Laughing Gull and Skimmer by Lee
THE SEAGULLS MOVE TO BLUEY COVE
“Mr. and Mrs. Seagull didn’t really know what to do,” said daddy. “They loved their home, which was in a big harbor, for they enjoyed seeing the boats pass and hearing the different whistles. All kinds of boats passed—ferryboats, sailboats, old fishing-boats, great big boats that went across the ocean, and little tugboats.
“The seagulls would fly overhead, and then they’d land on top of the water, but they never could stay there long, as the boats would come along, and they would have to fly off. Of late Mr. and Mrs. Seagull, although they were still as fond of their home as ever, became rather worried, for the little seagulls didn’t seem to be able to get out of [p.14]the way of the boats as quickly as the old seagulls could. Mr. and Mrs. Seagull were afraid that one of them might get hurt by a boat.
“Of course the little seagulls were quite certain that nothing like that would ever happen, but one day it did.
“They were playing tag on the surface of the water and so interested in their game that they didn’t notice until too late that a great huge boat was coming along. The captain of the boat had blown the whistle to scare the seagulls away. They hadn’t heard it at all, so busy were they playing, and it hit poor little Bluey Seagull. One of the others called out:
“‘Oh, fly up quickly, Bluey!’ He was not badly hit, for the pilot of the boat had seen the seagulls and made the boat slow down.
“Bluey was frightened almost out of his wits, but with the encouragement of the other seagulls he managed to fly off.
“When Mr. and Mrs. Seagull saw what had happened to Bluey they were horrified and quickly flew off with him, all the other little seagulls following.
“They flew as far from the boats as they could, for, now that Bluey had been hit, they didn’t think life in the harbor where the boats passed was so attractive. In fact, they decided they would never go back there again.
“They flew so far that they reached a little cove at the basin of the harbor, and when Mr. Seagull saw it he said:
“‘This will be our new home.’
“Mrs. Seagull said:
“‘We will never leave this home until all little seagulls are grown up, for then they will always be safe and can play all they want to without being afraid of getting hit by the big boats.’
“So it was decided, and the cove was named Bluey Cove because it had been on Bluey’s account that they had moved there. And of all the seagulls he was the happiest and most relieved.”
Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla) by Lee at Honeymoon Is SP
Lee’s Addition:
So let’s not sleepwalk through life like those others. Let’s keep our eyes open and be smart. (1 Thessalonians 5:6)
Do you get so involved with what you are doing that you forget to be aware of danger. If a ball go into the street, do you forget and just run after it, not paying attention to cars. Your parents can help you think of other ways to stay alert.
As Christians, we are supposed to watch, and pray, so that we don’t do bad things (sin).
Seagulls are members of the Laridae – Gulls, Terns & Skimmers Family and are known to fly very long distances. So it wouldn’t have been hard for them to fly to a safe place.
Another Bird Tales
From
Daddy’s Bedtime Bird Stories – Gutenberg ebooks
By
Mary Graham Bonner
With four illustrations in color by
Florence Choate and Elizabeth Curtis
These stories first appeared in the American Press Association Service and the Western Newspaper Union.
Many of the sketches in this volume are the work of Rebecca McCann, creator of the “Cheerful Cherub,” etc.
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Daddy’s Bedtime Bird Stories by Mary Graham Bonner – 1917
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Links:
Bird Tales
Daddy’s Bedtime Bird Stories
Wordless Birds
Charadriiformes Order (Has more Sea birds)
Laridae – Gulls, Terns & Skimmers Family
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Lee's Birdwatching Adventures Plus 