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L a s t w e e k I w e n t o u t t o L o n g I s l a n d w i t h m y s i s t e r - i n - l a w t o v i s i t r e l a t i v e s , a n d s p e n t a c o u p l e o f m o r n i n g s o n a q u i e t l i t t l e b e a c h a t L o u s e P o i n t w i t h m y d o g P h o t o n . P h o t o n s g o n e s w i m m i n g i n L a k e S u p e r i o r a n d a l o t o f s m a l l e r l a k e s , b u t n e v e r h a s s h e s t e p p e d i n t o s a l t w a t e r b e f o r e . S h e s e e m e d a b i t s u r p r i s e d b y t h e t a s t e b u t a b s o l u t e l y l o v e d t h e b u o y a n c y i t w a s h a r d e r g e t t i n g h e r t o f i n a l l y l e a v e t h e w a t e r t h e r e t h a n i t s e v e r b e e n b e f o r e .
A s f u n a s i t w a s w a t c h i n g h e r c a v o r t i n g , m y e y e s k e p t b e i n g d r a w n t o t h e g u l l s . I s u p p o s e I c o u l d l e g i t i m a t e l y c a l l t h e m s e a g u l l s , b u t w i t h m y b i r d e r b r a i n , I c a n t h e l p b u t a s s i g n t h e m t h e i r p r o p e r n a m e s R i n g - b i l l e d , H e r r i n g , a n d G r e a t B l a c k - b a c k e d G u l l s . T h e y d g l i d e t h r o u g h t h e a i r a b o v e t h e f a i r l y d e e p w a t e r , d r o p d o w n a n d g r a b a c r a b , c o n c h s h e l l , o r o t h e r c r i t t e r , f l y t o s h o r e w i t h i t , g a i n a l t i t u d e , a n d s u d d e n l y l e t i t g o , d r o p p i n g i t o n a l a r g e r o c k o r t h e r o a d . I f i t b r o k e a p a r t , t h e y d f l y d o w n f o r a t a s t y m e a l . I f i t d i d n t , t h e y d p i c k i t u p , f l y u p e v e n h i g h e r , a n d d r o p i t a g a i n . I w a t c h e d o n e H e r r i n g G u l l d r o p s o m e s o r t o f s h e l l e d c r e a t u r e r e p e a t e d l y o n t h e r o o f o f a h o u s e , a n d w o n d e r e d h o w o f t e n i t d i d t h a t , a n d h o w t h e p e o p l e i n s i d e f e l t a b o u t i t .
I v e r e a d a l o t a b o u t g u l l s c r a c k i n g s h e l l s , b u t h a v e n t s e e n i t v e r y m u c h u n t i l t h i s t r i p , s o n a t u r a l l y I g o o g l e d t h e b e h a v i o r w h e n I g o t h o m e . A n d i t w a s f u n r e a d i n g a l l t h e w a y s t h a t v a r i o u s s c i e n t i s t s o v e r t h e y e a r s g l o s s e d o v e r t h e c o n c e p t t h a t t h e s e g u l l s m i g h t h a v e a c t u a l l y f i g u r e d o u t t h a t 1 ) t h e r e w a s f o o d i n t h e s e s h e l l s a n d 2 ) i f t h e y d r o p p e d t h e s h e l l s o n s o m e t h i n g h a r d a n d t h e s h e l l s b r o k e , t h e y c o u l d g e t a t t h a t f o o d . O n e s t u d y i n 1 9 3 0 c o n c l u d e d t h a t t h e g u l l s d i d n t d r o p t h e s h e l l s p r e f e r e n t i a l l y o n h a r d s u r f a c e s , b u t s t u d i e s f r o m 1 9 4 6 , 1 9 5 8 , a n d 1 9 7 8 s h o w e d p r e t t y c o n c l u s i v e l y w h a t m y o b s e r v a t i o n s o n L o n g I s l a n d s u g g e s t e d t h a t t h e g u l l s d o i n f a c t f l y o v e r h a r d s u r f a c e s t o d r o p t h e s h e l l s . Y o u n g g u l l s h a v e t o w o r k m u c h h a r d e r t h a n a d u l t s t o g e t m e a l s t h i s w a y s o m e t i m e s t h e y d o n t p i c k s h e l l s w i t h f o o d i n s i d e , a n d t h e y h a v e m o r e t r o u b l e g a u g i n g h o w h i g h u p t h e y s h o u l d d r o p t h e m a n d o v e r w h a t s u r f a c e s . B u t i t d o e s n t t a k e m a n y m o n t h s f o r t h e m t o g e t r e a s o n a b l y g o o d a t t h e p r o c e s s .
A l t h o u g h i t s o b v i o u s l y c l e v e r f o r g u l l s t o d r o p h a r d s h e l l s o n t h e h a r d g r o u n d t o c r a c k t h e m o p e n , s o m e t i m e s t h e y d r o p s o f t e r i t e m s t h a t t h e y c o u l d h a v e e a s i l y p e n e t r a t e d w i t h t h e i r b e a k s . H e r r i n g G u l l s o f t e n d r o p s t a r f i s h e s , a n d o n e o b s e r v e r i n 1 9 4 7 r e p o r t e d a G r e a t B l a c k - b a c k e d G u l l i n e x p l i c a b l y b u t r e p e a t e d l y d r o p p i n g a d e a d r a t f r o m t h e a i r . T h a t p r e d a t e d J u l i a C h i l d s T V s h o w , s o I m n o t s u r e h o w t h e g u l l l e a r n e d a b o u t t e n d e r i z i n g m e a t .
H o w e v e r a n d w h y e v e r t h e y l e a r n t o d o i t , i t w a s v e r y i m p r e s s i v e s e e i n g h o w m a n y b r o k e n s h e l l s w e r e s t r e w n a b o u t t h e r o a d t o L o u s e P o i n t , a n d h o w e a s y i t w a s t o o b s e r v e g u l l s c a r r y i n g l a r g e i t e m s a n d d r o p p i n g t h e m . I t o o k q u i t e a f e w p h o t o s I p o s t e d o n e o n m y t w i n b e a k s b l o g , a n d w h e n y o u c l i c k o n i t i t s e a s y t o f i n d o t h e r s . G u l l s a r e s o c o m m o n a n d o r d i n a r y t h a t i t s s o m e t i m e s h a r d t o r e m e m b e r j u s t h o w u n c o m m o n l y e x t r a o r d i n a r y t h e y r e a l l y a r e .
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