Drama and Zen in the Low Seas

I could hear the cries of the seagull on the other side of the seawall. To my surprise, when I peered over the edge I was struck by the scene unfolding down on the low-tide shore.

According to my trusty Pocket Birds of Canada (Bird ed., 2016), Herring Gulls are the prototypical seagull "that does not commonly go far out to sea- it is a bird of near-shore waters, coasts, lakes, rivers, and inland waterways."

These two appear to be mother and chick, as you can see by the brown mottled coloration on the (loud crying) young one, and the streaked head on the other one that indicates it's a nonbreeding adult. They eat fish, crustaceans, mollusks, worms, French fries, and apparently starfishes.

And since there's never a dull day bird-wise around these parts, I leave you with a picture of a serene Great Blue Heron suntanning on the marina earlier in the summer.

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