As The Gull Flies

Lessons From The Land

A pair of seagulls have joined us in the village. Herring Gulls to be precise. Seagulls are not strangers to our village. Those of you have read ‘Stories Of The Sun’, will know that I have often watched the Mediterranean Gulls fly over the fields in the mornings, mewing like new born babies. I recently heard them in the background of an episode of Death in Paradise and immediately knew it was the med gulls.

But these are Herring Gulls and for a while they took up residence on the roof line opposite the study window. They have now moved a little further down the village, perhaps due to the Mexican standoff I had with them as they stamped, squawked and strutted along the ridge tiles, whilst I attempted to record audio. Or it may have been the longstanding resident male blackbird who made a fierce and unruly neighbour even by Herring Gull standards.

Photo by Thanos Pal on Unsplash

Sat on the roof in our village these chip snatchers are a mere eight miles from the coast and will think nothing of flying 100 miles a day during nesting season to collect food for their growing broods. It stands to reason then, that these birds must carry with them a few stories and so it is that I will share with you the stories they told me.