April 30 2019. Beach strip, Hamilton, ON. Gulls get little respect. Their behaviour doesn’t always align with what we see as cultured, respectful or cute, not like that of of gift shop or backyard birds. They are raucous (by our measure), opportunistic scavengers (of picnic tables) and inclined to hang out where we’d prefer they didn’t. (garbage dumps). But looked at objectively they are supremely efficient fliers and quite beautiful.
I stood at a bleak shoreline looking, without luck, for a small flock of recently reported American Avocets and noticed these two adult Herring Gulls. As I watched, they engaged in an exchange of long ‘yooow’ calls coordinated with elaborate head-thrown-back stretching, bowing, strutting and deliberate pacing. Apparently, this behaviour is typically shown by a bird on its breeding or feeding territory (there was a nice, fresh, fish corpse at hand) when another bird approaches.
I was struck by the brilliance of their snow white plumage, perhaps because it shows to best advantage against the grim flotsam of the shoreline.