Attack of the Giant Seagulls!

Whoosh!  The menacing shadow loomed overhead, coupled with the ominous sounds of flapping wings and squawking.  They’re baa-aaack! 

This weekend on the beach we faced down some scary predators and lived to tell the tale! That’s right, folks, we survived….the attack of the giant seagulls.

Photo credit: nothingboy

 

These gregarious birds have, of course, long been fixtures at beaches, lakes, and McDonald’s parking lots. But never, and I mean never, before have I been literally dive-bombed by these overeager birds as I sat on a beach towel.  Until now.

This is actually a sparse crowd!

 

I should’ve known something was amiss, given that earlier this summer, Anna’s hot dog was stolen in one efficient swoop by one huge seagull.  Last year, our whole Ziploc bag of goldfish was stolen as we vacationed in Cape Cod. But this time, we were there to guard our food. It didn’t matter. Roughly 10 or 15 of them started stalking us the moment we arrived back at our towels after a trip to the snack bar.

They flew in from behind so closely that they ruffled my hair.  One of the birds clearly had a broken, dangling leg, and when I first spotted him, I felt sorry for the little guy.  And then he tried to attack us – I swear that gimpy leg almost grazed my scalp – and the warm, fuzzy, sympathetic feeling was gone.

“Go away seagulls!  Grrrr!  Wooooh!” yelled Anna. It was a valiant effort, but sadly, not much of a deterrent.  Thankfully, we were appropriately vigilant this time and nobody swiped our stuff.  I did check my head several times, though, to make sure nobody had decided to poop in my hair. And we rushed through our lunch and snacks so that we could fend off any would-be invaders.

Creepy, huh?

These experiences have hardened my once-friendly attitude toward these birds.  Now, when we feed ducks and, inevitably, seagulls try to crash our party, Anna and I do our best to make sure the ducks get our bread!

What I can’t believe is that these greedy gulls get SO close!  I don’t know about you, but I don’t remember this level of aggressiveness in seagulls when I was a child. Have any of you had similar experiences?

Check out “When Seagulls Attack,” which further elaborates on my point via humorous pictures!

Seagull mural - don't let the serene facade fool you!