Wednesday 14 February 2024

Bad Press.


It's true that Seagulls receive a lot of bad press. They are accused of stealing chips, of pooing on us, and even of holding rock concerts on the roofs of our houses.

However, what would the coast be like without the sight and sound of gulls? You would know instantly that something wasn't right. 


I've always rather liked their raucous screaming, and their brazen cheek. I like to see them posing on whatever podium is handy, looking down their beaks at us mere humans.

Billy doesn't like them. When he finds them on the ground he chases them into the air, and often they swoop back down on him in pretend anger. I have a feeling that they have an understanding between them.

Coastal life wouldn't be the same without seagulls. Just look how beautiful they are in the photo.

 

36 comments:

  1. Those of us of a certain age will remember Jonathan Livingstone Seagull....,

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    1. I remember JLS but I have lost my copy. I must get another one.

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  2. My dog does a fantastic impression of a seagull when she gets excited about going for a walk.

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    1. Our Seagulls do fantastic impressions of dogs.

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  3. Just don't sit on the Prom bench to eat your sandwiches!

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    1. They only eat chips. It's fun to watch the day-trippers with their packs of Fish-n-Chips.

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    2. Cornish seagulls eat Cornish pasties - nice fresh, hot ones, bought by innocent tourists (Me!).

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    3. You obviously have very wise Gulls; I'm partial to a good Pasty myself.

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  4. I like the sound of seagulls too. They often gather across the valley and we see them swooping and sailing in the air currents. Our neighbour over there is not amused because of the mess they make. He takes a pot shot at them now and again and they regroup further down

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    1. I quite expect they're a protected species here, like Rats, Cockroaches, and Termites.

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  5. I live a stone throw away from the coast, a leisurely two minute walk, so seagulls come with the territory. One once shat on top my crown (oh so cooling) which I didn't mind as, apparently, it's a bringer of luck. God knows what would have befallen me on that day hadn't it been for the seagull.

    Still, since you obviously care for rubbish, they are the worst for taking bins and black liners apart. Some mornings the streets are breathtakingly littered. Luckily our city's council is on top of it. They sweep our particular area every day. Bless them. And yes, we do have Bobbies on the beat too.

    Mostly when I see seagulls close up I think of Hitchcock's "The Birds". Seagulls are the size of geese. Imagine having a gaggle of those coming at you from all sides. But then Hitch Shock definitely had a sadistic side to him.

    However, you are right. They are beautiful. And, so I have noticed, they only shriek under certain weather conditions. When the sun is shining they are as quiet as mice.

    U

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    1. I had wondered where all our Bobbies had gone!

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    2. I have never seen a gull the size of a goose.

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    3. That’s because there aren’t any

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  6. Seagulls ride the air currents round the valley near my house. Unfortunately some of them have now found the place where I feed the garden cats, and like to enjoy a tasty snack, making a real mess everywhere. I just wish they would go somewhere else when they need the loo!

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    1. Yes, they're very messy. That's really my only complaint about them.

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  7. Sadly, I heard on Radio 4 this week that seabird numbers in Britain have been vastly reduced by avian flu.

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    1. I haven't noticed any decline here. But I haven't been counting.

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    2. I think that some gull species were getting worryingly low in numbers before then...but apparently there could be some immunity to avian flu developing

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  8. P.S. Over on my blog you might like to see the book cover design for "Magnon's Meanderings"!

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  9. Sounds of the seaside. I shall enjoying watching them next week. I am going to Scarborough. Staying at a cliff top hotel. ( The Esplanade.)

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    1. Oooh, sounds very swish! No shortage of Seagulls there.

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  10. I love gulls but just wish they wouldn't swoop down into our garden (inviting all their mates with their keening cries), and wolf down vast quantities of the food left out for smaller and less voracious birds (chasing them away in the process).

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    1. They can be hooligans, but they do also tidy-up all the left-over McDonalds etc that people leave around.

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  11. We have plrnty here in The Dales too but as far as I know they don't pinch chips! They do appear from nowhere when a plough appears on the first furrow.

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    1. I think they imagine that the plough is a trawler!

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  12. I saw a flock of them on a stream, a couple of miles from the river last week, I was surprised how far upstream.

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    1. In the UK they are everywhere. They should change their name to Country-wide-gulls.

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  13. They can be a bit thuggish but the seaside wouldn't be the same without their noise.

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    1. That's exactly what I think too. They might be annoying on occasions, but we wouldn't be without them.

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  14. Seagulls are scavengers but they are still beautiful circling in the sky or stalking tourists carrying chips.

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  15. I always enjoy seeing them when I go to the beach, but I make sure to eat my chips far away from them.

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