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

There's a lake about 50 or 60 miles inland that used to have goldfish in it until one summer when seagulls flew inland and ate the fish.

That's not the reason I'd be upset if it 'twere me.

Because "it's personal"?

Is this about the fish, or about something else? Fish breed like crazy and can be replaced. I just mentioned it because it seemed a little odd that gulls would know enough about an inland lake to go to the bother of flying that far.

It's probably just a .

"Because "it's personal"?"

Damn straight.


P.S. Yeah,

I was on holiday once and chasing North Junior around the edge of an ornamental boating lake - disturbing a resident colony of gulls in the process.

It must have been a well established colony, as I heard and felt a crunch as I ran through. When I caught up with NJ, I looked down to see that I'd trodden in a long-departed seagull corpse, and the bones had clamped themselves around the end of my shoe.

Other small children were pointing at me and crying. I had to quickly prise it off with something. I chose a metal sign advertising ice creams, to which it attached itself.

People stopped buying ice creams.

>>I had to quickly prise it off with something. I chose a metal sign advertising ice creams,

"It's ******* seabird flavour!" (John Cleese)

Herring gulls may be in decline - or rather, they ARE definitely in decline - but in fairness it's from a pretty large starting point. Right now there are in excess of 100,000 breeding pairs in the UK. How many is "enough"? I can't say I'd be too upset if half of them were wiped out. Only 50,000 breeding pairs left, you say? Quelle domage. It's hardly the giant ibis or the kakapo, is it?

I question those figures, I'm sure there are in excess of 100,000 breeding pairs on my roof alone.

Haven't seen any sea gulls lately.

Probably, they're chowing down on brine flies up at Mono Lake.

Did see a Gamble's Quail today, a husky male who looked like he was shopping for territory.

I used to have a flock.

They promptly deserted when the the local troop of feral cats moved in.

The cats in turn deserted when they ran out of birds.

I hope the Quail sticks.

They're quite the best of the local songbirds.

On a recent trip I have seen small numbers(4 to 6 individuals) gulls 250 miles 400 klm in land on large rivers.

They have *wings*. If they find the grub and amenities in Great Britain not to their liking, they can fly off somewhere else in search of a better life.

That's such a gullophobic comment to make.

It's more like gull envy .

I can't fly without buying an airline ticket.

Do you get wafers with it?

PP.

Not the airlines I use.

Careless research reveals that there are around a million pairs of breeding gulls of assorted types, compared to approximately 9 million dogs in Britain.

My sympathies lie with the under-gull in this conflict.

Gulls are of benefit to nature cleaning up and generally minding their own business.
Dogs are of negative value to nature and of little value to urban man (apart from the companionship aspect)

If pet dogs were eradicated nature would not notice in fact it would be a benefit albeit a small one.

If gulls are eradicated we would notice their departure and the negative effect on nature would be considerable.

Dogs eat just as much random junk as Seagulls do. The only thing of negative value to nature is Man.


And Hollywood Executives.