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Commodore Green

The Irish Legend

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41

Monday, March 6th 2006, 2:07am

You either have a really SMALL appetite, or an AWFUL lot of squirrels!!!

Fyrwulf

Professional

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42

Monday, March 6th 2006, 2:37am

That's one of those pits that's meant to feed a lot of people. You could probably fit a good 20 fluffy-tailed critters in there.

alt_naval

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43

Monday, March 6th 2006, 2:57am

Quoted

Pigeons eating cigarette butts


Ours don't seem that dumb, must be just Canadian Pigeons... ; ) (AIGF)

I remember having fish'n'chips in the car one day (it was cold and windy) sure enough, the seagulls came and the gutsy ones landed on the bonnet. I stupidly held out a chip on the dash and they tried to take it by pecking the windscreen. They just couldn't figure it out. Ten minutes worth of free entertainment : )

DON'T feed seagulls aspirin cause they EXPLODE.

Watching them eat bread dipped in chilli is kinda funny too - until they get their own back by shitting all over the place ten times more than usual.

Cheers,

thesmilingassassin

The Chosen One

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44

Monday, March 6th 2006, 3:35am

Seagulls are not the brightest torches in the Pyramid...thats for sure. One time when I was a kid fishing, a seagull ate the small perch on the end of my line I was using to fish for Pike.....at least I caught something.

I felt bad cutting the line and leaving the hook in his gut but there wasn't really much I could do.

Quoted

DON'T feed seagulls aspirin cause they EXPLODE.


Good thing I didn't give the above mentioned seagull aspirin, how on earth did you discover this anyway?!!

Ithekro

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45

Monday, March 6th 2006, 3:39am

High School

thesmilingassassin

The Chosen One

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46

Monday, March 6th 2006, 3:55am

The only time I saw a seagull explode was when it was run over (litterally) by a car, that definately re-enforced my opinion that they are stupid birds.

alt_naval

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47

Monday, March 6th 2006, 5:00am

Quoted

High School


Bingo. A Science teacher volunteered this to a bunch of 13 and 14 year old boys ; )

Apparently they cannot burp so a rapid build up of gas will have them rupture - not the black puff of smoke that 'explode' images up. Something for Myth-busters ; )

I've heard of actively 'fishing' for them. Tie three pieces of fishing line together in a 'propeller' fashion. tie pieces of food to the free ends. Throw at a flock of seagulls. One bird grabs it and flies off while the others chase after it with the food trailing behind. Aerial chase ensues like radio controlled planes - no batteries required.

Cheers,

Red Admiral

Italian Stallion

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48

Monday, March 6th 2006, 12:09pm

Bicarbonate is supposed to work fairly well in case you don't have aspirin.

Interesting about the fishing;

I caught a pike once whilst fishing for littluns with maggots. Got a small roach on the line which was then taken by a pike.

One of the stranger fishing stories happened to a friend of mine. He was fly fishing at night with a luminesent fly. As he cast one time he felt the line go heavy for some reason. A bat had eaten his fly whilst in mid-cast.

Korpen

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49

Monday, March 6th 2006, 4:15pm

Quoted

Originally posted by thesmilingassassin
The only time I saw a seagull explode was when it was run over (litterally) by a car, that definately re-enforced my opinion that they are stupid birds.

Maybe, but they are great flying artists!
I love when they steal the hotdog out of the hands of children!
As my username implies, my favorite bird by far is the raven (corvus corax), beautiful birds!

Swamphen

Mr. Dynamite

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50

Monday, March 6th 2006, 5:27pm

Quoted

DON'T feed seagulls aspirin cause they EXPLODE.

Actually, it's Alka-Seltzer, not asprin. And it's a myth.

From Bird Watcher's Digest
Common Bird Myths:

Quoted

4. Exploding gulls.
Another exploding bird myth. I wonder why we are so attached to myths where something blows up. Must be the drama.

This myth proposes that if you feed a gull an Alka Seltzer tablet it will swallow the offering and when the lethal charge gets into the stomach and dissolves, the expanding gasses will cause the bird to explode. Every year there is another story about some mean kids doing this. Oddly, it always involves New Jersey.

After you stop giggling at the image of gulls exploding like flying land mines all over the Jersey shore, the unlikelihood of the myth starts to intrude. If it were true, it would be a big story. I can see the coverage now: Dan Rather in his safari jacket, standing on the windswept coast, hair blowing in the wind, gull feathers raining down in the background; PBS specials (who can resist the vision of a gull, cheerfully flying along and then suddenly exploding, right in front of the camera?); exposés in the tabloids.

If the body could not handle a little Alka Seltzer without an explosion, it wouldn't be legal to sell the stuff over the counter. If it caused gulls to explode, there would be a rash of reports every year. I do not know the physiological process by which the body processes a tablet swallowed whole (and I have no interest in trying), but I assume it involves, among other things, a fair amount of belching and a slightly gassy feeling. Actually, if I ate some of the stuff that gulls do, I would be thrilled to have a little relief, but they seem to do fine without it.



And The Straight Dope on Exploding Birds:

Quoted

(6) Ex-serviceman Allen Greiner reports that while stationed on the Gulf Coast, he and his friends used to entertain themselves by tossing Alka-Seltzer to circling seagulls, who would catch the tablets in mid-air. If the gull succeeded in swallowing the Alka-Seltzer, it would falter after a short time, foam at the beak, then projectile vomit its stomach contents. Afterward the bird would be as healthy as ever.



BTW, hummingbirds do not migrate on the backs of geese, either...

Swamphen

Mr. Dynamite

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51

Monday, March 6th 2006, 5:33pm

Quoted

The only time I saw a seagull explode was when it was run over (litterally) by a car, that definately re-enforced my opinion that they are stupid birds.

I've seen some odd roadkill in my time...such as an American Coot. And would you believe a hamster?!


A few years ago there was a pack of gulls at a local park that, like gulls everywhere, loves free handouts. It got to where every time we drove up, they would come flying over. And after throwing them bread, they would hover, waiting, like a horde of hungry vultures....

One time one was hovering in front of the truck, staring at our food. We started backing up - and he started coming forwards, at exactly the same pace, maintaining his relative position to the grub...

"You've seen Jaws. Now see...BEAKS. Dum dum dumdum dumdumdum..."