One of my favorite childhood memories was the Bolivar ferry ride heading to the big island, Galveston. All seven of us loaded into the station wagon with several packages of bread for the seagulls, which would devour anything tossed in their direction. After a few tossed crumbs, they would become emboldened and rip that bread right out of your hand. When you finally ran out of bread, it was a race back to the car for shelter from the little dive bombers:) When Matt and Tres were small we continued the tradition, holding them up with their fists filled with bread pieces, as the birds snatched them from their little hands. It brings back a flood of memories as I watch other young families repeating this ritual on the ferry, including my own grandchildren.

Today, as our society becomes more conscientious of our environment, we have learned that white processed bread is not particularly healthy for the birds. In retrospect, it’s difficult to understand why the gulls would choose something so unnatural over the shrimp, fish, and crabs floating nearby just for the taking. Maybe there is a fascination with what the humans eat? At any rate, after some internet research, I found that a far more nutritious, and gastronomically safer, alternative was unflavored original Cheerios. Who would have thought? Apparently even the greckles agree with this new offering, although they take a back seat to the much larger and more aggressive seagulls.

Local fishermen have less interest in filling the bellies of the local birds. They have learned to carefully guard their baggies of shrimp; if they turn their back on their bait, the birds can scoop up that baggie in a heartbeat. They sit along the edge of the seawall waiting patiently for the fisherman to look away for an instant. It’s amazing how noiselessly they can sneak in and abscond with all the bait. I can attest to this, as I have lost many a shrimp this way. I now find myself in retirement looking forward to the end of the day, when as the sunsets and the temperatures cool, I head out to insure my birds have their supper. Yes I am now the retired lady who feeds the birds everyday! Life has come full circle. Bye Bye little greckle who waits at the Diamond Beach gate. See you at sunset tomorrow.