Gullsville

This is not our island, and the people who live here are reminded of this fact constantly. This island belongs to the gulls.


There are two species of gull here, herring gulls & greater black back gulls. They are everywhere, and have been for a number of years. They are here in large part due to the lobster fishing operations nearby. Investigations of the stomach contents of gulls suggest that over 50% of gull diet consists of lobster bait. Traditionalist gulls also catch small fish to eat, and scavenge the eggs of other birds. Modernized gulls fly to the mainland and eat Wendy's french fries... one of our staffers was having a fast-food lunch and recognized gull #2E3, eating french fries in the Wendy's parking lot!

When I first got here, the gulls were docile and harmless. They were building nests, and would squawk from time to time when you walked by. Some louder squawking was associated with the arrival of the eggs, but still, no big deal.

Then, two weeks ago, the chicks began to hatch. The squawking continues, but the gulls have added some additional defense tactics to their repertoire: wing-flapping, chasing you on foot, flying parallel to your head, dive-bombing, and, sometimes, a well-aimed shit.


And, it's only going to get worse. The chicks are getting more and more mobile by the day, always followed closely by a concerned parent ready to attack. It's fun to see the various methods people come up to keep the gulls at bay. Some people carry a long stick above their heads, some people spread their arms to show that they are the larger individual, some people just keep their heads down and walk with a brisk step. At the end of most days, we'll gather around a table and laugh about how silly we all feel about being frightened of seabirds.

Oh, but aren't they cute?

New!! Here's a video of a gull trying to peck its way into my office:
It ripped a good sized hole through my screen!