Being back at the beach after such a long time (Madrid is far away from any coast) was one of the best parts of this journey, bringing me closer to home. Watching the seagulls aimlessly walking around, I felt the humidity on my skin and smelled the salt in the air--it really made me very emotional.
Seagulls have a worldwide presence. They live on every continent, including Antarctica! Seagulls are less common on tropical islands. They tend to breed inland and migrate to the coast when winter arrives.
Gulls are known for their cunning, adaptability and zero fear of living amongst humans. They adapt to their surrounding environment: they change their hunting behavior due to where they find themselves. When on beaches, gulls feed on insects, mollusks and crustaceans; along the shore, they wil eat fish. When in-land, they hunt for worms in farmer's fields. Gulls will also try to find food on-board ships, and they will eat garbage, too.
Increasing numbers of gulls are affected by the huge amounts of trash found on the surface of the Earth. Sharp-edged plastics kill these animals by punching holes in their internal organs. Some gulls eat to much trash that their health and body-weight is severly affected.
They are also harmed by oil spills and petroleum contamination. The oil floats to the surface, so when these birds dive in the water, oil sticks to their body harming their feathers (making them lose critical body heat) and exposing them to harsh temperatures, which can be fatal.
