I've been wanting to get a picture of a gull character for a while now, particularly a herring gull (Larus argentatus). They were the first birds to venture into my garden when I moved to my new home, and the characterful sky dinos are an inescapable part of the wildlife and culture of Britain. Admittedly their rowdy nature doesn't always endear them to people (guard your food carefully if you're eating al fresco near a beach!) but I can't help but admire their hustle. They've proven to be quite intelligent and adaptable birds, and despite often being seen squabbling over food they'll call others over when there's enough to share, work together to drive off predators, and keep each other safe when they sleep and rest in groups.
So here I am in gull mode, rather more mild-mannered than some of my wild kin, with food to share, wearing a t-shirt based on those worn by Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club (no prizes for guessing what animal their logo and nickname contain!)
A few random gull facts: 1) They lay grey, speckled eggs, from which hatch fluffy grey, speckled chicks 2) They take 4 years to fully mature, so gull parents are quite diligent in teaching their youngsters all the skills they need until they're ready to be fully independent 3) You can sometimes see them doing a funny pitter-patter dance on grass, which mimics the sensation of rain and tricks earthworms into surfacing 4) They don't have a septum between their nostrils, so in some gulls you can see all the way through one nostril and out the other side
