The Herring gull is a large bird. They are about 22 inches from bill to tail. Their wingspan is about 34 inches. Most gulls do not nest on buildings but in the Old Town the Herring gull frequently does. Their nests are made from straw, grass, twigs, paper and anything else that works for them. The nests can be quite large and heavy, particularly if they’re several years old. The gull’s courtship is in April. They nest build from early May. They lay their eggs (2-3 usually) in May and take about three weeks to hatch. The first chicks are generally seen about the beginning of June. The chicks are grey. The plumage eventually turns white.
We arrived in Hastings in mid-June and saw many Herring gull families on roofs and the sides of buildings. The parents are very attentive to their young. We frequently saw pairs of adult guarding and feeding their offspring. We had one family on the neighbor’s roof. They frequently flew over to our adjoining roof. The bedroom is in the eaves and you hear the gulls walking about the roof or sliding down the side of the mansard window. Gull’s cries are reminiscent of someone experiencing excruciating pain or bad imitations of a pack of barking dogs.
It’s easy to think of the Herring gull as a nuisance. Indeed, Hastings Borough Council has a page on its Web site devoted to Herring gulls and what to do about them.
One day, however, sitting outside on our small terrace I noticed that there were always feathers on the ground. I began to pick up the large feathers and stick them somewhat decoratively into a hanging container. (I suspect the gardener-of-the-house doesn’t approve.) Some of the feathers are quite small and delicate. Then I realized that every now and then and ever so quietly a feather drops from the sky. It’s quite magical to have a feather drop from the sky and fall at your feet.
This made me think differently about the Herring gull. I now think of them as angels. And I think to myself that they are my kind of angel.
They’re noisy throughout the day and night. During conference calls with colleagues in the U.S. either someone will say, “What’s that noise?!” or “Was that a seagull?” They party like its 1999. They epitomize Christian family values with how they raise their young. Yes, it’s true. They’re large, noisy, scavenging birds. Their table manners leave a lot to be desired. Sitting outside at the jacket (Americans read baked) potato shop we saw one gull swoop down onto an unsuspecting group of diners and steal the remains of a meal from under their noses. Yes, they need to attend toilet-training classes. Even the Grumpy Vegan has been hit three times. They have no table manners. We saw one Herring gull sit on the bonnet (Americans read hood) of a parked car staring through the windscreen at its occupants who were eating chips (Americans read French fries).
The partying, the noise, the begging and the indiscriminate shitting don’t add up to angelic behavior. But the Herring gull is an angel when a feather silently falls out of the sky and lands at your feet.
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