Spring has finally arrived. I
can tell without checking the
calendar because I’ve been
sneezing my head off, my eyes are
itchy and of course it’s now Daylight
Saving Time. An hour ahead
or an hour behind hasn’t bothered
me because being in my apartment
most of the day, time loss or gain
doesn’t seem to matter. However,
with more daylight and milder
weather, my body and mind are
resorting to tricks. I’m beginning
to get restless. You’ve heard of the
soap “The Young and Restless?” My
version is “Older With Shpilkes.” I
believe it’s not only me. It’s affecting
everyone.
Last week my “Best Buds” and
I decided we needed to escape
to “a” shore. Of course, an ideal
trip would be to an exotic shore
in Bora Bora, French Polynesia or
the Maldives. I don’t have to list
all that we have dreamt about or
visited. You kind of get the idea.
I even went so far as to check
availability, but when I sobered
up I realized there was a problem.
Immediacy was the key to this
plan and unfortunately, that’s a
hitch. We aren’t comfortable with
flying and cruising at this moment
in time. After a lengthy discussion
of fifteen seconds, a decision was
made and we eventually managed
to come up with a shore – a shore
on Long Island – Oyster Bay, to be
specific. I know! I know! Don’t
laugh!
We (gulp) even planned on
driving. Well, it was going somewhere.
It was just a bit different
– okay, a lot different. In the most
recent past, we usually shlepped
to the shores of Port Washington.
Virtually the same as Oyster Bay
– but somehow this new venue
seemed to feel like a change.
Maybe because we drove twenty
minutes further? Maybe because
I didn’t know how to get there?
Maybe because I had to back
down a whole one-way block
and survived? Maybe because
we finally reached a destination?
At this point any would have
sufficed. Driving backwards and
making multiple u-turns could be
challenging to passengers in a car.
I must confide they were very quiet
during this trip. Maybe they were
busy praying? I thought I heard a
few amens. Who knows? When we
finally arrived at our destination,
I can’t begin to tell you how calm
and peaceful it was to watch the
ebb and flow of the shoreline even
without the palliative enhancement
of my favorite medicinal
food, cheesecake.
Where we parked was an ideal
spot. The quietness and the beauty
of nature were mesmerizing. We
just sat and looked out into the
blue horizon. We said nothing. Do
you know in the past, it might have
been a challenge for three chatty
women to sit quietly for minutes
at a time, but today it was magical!
No worrisome thoughts, just the
beauty of what was within our
field of vision.
Oy vey! Out of nowhere a congregation
of seagulls emerged.
That was it! I have a traumatic
history with seagulls. It started
when my car became a daily part
of gull “target” practice. My thenshiny
black car was always polka
dotted, especially soon after a
car wash. It got so that I almost
stopped washing my car. It didn’t
matter. My car must have been
on a bird APB that they passed
from one to another. I lived in
Port Washington for almost forty
years and kept the car wash in
business. The workers didn’t know
my name, but they knew my car.
Even though my car is now silver,
I was still waiting for the “target”
bombing to start. I was afraid to
get out of my car. My immediate
thought was “Were they here at
this time because they recognized
me from Port Washington?” Do
you think they flew for 25 minutes
from Port to seek revenge for my
moving away? How did they get
here? Did they take route 25A or
fly over water? Thank goodness
for the most part the gulls were
walking, not flying.
Whatever peacefulness we were
enjoying was interrupted by the
cacophony of these creatures. We
were trapped in the car for now, so
on a lark we started checking out
whatever information we could
gather on them. First of all, people
call them seagulls, but they are
really gulls. We call them seagulls
in NY. Do you think they might be
called “Siegels” in Florida?
From our research I must admit
I found a new respect for them,
and whoever coined the phrase
and addressed someone as a “bird
brain” as a disparaging term really
did the gulls a disservice. They are
quite intelligent for their species.
They learn, remember and even
pass on behavior such as stamping
their feet to imitate rainfall and
trick earthworms into coming to
the surface. Earthworms are not
my thing, but as a kid, if I stopped
to stamp my feet to get something,
what I got wasn’t exactly what I
was kvetching for. These days I’m
glad I can lift a foot to get from
here to there, never mind stamping
in my oversized orthopedic shoes.
Seriously, I shouldn’t complain
about my shoes. The clopping
sound I hear while moving about
assures me that I am still able to
walk, and though their size is
unattractive, they are versatile.
Just in case, I can either play pickle
ball with them or use them to
defend myself.
Enough about me! Let me get
back to these avians. As a couple,
the male and female seagull pair
for life and take turns incubating
the eggs and feeding and protecting
their chicks. Nest building is
also a part of their bonding, and
they use their feathers to make
their chicks more comfortable
in their little aerie. Is that where
the term “feathering your nest”
comes from? The only feathers I
have in my nest are in my pillows
and comforter. Aaaah, delightful!
The male does most of the foraging
for food because he has a greater
flying range and the female does
most of the guarding and brooding.
It’s good that the father is so
attentive and caring. But does
he give the momma gull enough
time for herself? Do you think
she is able to go for a pedicure?
Digging for earthworms has to be
hard on the talons. Do you think
“happy wife, happy life” applies
to seagulls?
Gulls communicate within a
range of vocalizations and body
movements. The larger gulls were
obviously in charge because whenever
they approached smaller ones
sitting on the pilings, the smaller
ones deferred to them and flew
away. So there’s obviously a
“pecking order” in play there. The
tiniest gulls stay with each other
forming a nursery flock where
they play and learn vital skills for
adulthood. Additionally, they are
watched over by the males who
will gang up on an intruder with as
many as 100 other gulls and drive
them away. They chicks remain
together until they are old enough
to breed. Kind of a bird-daycare.
Does a gull have guile? You
have to sense that these gulls are
doing something right because
they have been in existence on the
planet for over 30 million years.
Your experience with seagulls may
not be as challenging as mine, but
I do love to watch them as part of
the scenery at the shore as long
as they’re not flying over my car.
And with that, I’m ending my bird
tail (tale) with an overwhelming
thought…”thank God, cows don’t
fly!!!”*
*The title and end of this story
are part of a rhyme many of us
repeated as children.
BIRDY, BIRDY IN THE SKY……
24 NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER ¢ June 2021