Monday 18 June 2018

Self-whiteousness

Recently, a friend, A, who shares a love of the natural world, remarked on social media that she wondered how gulls kept so sparkly white and clean? As part of the discussion, she pointed out that urban gulls spend a great deal of time on filthy landfill sites, whilst in a rural setting, gulls follow the plough or muck spreader. According to A, even dead gulls on the beach manage to look clean-ish. And now that she lives right by the shore, in a small town full of gulls, she never sees any of them bathing or preening, but they always look pristine.

Well, it's a good question, and one that I couldn't resist answering.

So here it is, the definite I&T guide as to how to wash your gull, by species...


You're welcome.

11 comments:

Mark said...

I hope 'A' appreciates all of your hours of painstaking research in this scholarly presentation.

SharonLarkin said...

giggle, giggle, giggle!

Imperfect and Tense said...

Mark, I had a reply back from Anne, wishing me good luck with my new business venture - a chain of Larus Laundromats!

Imperfect and Tense said...

Sharon, Welcome! I am glad you approached this post with the correct degree of ornithological seriousness :o)

Anonymous said...

perhaps you should have said no gulls were harmed in the research for this post!!!!!
Cpt.Sundial

Imperfect and Tense said...

Captain S! Good point, although I can't help but think you might just be playing to the gullery.

SharonLarkin said...

I have to confess that I regularly visit your blog but I'm usually a lurker rather than a commentator LOL

Spadger said...

And now I can finally comment via my computer - can't seem to comment through my phone. Many years ago (around the time of dinosaurs) my then YOC leader used to say gulls feed from our rubbish by day and bath in our drinking water by night!

Imperfect and Tense said...

Sharon, I'm happy to have inspired an inaugural I&T comment!

Imperfect and Tense said...

JD, We're happy to share our waste with Nature, but not our clean water. Hmmm, and then humans blame the gulls and apply for a licence to cull them. No wonder they're always scolding us with their calls.

Spadger said...

and nicking our chips, pasties or ice creams!