Seagull mayhem

Under threatening skies we threw caution to the wind and set out to explore a couple large parks in Oostende. A pair of swans spotted us from across the the lake and made a bee line toward us as we sat on a lakeside bench. I walked toward the shore to get a close up shot as De Anne warned me to be careful. She noted that swans can be aggressive. They were looking for free food, not a fight. As I had nothing to offer the swans lost interest in us and moved on.

In the other park we crossed a small foot bridge to the island in the middle of the park.

A statue, titled "The Wind" was cute with a seagull perched on top.

This turned out to be our last moments of good feelings about seagulls for the day. I should also mention the seagulls around here are huge. Two to three times the size of gulls in America. 

Just a little while later as we crossed another bridge we heard a ruckus and looked up in time to see a duck with its beak clamped on a seagull's tail. The seagull had something in its beak. We suddenly realized it was a baby duckling and mama duck was trying to save one of its babies. The gull made a get-away with its soon to be lunch.

We walked back to the train station and took the trolley into downtown Oostende for lunch. After lunch we strolled the sea side boardwalk looking for a giant statue of a man riding a turtle. The Belgium people have a good deal of large artwork on the beaches. While walking, just in front of us, a young couple was enjoying their carry out from Mc Donald's. A gull flew just past my ear and snatched the Big Mac from the young lady just as she was taking a bite. The seagull came out of the encounter with the lion's share. within a couple seconds dozens of other gulls were trying to steal his stolen burger. The young lady turned out to be American because we heard her say to the young man "Well, I still have my French fries". The late arriving seagulls must have heard her because they started moving in mass toward her. She noticed the threat (I was starting to have visions of Alfred Hitchcock) and both of them decided to continue lunch elsewhere. 

I retract my comment of last week about polite seagulls.