Seagulls

[pcolbeck]

The other day when I was walking the dog the farmer was ploughing a small field near the village. The field was nearly completely white with gulls behind him. When the tractor turned and they took off there must have been at least 300 of them.
Normally I see maybe ten or so in the fields around here on a walk. Makes me wonder how the other 290 knew that the field was being ploughed and to turn up?

Oh and they were herring gulls I think and we are 20 miles from the sea.

[nikki]

Reminds me of a bit in English Pastoral, where James Rebanks describes the realisation that slathering the fields in slurry and chemicals rather than good old fashioned manure is killing off the wee beasties:

“A mile or two past Henry’s land my father pointed to a field being ploughed up by the roadside. A giant red tractor was pulling a huge blue plough. I could sense that he was alarmed by something. ‘Look’, he said, ‘there are no seagulls or crows following the plough’. This was a shocking thing to him. ‘There must be no worms in those fields.”

[Cudzoziemiec]

That looks like an interesting book. Could make a good birthday present!

[pcolbeck]

Reminds me of a bit in English Pastoral, where James Rebanks describes the realisation that slathering the fields in slurry and chemicals rather than good old fashioned manure is killing off the wee beasties:

Plenty of manure still used round here. It gets piled up in the corner of fields and left to steam for months before being ploughed in. Plenty of horses and cattle round here though, that's probably why they still use manure.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Sometimes you see huge piles of grey sludge in the corner of a field, which I'm told is human manure after it's been through the sewage farm. Residue or something.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Traditionally people in this area used seaweed. Gathered from the shore, left to rot down (and for rain to wash salt off), then spread on fields.  Also traditionally, people didn't give sheep any supplemental feed.

Nobody has time for gathering seaweed anymore (well, most people). No additional fertilizer used on fields. No supplemental feeding.

[Kim]

Sometimes you see huge piles of grey sludge in the corner of a field, which I'm told is human manure after it's been through the sewage farm. Residue or something.

I thought that was banned from use on crops due to EU regulations?  Possibly a brexit bonus...

[Cudzoziemiec]

Sometimes you see huge piles of grey sludge in the corner of a field, which I'm told is human manure after it's been through the sewage farm. Residue or something.

I thought that was banned from use on crops due to EU regulations?

Don't know. Would it be banned from use on land before the crops were planted? That's when you tend to see it, whatever it is. Or on pasture before the animals are let out.

[Wowbagger]

Human sludge was in use round here long before we left the EU. Sometimes it wasn't even pumped into rivers.

[orienteer]

I believe the problem with human sludge manure is concentration of heavy metals.

[Jaded]

<Insert some joak about leaving the EU and shitting on farmers.>

[Wowbagger]

I believe the problem with human sludge manure is concentration of heavy metals.

Other musical tastes are available...

[Cudzoziemiec]

From elseweb:

>>Several Ukrainian refugees are staying on a farm not far from me, only short term as the accommodations are intended for seasonal farm workers and are unsuited to winter use. [no proper heating, outside toilets and showers, outside cooking, limited electricity supply]

Two women observed the size and stupidity of seagulls and wanted to know "why English people do not kill and eat them. There must be lots of meat on such large birds"

After killing and cooking a seagull they now understand why why we don't eat them.

>>I thought a seagull is a protected species?

>>Yes it is, regrettably in my view, however the refugees did not know that at the time. A child killed one with a stone. The seagulls are now doubly protected, by law and by being inedible*

*secret recipe for seagull. Remove feathers and use these to stuff a pillow for someone that you don't much like.
Place seagull in a large pot weighted down with a stone. Boil until the stone is tender, throw away the gull carcass.

[Wowbagger]

Of course, the term "seagull" is one that no ornithologist would use as there are many species.

[Cudzoziemiec]

It seems that herring gulls are a red list species, while other species of gull are protected as are all wild birds by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/advice/gardening-for-wildlife/animal-deterrents/gulls/urban-gulls-and-the-law/