Re:Lunch with Mr C. Gull et al.

[Syd Curtis <>]

Hi JAG,

    You wrote, amongst other things:
> From: Penn Gwynne <>
> Date: Thu, 27 Mar 2003 20:12:01 -0800 (PST)
> To: Birding Aus <>
> Subject: [BIRDING-AUS] *Prizes*
G'day All: I sat down near the pier for a very late lunch, doing my best to keep my salad roll to myself, many thieving feathers around NOT only Mr. C Gull but lots of other gulls, Pacific and an unbelievable amount of Albie Tross? his family must be doing okay.

Reminds me of a lunch I had years ago with the late Norman Robinson.  Can't recall the name of the place.  An outer suburb of Perth on the north coast.  Shops etc., built over the water with a boat harbour between them and the shore.    Delightful restaurant with some tables in the open facing the water as well as others inside.  Excellent smorgasbord.  Been there a few times since.

Picked up Norman and his wife from their Unit.  "Oh," says Norman, "I nearly forgot.  Must take a recorder and a seagull tape."

At this restaurant Mr and Mrs C. Gull and all their friends are ever on the watch.  Leave one of the tables in the open unattended and they are onto it.

We were inside.   A party departed from an outside table.  In no time the gulls were in attacking the scraps.  And making a lot of noise about it.

"Time for action," says Norman.   Puts his recorder on the outside table and sets it going with a tape of Gull distress calls.  Nothing happens.  "Perhaps it's not loud enough," I suggest.  Norman says nothing.

But after a couple of minutes every gull within earshot start circling around near the recorder.  They keep it up for a short time then vamoose.  Not a gull in sight.  Quiet descends on the restaurant, and we finish our meal in peace.

Justified use of Playback?  Don't tell me, tell those who don't agree with you.  (We haven't had a prolonged pointless argument on birding-aus for a while.)

 Cheers

Syd