Bagels! (Or Bay-Gulls if you prefer)

Since we live on a bay instead of the sea, we prefer to call these birds baygulls. There are plenty of them in the summertime to squawk and make noise and clean up the messes that people leave sometimes. You do have to watch when you're eating outside by the bay that you don't share food with them until you're almost done--otherwise they let their buddies know that there is food to be had and they can get a party started in a matter of minutes! We've seen times when there are two of them and within a few minutes, there can be 30-50 that fly in for free snacks. Personally, I always like it when there are big crowds of them in the spring; it means warm weather is finally coming back!!

The Seagulls are back!

Meet our summer garbage crew. They come back every spring, clamoring loudly that you should share your picnic lunch with them. I have even seen them steal food off a picnic table while people are sitting there. When there are only 2 or 3, people think it is fine to feed them because they are so cute and there are only a few of them. Little do they know that once word gets around (in as little as 30 seconds) the air will soon be filled with dozens of them all screaming for their fair share. There does seem to be a pecking order among them as well. Maybe it is just territorial, but the squawking bird in the middle of the photo was not happy with the others and was basically telling them to shove off. Just a part of the summer adventure near the lake. So, if you're here and eating, make sure you don't leave anything laying around; it won't be there when you get back!