Seagull thievery

[oddsoxxes]

You treat yourself to a delicious and expensive souvlaki chicken wrap for lunch. As you walk towards the park to sit and enjoy, a seagull dive bombs you stealing a beak full.

Do you
a) bin it
b) eat it
c) cut off the top and eat the untouched part

I am not sure that you are allowed to bin / eat or cut bits off a seagull (however tempting!)

if the sandwich, then trim any bits adjoining and eat the rest - nowt wrong with it...

B or C.

I live in Brighton so have had plenty of practice.

C

a

Stupid to have it out near seagulls.

B

C if I was really hungry. Otherwise A. Never B.

A for sure. You don't know where that bird might have put its beak before it dive bombed you.

In some places everywhere is near seagulls, there's no need to be so rude.

However, all my (attempted) seagull attacks have been while I was walking, I think it makes you more of a target. I know now to keep my food firmly wrapped up until I've found somewhere to sit, preferably with my back against a wall.

I would go for option b), but I'm pretty blasé.

Run away… fast! I have a phobia of birds. We were dive bombed at the sea side. We dumped the food and went inside a cafe as all the tables outside were dirty. The owners couldn’t keep them clean. Ruined my day!!

B, live by the sea. Though to be completely fair to our local gulls, I’ve never been dive bombed here, they are very polite gulls, especially the one that hangs out in my garden - you can eat outside and he (or she) patiently waits on the fence hoping for a titbit at the end which he gets.

D. Donate it to the gull. It's likely got chicks to feed at the moment.

Oh good, I’m glad that I’m not completely revolting. I did C but couldn’t decide if it was completely disgusting to do so. I was by myself so couldn’t get other opinions.

That's lovely. My pair of herring gulls are adorable. They politely knock for their breakfast and dinner then leave me in peace.

I was in a city centre, plenty of people eating outside and I’ve never seen this happen here before. In other places I would have been more careful.

A, bin it. I wouldn't trust seagull germs.

I have a beach tent so feel smug that the seagulls don't bother me. I would never walk down the esplanade eating, it's asking to be divebombed.

Bin it.

I would give it to the seagull. Seagull numbers are declining and wildlife conservationists have found widespread malnourishment in the gulls that have been surveyed. They may be noisy and annoying, but they need all the help they can get. Don't eat food outdoors if you're at risk of being dive bombed by them.

I did D. Throw it into the air, scream and get covered in food and delighted seagulls.
It wasn't good but DH nearly died laughing.

I work in a cafe in a seaside town and we have to warn people who sit outside that the seagulls are fearless and will take food off plates. You’d never get the chance to finish anything they’d attacked, they literally take the whole thing and swallow it down. I watched a seagull slowly swallowing a dead bird once, in a sort of horrified fascination. It just kept slowly edging it down its gullet. I didn’t know whether to be disgusted or impressed.

Oh god I can't stand them!
One completely swiped part of a hot dog or something from my hand once! I couldn't believe it!

Haha made me laugh for the first time this week. Thanks 🤩

The ice cream seller at Whitby told us to stand next to a brick wall - seemed to work for us. I think they like an escape route for a quick getaway.

Interesting
So we should sit by a wall at the seaside when we eat?

All the seagulls have started migrating to st Ives! They are the size of small dogs there so word has got out it is the place to be.