On Memorial Day weekend, as part of the Harbor Festival in Kitsap County, Washington, the city of Port Orchard hosts its annual "World Famous" Seagull Calling Contest. A few dozen spectators gather each year at Waterfront Park along Sinclair Inlet to watch children and occasional dogs and adults who attempt to coax seagulls onshore with reasonable and unreasonable facsimiles of seagull squeaks and squawks or with fistfuls of breadcrumbs and such.
Apparently someone enjoys this event, because today's Seagull Calling Contest is the 30th annual, which means the very first one happened before I was born, and they haven't given up on it yet. I've personally been waiting every year to get a call from someone in Port Orchard, but I've yet to hear from anyone. Unless it was that weird anonymous screeching voice mail message I got a few weeks ago. Here in Bandon, Oregon, I suppose we just experienced our own version of seagull calling, earlier today. There was a nice-looking couple who drove into the South Jetty Beach parking lot a short time ago. They rolled down their windows and beckoned to all the assembled gulls, and we all flew, hopped, or waddled closer, anticipating popcorn, crackers, French fries, maybe even chicken nuggets. This nice-looking couple in their shiny new SUV rolled down their windows and tossed out generous handfuls of...… BIRDSEED!?!? Can you imagine the hurt, the frustration, the disappointment, the outright shock and dismay we felt? I think some of the contestants at Port Orchard even throw chocolates to lure the seagulls there. They at least know better than to toss birdseed at seagulls. There's a home video below from several years ago that captures some of flavor of this event. You really don't need to watch more than a minute or two to get the idea. The large bird-like costumed human in the video goes by the name Seemore Seagull. This festival also features a Seagull Wings Cook-off competition, where contestants don't really cook the wings of seagulls. And there's something they call the Seagull Splat 5K Run/Walk, where you're advise to avoid the seagull splat along the way. Does this sound like fun to you? It's happening today and tomorrow in Port Orchard, across the way from Bremerton, about 50 miles west of Seattle by ferry (as a seagull flies, you'd have to add a few more miles).
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Meet the AuthorHi. I'm Geo the Seagull.
I'm the distinguished Park Host on South Jetty Beach at Bandon, Oregon, USA. I'm a firm believer in First Principles: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Your Lunch. Archives
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