They are noisy sharp-eyed scavengers. I’m talking about glaucous‑winged gulls, the most common gull species found in Dyes Inlet. It doesn’t take much to attract a curious and seemingly always-hungry crowd of them — just toss out a few gull-sized chunks of day-old bread on the shore of Mud Bay and the birds appear in seconds (see photo).
Glaucous-winged gulls are year-round residents of Puget Sound. They have white heads, pale gray wings, broad yellow bills, and pink (yes, pink) legs. Adults can be almost two feet long with four-foot wingspans. At first glance, they look like many of the dozen or so other gull species native to Washington. One key difference is the absence of any black trim on their wings and tailfeathers.
Glaucous-winged gulls will eat just about anything: shellfish, carrion, human refuse (think dumps), fish, and insects. And, of course, bread. They thrive in a variety of marine environments, including bays, estuaries, coves, beaches, and rocky shorelines. With abundant seafood and enough protected areas for nesting, Mud Bay and Dyes Inlet provide an ideal home for glaucous-winged gulls, the default gull species in Puget Sound.
The Safeway French bread I feed to my avian neighbors is cheap and good. It comes unsliced, and I use it for both rolls and sandwiches. There’s no guilt if I don’t finish a loaf before it gets stale as it only takes a minute or two to recycle it. That involves cutting up the remaining bread and walking a few steps from my deck to the gull feeding area. The gulls do the rest, some of them quickly zooming in from several hundred yards away.
Lest it sound like the local gulls are becoming dependent on me for food, I don’t think they are. I feed them about once a week, and a feeding session can attract dozens of birds, with only a few of the quicker (or more aggressive) gulls scoring a chunk of bread. When the bread is gone, they seem to quickly forget about the freewheeling contest and fly or paddle off in search of other sources of food. Sort of like the members of two soccer teams shaking hands after a close match and heading off for beer and pizza.
And life continues on Mud Bay.
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