Sunday, December 2, 2012

Brighton's Seagulls

I love seagulls. I love the sound of them in Brighton.  For some reason they are much louder, more aggressive, more present than at home.  That particular raucous cry they make means Brighton, to me.

Most people here seem to hate them.  One constantly hears stories about lunch in seaside restaurants ruined when seagulls swoop in a snatch sandwiches or fries right from your hands.  I can see how that could be annoying, but I still love seagulls.  



We had some very stale, rock-hard bread that has been sitting around for a week or so. Instead of throwing it out, we soaked it overnight and then took it to the beach, where I threw it to the seagulls in little handfuls.  There were just a few to start with, but after just a minute or two the sky, first, then the beach was full of them, shrieking and calling.  Lots of them were juveniles - perhaps the adults who've survived have learned more and better places to find food.


It was such fun.  I almost bought them some chips just so I could keep feeding them, but decided against it.