Bird of the Week: These Seagulls

Oh my god.

I wasn’t going to do a Bird of the Week this week, because our Friday slot was being used by Oppo Research (like and subscribe and tell your friends btw!!!)

But then on Monday, I found myself on a jam-packed ferry to the Statue of Liberty. I was going there for The Nation to cover a Gaza protest by Jewish Voice for Peace. (The protest was very cool, and you can read The Nation’s write-up here.)

So there I was, on the deck, looking out at New York Harbor, when this happened.

I mean!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot emphasize enough how close these seagulls were to us, and how sleek and sharp they looked, and the level of expertise they displayed while grabbing food out of peoples’ hands. Which, I know they love to grab food out of hands, but this felt different.

I couldn’t get enough.

It was a purely delightful thing to see, set against this brilliant majestic backdrop—one of those perfect scenes when everything comes together just right. It can be easy to dislike seagulls, because they are loud and aggressive and steal your food, but in this moment, they were graceful and joyous, and it was impossible to not to adore them.

Also, I’m sure the gulls want to free Palestine too.

A reminder: you can check out our complete Bird of the Week list here, and get in touch with your bird suggestions at hello@discourseblog.com.