When Balgowlah resident and ferry deckhand Paul Cristina posted this video to social media, we had questions. Actually just one: WHY?
“I just wanted to see how far the seagulls would go, I wanted to know if they would take a chip out of someone’s mouth. No one wanted to help me find out, except my friend Dave. He’s the one in the video.
We asked what reaction he had noticed, given the fairly well known local mantra: Don’t Feed The Birds.
“I’ve got my own theories on that,” he replies. “The food that they would normally eat, that they used to eat has more or less disappeared and they’ve had to evolve and adapt. Some of that adaptation has involved learning to scavenge.”
“I just wanted to see how far the seagulls would go, I wanted to know if they would take a chip out of someone’s mouth. No one wanted to help me find out, except my friend Dave. He’s the one in the video.
I tell Paul that I’m still pretty bitter about having my kebab stolen right under my nose mid bite. I could have told him that chip would be happily taken from Dave’s mouth without a second thought. But Paul is clearly on the birds’ side, and I realise I’ve just admitted to being outwitted by a bird. Twice.
“After COVID hit we noticed quite a few dead gulls around, particular at Circular Quay. I think the sudden drop in tourists really cut off their food source. I felt sorry for them. They just want to survive like the rest of us.”
