Seagull Spring

Seagulls squeal a spring duet
Swim in pairs around ice and rock
Glide as swans in graceful tandem
Hush broken by caw and squawk.

Two by two with white forms glinting
All-consumed to multiply
Nests to feather whatever the weather
Tasks that cover sea and sky.

Sun sets, wind drops, fog rolls in
From the east without a sound
Just the squeal and cry of seagulls
Nature’s twilight songs abound.


I took these photos in April 2015. This year the sea ice left early, but we still have our mating seagulls on the rocks. I love to see them pair off with each other every spring.

Forces of Nature

Once again, iceberg season has arrived in Newfoundland.

Icebergs are beautiful to photograph and are a huge Force of Nature ( we only have to think of the Titanic disaster ) but the pack ice that often accompanies them can wreak their own special havoc. In our part of the world, these masses of moving ice interfere with fishing and sometimes even trap whales and dolphins.

In the area of Bonavista Bay North where I live, the water is too shallow to allow the big icebergs to get very close, but we do see plenty of pack ice and bergy bits.

Enter the seagulls. These hardy scavenger birds are so well-adapted to this rugged environment, I am in awe. Their ability to not only survive, but to thrive here, may well be called another force of nature.

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Like all of our feathered friends in the northern hemisphere, seagulls mate in spring. This is the time of year in Newfoundland we see them answer to their instinct and pair off to procreate. They are monogamous, usually with one mate for life.

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On the evening I took these photos, the setting sun cast interesting shadows and hues upon the ice and the water.

Of course, speaking of a force of nature, our Vivian needed to be a part of it all.blogw (15)

What Forces of Nature do you have in your backyard?