If you have ever stepped foot on a beach, which is highly likely of every Scituate High School student considering the town’s main attractions, you have unavoidably encountered one of the ocean’s not so considerate contributions, seagulls.
Seagulls, although understandably nostalgic with their association to the allure of the ocean and beach, are ultimately an annoyance. Their pesky, egocentric habits and evil intentions affect all beach-goers, causing their very existence to become a nuisance. Arguably worse than the seagulls annoying presence, however, are the people who decide, incomprehensible as it may seem, that feeding seagulls is cute, enjoyable or beneficial in some way.
When imagining a day on the beach, one may think first of the sun-warmed sand and the peaceful slapping of waves on the water’s edge. It is rare, I presume, that with all this natural beauty and relaxation connected with the beach that someone would ever imagine joy in a squawking clamor of eager, loud, defecating birds. Although this may seem a universal truth or understanding, quite the opposite is true for an astonishing number of people.
In my many years of going to the beach, I have encountered countless occurrences in which attendants, rather than splashing in the waves or building a sandcastle, decide the best activity is feeding a seagull which by default, turns into feeding 1,200 seagulls. This activity is neither enjoyable for anyone (but the blissful feeder) nor healthy for the bird community. Senior Thomas Brennan agrees on the annoying nature of the birds. “I don’t like when people feed the seagulls because it makes them stay and when they are around, they poop on people. I don’t want to be pooped on” Brennan said.
Seagull feeding is a disturbance to the relaxed atmosphere of the beach as well as the experience of every other beach member. One who decides to feed these nautical birds must not take into account the presence of others on the beach, for I would assume that no one in their right mind would voluntarily cause the discomfort, ruined lunches and disgusting disturbance of flocking seagulls onto others.
Aside from being completely inconsiderate of other beach attendants, seagull feeders are also not providing any outstanding benefits to the lives of this bird species. If anyone who thinks that feeding a bird Cheetos or the last of a Maria’s meatball sub is better than allowing them to find their own, natural source of fuel and nutrients, they are mistaken.
Although seagulls are savage animals by nature, this does not mean that they should be fed by humans. First off, according to a study done by the Ornithology Department at Cornell University, birds who become reliant on a human feeding process, lack the training to fend for themselves in finding food. Therefore, during periods when this food supply is not readily available, “the sudden disappearance of food might be a hardship” according to the study.
The human supply of food to seagulls, primarily in the summer, is therefore more of a hindrance to the lives of the birds than a momentary help. By providing these birds with a constant summer supply of food followed by an abrupt end to the food supply, seagulls are unprepared to fend for their own during the colder months.
In the end, the solution to feeding the seagulls is solitary and simple: don’t do it. Resist every urge that your body may have to offer up the end of your packed lunch and enjoy the natural beauty and fun of the summer and leave your birdy friends in peace.