Wow, Sorry About That (i.e. California Gull)

Oh my, its been a while since I last updated. I would like to let you all know how sorry I am, and assure you that I will try to be more consistent. Its just been a crazy couple of weeks.

Well, for those of you who haven't given up on me yet, I have a new post for you guys (yaaaaay!). As promised here is more than you want to know about the California Gull.

Like most common animals, gulls are considered pests. This is not without reason, as the California gull is known to eat just about anything, including fish, small mammals, trash, crumbs, and even food out of people's hands (as I know from personal experience). This has made the California gull one of the most successful birds on the west coast, as they can survive even in the largest of cities and in thrive in dumps. In fact, the California gull is so versatile in its food and habitats, that they are even common around alkaline lakes, such as mono lake, despite the fact that no fish live there.

Gulls that live around such lakes mainly feed on brine shrimp and, believe it or not, alkaline flies. As one might imagine, gulls are poorly equipped to capture tiny insects such as flies, but the gulls are actually able to capture them by running along the shoreline with its mouth wide open and snapping at the clouds of insects.

But the California gull is not a pest to everyone. In fact, gulls often help agriculturalists and farmers by eating small rodents and insects that might otherwise destroy crops. The gulls have even been known to follow behind plows in a field, picking up whatever the plow might turn over.

But not everything that a gull picks up is food. California gulls are known to line their nests with various odds and ends, known as "juju", which can be anything from trash or hair, to small bits of plastic and toys that they pick up. Who knew they could be so artsy?!

On top of it all, California gulls are equal opportunity parents. Both males and females help to construct a nest on the ground, and once the female lays the eggs, parents each take 3-4 hour shifts sitting on the nest while the other parent goes out to hunt. Though they are only with a mate for a single season, they are faithful throughout it, despite the fact that will nest with up to 40,000 other gulls.

And what about when they are not nesting, eating? Well... not much. They spend about 20-30% if their day sleeping. I guess the life of a pest can be rather exhausting.

Sources: http://www.monolake.org/images/bomgull.pdf

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Larus_californicus.html

http://birdweb.org/birdweb/bird/california_gull

http://birdweb.org/birdweb/bird/california_gull

California Gulls

For our third everyday animal I thought it only appropriate to do a post on the animals that inspired me to do this blog in the first place: seagulls!

However, seagull might be a common term in everyday use, but taxonomically it has no real meaning. What we refer to as “seagulls” are really just a number of different types of white headed gulls that may or may not live by the sea. In fact, in Western North America alone there are at least 20 species of gulls that might be considered seagulls, many of which can live nowhere near the sea! Each of these species is unique, and I hope to get around to all of them eventually, but for today, I am going to focus on just one: the California Gull (pictured here).

Why the California gull? Because its bad ass that’s why! Although many of us Californians might think of them as pests, the people of Utah certainly seem to appreciate them enough to build a golden statue in their honor and to make them the state bird. The reasoning for this goes way back to the mid 19^th century, when Joseph Smith and his Mormon followers were settling in Utah near the Great Salt Lake. While already struggling to find a place to settle, the settlers were set upon by a swarm of crickets, specifically the species now knows as Mormon Crickets. This swarm of biblical (ah, get it?) proportions quickly ate any and all crops that the settlers had grown, and the entire settlement faced collapse and starvation.

Finally, one day, the settlement was saved by none other than the California Gull. Known to live in great numbers around the Great Salt Lake, the gulls flew in to devour the crickets, finally driving the insect off. The settlers were finally able to begin their harvest and establish a solid foundation for their settlement. Though it almost certainly wasn’t prayer that caused the gulls to descend onto the crickets, the settlers had the gulls to thank for their lives none-the-less.

Seen as divine intervention by many followers of Mormonism, the statue was erected in 1913 honoring this “Miracle of the Gulls.” Because of the church’s major involvement in the establishment of Utah as a territory and a state, the state government also recognized the historical significance of the Miracle of the Gulls and has since established the California Gull as the Utah state bird.

Now I know that this was not a very science oriented post, but it was such a cool story (after all, how many other species of birds do you know that have their own golden statue?) that it deserved its own post. But not to worry! There will be another post on California Gulls coming up on Saturday which will go back to focusing on ecology and physiology. So if you still don’t appreciate the California Gull, I’m sure you soon will.

Note: I am in no way associated with Mormonism or the Mormon Church

Here were my references:

http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/31133/The-Miracle-of-the-Gulls.html

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/california_gull/lifehistory/ac

http://birdweb.org/birdweb/bird/california_gull