Round, fat-bellied, oversized, impeccably white with grey trim--the seagulls at Schoodic are like no others. Tuned in to the sounds of even the quietest of picnickers, they arrive one by one, silently at first, jockeying for prime positioning on the pink granite rocks, readying for the anticipated feast. The sandwich is unwrapped, the gulls tilt their heads while inching closer, clucking quietly, a drop of drool falling from a beak here and there. The novice visitor sets the sandwich aside to take a moment to open a beverage, and the veteran gulls make a move. One has padded silently around the rock, made his way ever closer, and in a flash he snatches away part of hte sandwich. Like a firehouse on alarm, a cacophany of squawks, screeches and commotion erupts as the visitor realizes his mistake and the gulls argue and tussle over the prize. The visitor picks up the remains of lunch, closes up the cracker box and watches the battle ensue. The winner, inevitably not the original "thief", flies off all the while guzzling the tasty treat visibly bulging in his gullet as it goes down.
Schoodic is a relatively undiscovered part of Acadia National Park where the seagulls grow large, seals can be seen just offshore and red squirrels skitter among the rocks on the lookout for leftover crumbs from visitors.
Does anyone love Schoodic as much as I do?
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Yes, I do - it is the best place to go and do absolutely nothing except relax. The ocean there is always different, and there is always something different to see (like the time we were startled by a huge jackrabbit off the trail in some brush)...or finding a red starfish in a tide pool. Shely
ReplyDeleteYes, it is the best place to go, uncrowded, unspoiled - to do absolutely nothing but relax! The ocean is different each time we have gone to Schoodic. Sometimes calm, sometimes not. There is always something new to discover there - like the time a gigantic jackrabbit jumped out from the trail into some brush! Or finding a red starfish in a tide pool and releasing it into the ocean.
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