If you had told me as a kid in northern Michigan, that one day I would miss seeing gulls, I would have told you that you were crazy. Growing up on a farm just inland from Lake Huron, I can remember my Father plowing a field, and Gulls being so thick that it looked like they sprung from the ground. We mainly had Ring-billed gulls, and Herring gulls, but it was not unknown to see other species too.
I now live a few hundred miles south, and more inland. While I occasionally see a gull, it is nothing like the days up north. This past weekend I took my family back home, and we had a picnic on the beach on the beach. Besides the beautiful weather, we also go the overly aggressive gulls. We had a Herring gull try to land and lift a burger off a lit grill. He singed his feet, but only flew off a few feet to stand in a puddle, so he would not miss the chance if we dropped anything. It made me nostalgic for seeing the tough birds more often.
I didn’t get any pictures that night, but the next day on the ride home we decided to stop and eat at a road side park. We again got to see a flock of Ring-billed Gulls. While the kids played, I walked along the beach and watched the birds. It is sad that many people over look these birds when they are around all of the time. They are beautiful in the air, sea and on the land.
