


This large painting shows the waves, Brighton pier, a few Gulls, and a stormy sky. I rather like it as it reminds me of a certain period in my life, when I had a wonderful studio and was still exhibiting and selling work.

As a child going to the sea, it wasn't only seeing the sea that was exciting, but seeing and hearing the Gulls too. They were an integral part of the scene.

These days the Gulls have become a menace. They swoop on children eating Ice Creams, or old folk with their bag of chips. They nest on the roofs of houses where they hold dance-parties in the middle of the night. They poo everywhere, and (I'm certain) aim their poo at people and house windows. They are very accurate.

They also always sound angry; with us or themselves, I'm not sure.

29 comments:

  1. What amazes me about them is that when a farmer starts ploughing a field there isn't a gull in sight. By the time he gets to the end of the first furrow there are dozens behind the plough. How do they know?

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  2. We have lots because Doug feeds them but I am surprised you have a problem with them there.

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    1. Not here; in Brighton. They have become a menace. There are simply too many.

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  3. Gulls have become a nuisance, it probably began way back when someone innocently fed one, then word got around and more gulls expected to be fed, until now when they swoop down and help themselves without even waiting to see if food is offered. They aren't so bad here in Australia yet, they juststrut around giving you side looks from their beady eyes, as if to say "you gonna finish that?"

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    1. Back in the UK they are besieged by Seagulls and Pigeons. People put spikes along their windowsills, and on other places where they try to roost, but no-one is prepared to face the problem in a serious manner. Sadly there are too many do-gooders around, ready to stop any effective solution.

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  4. As long as they don't go for your eyeballs I wouldn't worry too much.

    Yes, they are huge when on the ground which gives me occasional flashbacks to Hitchcock's Birds when they flutter up (and away). But they just do what we do, looking to keep ourselves fed. If they were aware that you perceive them as a "menace" I am sure they'd be mortified.

    I thought that to be shat upon by a bird, preferably right on the crown of your glorious follicles, brings luck. Where that leaves people who were berets I do not know.

    U

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    1. Being anointed by bird-droppings referred to Blue tits; not Seagulls.

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  5. I do not remember when I last saw a seagull, perhaps because I am far from the sea.(In a small country even a 40 minute drive is considered far).

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    1. In the UK they are everywhere. When a farmer starts ploughing, they turn-up in their thousands looking for worms.

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  6. They are a nuisance here but are a protected species so can do as they please. I have had my best coat ruined by one well aimed salvo.

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    1. I'm sure they're protected everywhere, which is why they've become such a bl**dy nuisance.

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  7. They thrive and breed well on the food we dispose of carelessly. Worse for me are pigeons and my partner has barred me from kicking out at them as they gather at my feet for crumbs. Unbelievably some people still feed the sky rats. Your seagulls are larger than ours and more aggressive at getting human food, as I remember from Blackpool, although I should have fed them the horrible fish and chips bought on the seat front.

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    1. In UK towns, there are now Foxes, Seagulls, and Pigeons; all of which feed off the take-aways that drunks buy in the evenings, and don't eat.

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  8. We are a long way from the sea but we see loads of seagulls but they are not a nuisance …. Yet ! It’s the bloody pigeons that are a nuisance …. Forever copulating , pooing all over the garden and dropping loads of twigs everywhere that they pick up for their really untidy nests that they make year round !!!!!
    Love your painting Cro. XXXX

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    1. I don't know which are worse, the Seagulls or Pigeons. Too many of both around; they need culling.

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  9. It is widely known that seagulls are being trained by The Russians to disrupt everyday life. One thing I have noticed about seagulls is that although they are scavengers, their plumage is almost always in beautiful condition. Please show your adoring public more of your original artwork. Don't be bashful now!

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    1. Most birds are feather-proud. They like to look after themselves.

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  10. Oh, in this pocket of Australia they're becoming quite bolshie. They're habitually up all night with city lights and foodstuffs falling from the hands of revellers keeping them well fed around the clock, so they're real night owls. You can see them circling the lights on the Harbour Bridge at all hours. The decimation in numbers of late-night revellers has left them rather hungry and they're swooping on anyone eating in the street in the daytime now!

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    1. You describe exactly what it is also like back in the UK, especially the seaside towns.

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  11. I am very fond of seagulls and sandpipers too. I was raised in a home oceanfront on a cliff facing the Atlantic. The gulls presented no problem. Today, I see gulls in seaside resort cities and towns but do not experience gull problems.

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    1. They have become famously aggressive in the UK. I'm not sure what 'variety' they are, but they're big and menacing.

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  12. I too love seagulls, but living in North Texas don't see them much. I was fascinated with them on the beaches in Maine... loved to watch their wings as they landed and took off... great subjects for sketching and watercolor. And I can't imagine sea and cliff scenes without seagulls in it. But I have heard that they can be a nuisance...

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    1. To me they're very exotic birds. I love their look, and they way they fly, and ride the wind whilst looking around.

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  13. Cro, I can attest to their pooing. Was at a bird care hospital/home during a visit to Florida. As we walked along the beach after seeing the place I felt a warm plop on top of my hair gently make its way down my long hair. Ooops! As I wiped the accident, I couldn't help laughing at my predicament. A very funny memory still.

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    1. I' sure they do it for a laugh. Wouldn't you if you were a Gull? We used to claim it was the 'Brighton Albatross' who left the huge splats all over the place.

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  14. Thank you Gardener; that's a very kind thing to say.

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