seagull roulette
I farmed on an island for several years and in my spare time I worked as a stern-hand on a lobster boat. My job was to band the caught lobsters and re-bait the pockets that go into the traps. I spent a lot of time emptying old, disgusting herring from bait pockets and stuffing them with new, disgusting herring. But it was fun.

The captain of the boat hated gulls. I loved them. I used to dump some of the old bait pockets on the stern table to attract the ring-billed, herring, and black-backed gulls, much to his consternation. A few of the birds would let me get pretty close to them.

One day I bet the captain of the boat $50 that I could get a gull to take a herring from my hand. I have quite a bit of experience in wildlife rehabilitation and I'm familiar with the audacity of the black-backed gulls. He went in for the bet. The first immature greater black-backed gull that landed on the stern table took not one, but two, herring right from my hand. Needless to say, I was $50 richer and feeling pretty smug.
(insectra, Sat 9 May 2009, 16:03, 1 reply)

Seagulls
You have quite a bit of experience in wildlife rehabilitation and yet you still titled it seagull roulette... Herring gulls, yes. Black headed gulls, yes. Black backed gulls even. But seagulls, no.
No such bird.
(Kip, Wed 13 May 2009, 12:13, closed)