Monday, August 2, 2010

If Earwigs Could Fly

I thought seagulls only ate fish and chips.

I also thought they were only nuisance birds.

I formed my opinion of them long ago when, at the beach, a seagull had the nerve to dive at my two-year old son to try to grab the soother out of his mouth. I was not impressed. I've been at the zoo and had them swoop down at my lunch. Of course, there are always flocks of them in town at burger joints, peering in car windows, waiting for a french fry to drop and then.... look out.... as six of them dive for it at once. "MINE, MINE, MINE, MINE!" (Just ask Nemo when you find him)

But tonight my image of them softened. As I sat sipping my tea on the front porch this evening, I watched a couple dozen seagulls circling our neighbourhood. I immediately wondered who had put french fries out in their trash, but then noticed these birds continue to glide and then pause midair as they gulped bugs that were flying about. They continued for a good hour until they moved on. Far above them, were swallows swooping and diving after bugs as well.

Last night, our resident bats (no, they don't live IN our house) started the night shift early before dark, performing their acrobatic feats and plunging from high in the air to then skim the surface of the back lawn. (That would be the yard that when you walk through the grass or garden, swarms of mosquitoes emerge). It must be a buggy season...what with our hot, muggy, rainy summer.

So imagine if earwigs could fly?!!!!  Between swallows, seagulls and bats, we'd be rid of them in no time!

Mmmmmmm. Maybe not. My imagination is conjuring up images of walking into a flying swarm of earwigs and it's a despicable sight.

We'll be thankful things are just the way they are. Someone must have been thinking when this whole interactive chain of nature was conceived.

No comments:

Post a Comment