As I said the other day, I frequently took the Bremerton ferry this summer. Each time the boat docked in Bremerton, I hurried to the front port side to check on Mama Seagull. She'd made her nest on a tall pylon that aligns with the ferry's window. I was hoping to soon see a baby or two, but all I ever got was an egg. Anyway, everybody loves baby birds.......or do they? Well, believe it or not, the Feds have been exterminating seagulls for more than a decade from Seattle's ferry terminals, because they are a health and safety hazard, after one ferry employee came down with psittacosis, a disease sometimes transmitted by birds, even the domestic parakeet. This nasty bit of news came out here in early August. Part of the article reads, "...the birds are usually killed discreetly and quietly at night to avoid offending anyone..... Nests are removed by hand. Juvenile birds typically are gassed with carbon-dioxide in a chamber about the size of a microwave oven. Adults often are killed with pellet guns..."
So I wonder when our nation's beaches are going to get rid of all their gulls.
I hope this little egg stays safe.
10 comments:
Cheltenham and the neibouring city of Gloucester ar eover run with seagulls, and we are not near the sea. They oil the eggs to try and control the numbers, not sure what this does but its not nice I'm sure.
Yesterday a seagull poohed on me! People told me it was good luck but I've yet to find any!
Nice shot. I hope she and her baby stay survive.
What a fabulous shot, Bibi! This is Seagull Day. I just got back from the beach, where we were surrounded by brazen gulls. Came home and checked Paris Daily Photo: more seagulls. And now here's your fascinating and very disturbing post on the subject.
That's just horrible!
I don't know if I should have read your post... and not only looked at the picture...
I love your photo and that you kept tabs on this gull's nest. But after reading about the measures to cut the gull population at the ferry terminals, I almost feel like I should go on a rescue mission. . .gassing baby seagulls and the adults get their own Einsatzgruppen? I know infection control is really important, though. At the hospital I used to work at they tried everything known to man to discourage gulls and pigeons from roosting on window ledges and roofs because it could mean life or death to compromised patients.
-Kim
Nature will always pull through...
Beautiful birds when you don't hear the squawking!
I have to wonder how the ferry crew missed this nest. As it's in plain sight one just might think somebody's looking the other direction.
A shame it has come to that.
In Spain at the moment, fortunately these were not taken such drastic measures.
Post a Comment