Except in this case, it wasn't me, it was Mrs. PHPaul.

Any kitchen waste we can't compost or we feel is not suitable for the chickens (uncooked meat trimmings, skin, stuff like that) goes in a dish and gets set out on the front stoop for the seagulls, usually first thing in the morning.

It's not unusual to have a couple of gulls (we call them Gertrude and Heathcliff) perched on the peak of the roof waiting for breakfast. As soon as we step inside and close the door, they swoop in and chow down. Sometimes, if they're otherwise occupied, it might take anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of hours for them to show up. We'll check out the living room window occasionally as we enjoy watching them.

The Wife put the dish out this morning (I was off on business) and didn't get any immediate results so she went about her business. A while later, she checked again and there was an adult eagle helping itself. Less than 3 feet from the front door, maybe 8 or 10 from the window.

Says it gave her quite a start! Wish I could have gotten a picture.

Beautiful birds. What kind of eagle?

I remember when I lived in Alaska, and one weekend afternoon my cats started going nuts by the sliding glass door. There was a golden eagle in the tree about 20' from the sliding glass door.

Bald Eagle. Big sumbitch too according to SWMBO.

Wow! I thought I was lucky to have a hawk perched in a tree a few feet away watching while I was mowing and scaring up an occasional mouse for him. Then one morning I got to see a beautiful pair of hawks calling to each other then mating in the trees very near the house. As near as I can tell, no cigarettes were smoked afterward.

Son of a BITCH!

Apparently the snack on the front porch wasn't enough. I just spotted him sitting on a fence post chowing down on one of my laying hens.

And there ain't a fuckin' thing I can do about it other than keep the birds cooped up, which ain't an option.

quote:

(we call them Gertrude and Heathcliff)

Now that's funny. We had two seagulls that lived on the ridge of our house in Warren, RI on Mt. Hope Bay, and they had the same names. Red Skelton would be proud.

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:
Son of a BITCH!

Apparently the snack on the front porch wasn't enough. I just spotted him sitting on a fence post chowing down on one of my laying hens.

And there ain't a fuckin' thing I can do about it other than keep the birds cooped up, which ain't an option.

No good deed goes unpunished.

quote:

Originally posted by ArtieS:

quote:

(we call them Gertrude and Heathcliff)

Now that's funny. We had two seagulls that lived on the ridge of our house in Warren, RI on Mt. Hope Bay, and they had the same names. Red Skelton would be proud.

I was curious how many old farts there were here that would pick up on that.

quote:

Originally posted by arfmel:

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:
Son of a BITCH!

Apparently the snack on the front porch wasn't enough. I just spotted him sitting on a fence post chowing down on one of my laying hens.

And there ain't a fuckin' thing I can do about it other than keep the birds cooped up, which ain't an option.

No good deed goes unpunished.

I've got two hens that can fly well enough to get over the fence and wander around loose. If I had to lose one, I hope it was one of them and he's not ballsy enough to land in the pen. The feathers are the right color.

If he's snatching them out of the pen, I am well and truly fucked.

Two years ago I was in my car on conference call in mall parking lot in Charleston, SC waiting on my wife to pick up a few things. Someone had thrown a McDonalds bag on the ground and evidently there were were some scraps as 3-4 sea gulls were feasting.

Out of the sky an eagle swooped down and stuck talons completely thru the body of one of the gulls. The gull flopped around for a minute or two and the eagle just held on. Several folks including myself got our phone and took pictures.

When the gull was dead the eagle took off with it. The gull was large and I was not sure the eagle could get air born but it did.

Amazing thing to see 30 feet away.