 |
 |
| Home | Cancer News | Cancer Surveys & Survey Results | Search Website | Links | Women's Poetry |
Art Doorway | Children's Stories |
Quacking
Seagulls
Do
Pelicans Make a Sound and 2 Cormorant Nests
Scrats, Elephant Seals
Photographs by Scott Douglas
My brother Scott and I have observed the Shell Beach seagulls every weekend for 7 years. Something different has happened. . . The Mallard Ducks are teaching DSL to the seagulls! "Duck,duck,duck,duck"
|
|
August 23, 2002: All the "Peepers" are finally flying.
July 26, 2002: A First: As usual, the pelicans took over every single seagull territory, even whilst the "Peepers" clung to the sides of rocks protected by their parents. This year for the first time, 2 sets of seagull parents built second nests for their non-flying "babies" (big, brown peepers). But the pelicans soon scattered these second sanctuaries, leaving the Peepers to cling even more precariously to the cliffs of "Auzzie" [see below].
July 4th, 2002: You'll see the gullets in the oddest places, but they're surviving and thriving.
June 16, 2002: Father's Day and there are many, many seagull babies!
May 18, 2002: Many, many seagull nests. By Father's Day, look for fluffy yellow babies with black polka dots.
March 2002: We have quacking seagulls on video tape!! Actually, what they say is, "duck, duck, duck".
March 3, 2002: After 7 years of Saturday/Sunday feedings, Scott and I are still delighted to have our arrival announced by the "Callers". Other regular visitors tell us they know we're coming by the cacophony of the Callers.
 |
| Scrats or Squrats? |
Free Show at Harford Pier near Olde Porte: Scott says Scrats are the 10th most intelligent creature on Earth. Ask the San Luis Harbor Patrol: scrats persist in surviving! Scrats prefer peanuts and sunflower seeds, but I've seen them eat lettuce and crackers when they're hungry. Now is the season for babies!
Another Free Show: Go UNDER the Harford pier down the stairs and see starfish and feeding seals.
May 19, 2001: You will be able to see seagull babies in 1 or 2 weeks - around June 3rd . They are fluffy with black polka dots.
April 15, 2001: A seagull waddled towards me and - Quacked !! What a smart seagull. It is learning DSL (Duck as a Second Language). Ah hah! Now my brother believes me. He saw the beak move as the seagull quacked. July 24th at Morro Bay Rock we saw and heard 2 seagull parents quacking at their lost Peeper. Is this an additional word/sound the seagulls have added to their language?
Ah, the whims of the "gods". . . Scott and I toss food to a particular seagull because it quacks, or "announces", or is an aggressive Peeper, or a shy scared gull, or waits patiently. We reflect and philosophize about the human species whilst feeding "our" Shell Beach gulls.
 |
Free show! The
Elephant Seals are |
June 17, 2001 - Population control? The 3 nests on Seal Rock Pinnacle have been scattered.
Climate influence? The seagulls were 3 weeks later this year in nesting. Due to late Spring storms? The Pelicans are on time in returning - waiting, waiting. Does their presence on Pinnacle threaten the seagulls?
July 24, 2001 - Scott and I used to call the big brown "babies" (1 month old) teenagers. Then we learned that the brown babies do not look like their adult parents for 4 years! So now we call them "Peepers" - because these giant "babies" peep constantly for food. The grey speckled seagulls are almost adults.
 |
Large island at left is "Auzzie". "Knuckle" "Dilbert" "Monkey"
Scott and Diana have sat at Shell Beach for 6 years to observe the seagulls. 2 years ago they began their "hatchery" in the most unlikely places. In 2000, Mallard Ducks moved into the neighborhood and now 2 species of gulls quack. Our seagulls quack for food. Scott says this proves the ducks are superior because "duck" is the common language. But Diana says the gulls are smarter because they are bilingual and speak DSL! Actually, we've noticed they have several different calls.