THIS ONE'S FOR THE SEAGULLS...
...and who knows; they'll probably outlive us all...

Seagulls and cockroaches...when the human race dies out altogether, and when 99% of the world's animals on earth have died out...there'll be Seagulls and Cockroaches. And, the Cockroaches had better beware. I've seen a seagull eat a starfish, and cockroaches to them might be like Barbeque Potato Chips are to us. KA-RUNCH!!! The overall sentiment is that seagulls are nothing more than Rats with Wings. A seagull's role is fairly crucial, though...basically they eat all the junk that's left over after all the other animals are done gorging themselves.

Yes, the mighty Seagull is a scavenger. They can eat almost anything. I should know; I tossed a chicken bone near a seagull, and "GULP", it was gone, just like that. To do that, seagulls must have digestive enzymes stronger than Sulfuric Acid. Seagulls are basically everywhere, except for the desert, where you'll find the Buzzard. I do know that I've seen seagulls far inland from the ocean...whereas I've never seen a Buzzard on the Coast. Seagulls rule, eh?

Since I'm no world traveler, I have to depend on television to prove my point...you'll see Seagulls on "CSI: Miami" as well as old "NYPD Blue" reruns. You can watch a Seattle Mariners Baseball game ('Home' or 'Away' game, it doesn't matter), and, yep, the seagulls are lookin' for highly expensive food scraps such as the half-empty forty-dollar bag of Cheeze puffs amongst the rows of seats. (In home AND away games.) The question one must ask is "where Aren't They?" Antarctica, maybe?
-
We all know they're hardy enough to make it thru a -20 degree cold snap, although I have to ask, "if seagulls can fly, why do they stay inland and freeze when they don't have to?" Size might have something to do with that, for the gulls at the Ocean are quite a bit larger than their inland counterparts. So perhaps a smaller inland Seagull would rather beg for breadcrusts on the frozen snow, than go coastward to tangle with their Much Bigger cousins. If you equate that to, say, motorcycles, a group of smaller inland-seagulls facing off against larger coast seagulls would probably be like a bunch of nerds on scooters going to California to square off with Hell's Angels.

I love to watch seagulls fly. They're so graceful as they glide upon the wind. If there's anything to reincarnation, I think I'd like to try being a seagull for a while. Only, I would avoid the squabbles of the flock whenever someone tosses food bits out the car window. I'd work alone. I'd go and try to find a fish or a crab on a rock or a beach, by myself. Then I'd glide upon the wind some more. I have seen Ocean Seagulls dive into the ocean to get food. Pelicans don't quite have the market cornered just yet in that department. Gulls down here will follow a Pelican, and when the Pelican strikes the water, there the gulls are, trying to rob Mr. Pelican of his hard-earned food. Before I sign up to be a bird in my next life, however, I'll have to conquer my acrophobia. Seagulls don't seem to have a fear of heights. And so, seagulls...this post, and the following pictures, is/are for you...

First of all, there aren't that many ducks around this area, so it's important for one to keep their seagulls in a row...presented below in groups of two, three, and four...

The Coastal Seagulls all really get bruised and battered, and some days when the wind blows really hard, they won't even make an attempt to fly. So they hunker down on the blacktop, warmed by the sun. Some of the seagulls down here really are regal-appearing, with sharp definition of colors and impeccably groomed feathers, unless, of course, they're competing for food...

-

And, the next three pictures show the Seagull as a versatile flying machine. They can bend and twist mid-flight if they need to, and change directions in an instant. Seagulls will pick up a live crab, fly fairly high, drop crab on beach, go get crab, and repeat process until crab has no life left. So, they are intelligent enough to use gravity as an aid. Finally, they can eat STARFISH. I'd like to see a buzzard try THAT.

-

In flight, seagulls are just amazing. Based upon casual observation, it appears that gulls are very economical fliers, making it look so easy. I've spent countless hours watching seagulls. Something about their graceful playing upon the wind seems to ease my mind, and if I could Squawk in Seagull-ese, I'd thank 'em personally. I've taken a lot of photos down here, and in a lot of them, a Seagull has swooped out of nowhere into the picture. They're everywhere, ain't they?

-

A lot of you might just be asking yourselves right about now, "Why a post on Seagulls?" Well, and it has to be said, This Post Is For The Birds. Squawk!