Seagull Riot

No matter what time of day or night you drive past campus on Buffalo Road, you will find the center of the track filled with seagulls just sitting there nonchalantly doing nothing. When I first observed this odd behavior, I wondered if the center of the track were heated, enticing the birds to settle in. Or perhaps there were caches of worms and grubs that attracted their attention. I asked several people, and mostly they had never given it any thought. One person said in a very matter of fact way that they are there because of the pond on the other side of the field house. Period. End of discussion. I was not convinced. But since I don't speak seagull, I was stuck with that explanation.

I was surprised to find that when there are events, the school pays people to scatter the birds and shoo them away from the grass in the track center. How absurd! Of course, I know airports do that for safety reasons. But wouldn't it make more sense to find out why the seagull sit there and address the reason? After all, the ducks and geese are smart enough to contain themselves to the actual pond. Perhaps seagulls are a bit mental and don't quite get it right.

Today, the new students arrived in droves. Six hundred freshmen and transfer students descended en masse to campus, littering the lawn with cars spewing dorm furnishings and younger siblings. It was a tonic to have such activity after the doldrums of summer. Parents wandered into the library to check it out, timid and awestruck and maybe just a little bit overwhelmed by it all. I loved chatting with those who were willing, meeting the new students, answering questions (where's the bathroom being the all time favorite). It was great.

On the way home, as I headed my Malibu down Westside Drive, I suddenly realized that the seagulls were completely discombobulated. Most of them were airborn, wheeling and crying in distress. The rest of them were scattered all over the ground from the farthest soccer field to the tennis courts to the lawn behind the athletic center. They definitely did NOT like the students taking over their world and were demonstrating vehemently to anyone who would notice.

It will likely take days for them to settle down. I wonder they don't just give up and find a quieter place to reside - like an actual sea or lake. There are tons of them nearby. I do feel just a bit sorry for them though. Maybe I can ask an expert scientist why they behave as they do and get to the root of their problem. Or not.