h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Yes, it's odd on reflection - you'd expect them to be pretty timorous! I've found I can just wander past them and they don't even care - they just look up, and sort of instantly dismiss me, even if I walk just a few metres from them. Kind of miffing, really.

- Jordan

Find it quite reassuring myself. Whatever man does nature finds a way around it, so far at least.

Jordan. I understand that seagulls in seaside towns have become very bold. Apparently, if you are eating outdoors, they will shit on your head and then nick your food while you are cleaning yourself up.

toxx

Do I detect someone taking the michael? I've never seen that although the local seagulls are quite aggressive.

Cat. Someone reported precisely such an incident on Radio 4 yesterday. Don't quite recall where it took place.

toxx

Must be all those years in London made me unduly cynical and suspicous .

No problem, Cat. I might have stretched a point by suggesting that it was general seagull behaviour. Even so, wear a broad brimmed hat if you don't want whitewashing!

toxx

I've been working to get my course work finished on time and missing out on conversations. Must remember to delete JtP from my friends as I came back to a million dready posts from the fundementalist.

Just a thought from a couple of posts up re Carey,
If I believe (as I do that the thing we call God is a the collective consciousness then putting 'God' before Queen Country etc etc. is the right idea. Since then we put everything in the right order

hi Moth! *waves*

Nice to see you again.

az

Where I live seeing foxes, badgers, stoats, weasels, rabbits and hares is practically a daily occurrence. Especially if you get up at dawn and go for walks as I am wont to do.

We also have Red Kites and Buzzards, a few deer in the larger woodlands, and of course a slowly growing population of black panthers.

Blessings,
Matholwch /|\.

Welcome back Moth

I love seeing all the animals we get round here although to be honest the variety is not that great. I even like the gulls even though they have moved from their "normal" habitat, it shows how adaptable nature is.

On the subject of seagulls, hijacking peoles food TOXX. Im very sceptical. They will plop on people as a defence strategy though and maybe nicking their lunch was an afterthought? Having said that "plop and distract" as a tactic cant be ruled out as animals often have more intelligence than some people give them credit for.

While we are on the subject of animals can anyone here confirm or deny that in Jordan (the state not our freind here) it is illegal to have sex with a male goat or sheep but the law does not prohibit sex with females within the shepherds flock. I heard it in a pub quiz once I may have got it wrong as it was a PUB quiz.

Hi, Badge. I'm not saying that the 'plop and rob' strategy is thought out in advance by the gulls, although birds are much more intelligent than they were given credit for until recently. However, gulls do 'dive-bomb' predators near their nest sites.

The first instance of 'plop and rob' might have been merely opportunistic, as you suggest. Operant conditioning would then kick in when 'plopping' behaviour has been reinforced by a food reward! They would tend to repeat the performance, and birds do learn from one another. There was a time before birds pecked open milk bottles; and I don't mean before there were milk bottles.

toxx

In fact, crows and ravens in Japan (lovely, beautiful birds) learned that when they have nuts they want opened, they simply find a pedestrian crossing, wait for the cars to stop, drop the nuts where a car will run over them, and wait for the lights to change over and back, whereupon they can go down and eat. Much easier than bashing them on rocks repeatedly...

This and more can be found at this fascinating site:

http://www.pbs.org/lifeofbirds/brain/

Similar information from here:

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/seta/2002/08/29/stories/2002082900070200.htm

As for seagulls, some places are considering culling the things because they're such a nuisance!

- Jordan

Seagulls are quite canny birds, given the fact that they now happily live in areas far from the sea.

Though I can't imagine them actually planning an attack on people eating their fish and chips outdoors in order to get more of whatever someone is eating.

They are scavengers. And yes, canny. I quite like seagulls. And I always give them some of my chips. But not if they sh*t on me!!!

Pidgeons are even worse. Woody Allen once called them 'rats with wings'.

az

'Rats with wings'?!

Pigeons are wonderful, I love seeing them around the town! I prefer them to seagulls...

There's a childhood grudge here, and it applies to swans as well...

- Jordan

C'mon now Jordan you cant hold it against all seagulls and Swans. Or do youi differentiate and like Beswicks but not hoppers I'd understand if it it was mute swans though. Now they are scum, they are constantly, quite literally, swanning about all silent and superior, whats the big secret what are they keeping from us???????

Any seagull that steals my delicious chips is definitely in for a hard time.

And I once had a close call with a swan... it nearly attacked me for sitting at the side of the pond eating my lunch! My teacher went mad at me - /me/ - for disturbing it! Oh, I'm sorry miss, I breathed, I didn't meant to sit quietly and do nothing at all disturbing to disturb it.

What complete cows some of my primary school teachers were!

- Jordan

Come on, Badge. Remember that their legs are going like the clappers under the water. Would you prefer one of those 3 note dove calls endlessly repeated? 'hu hoooo hoo'.

toxx