See Gull

Is Your Name Gregory Peck?

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Seagulls are very much a part of life here in Melbourne. You see them on the waterfront, you see them on the beaches, you see them at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and – curiously – you even see them in suburbs that are more than 30 kilometres away from the bay.

In fact, seagulls were the cause of a highly unusual situation three years ago. It’s not uncommon for flocks of seagulls to be seen on sports ovals, but in March 2005, a horse race at Sandown, in the city’s southeast, was disrupted by gulls.


The birds rose into the air en masse, frightening the horses and five jockeys were thrown off their mounts. A great photograph taken of he incident seems to depict a dense cloud of seagulls rising from the grass – and it’s only when you look closely do you realise there are racehorses on a track in the background.

Unusually, the race was declared void because of a rule which says unforeseen circumstances can allow a race to be stopped. As for the gull in the shot below, he must have been stuck in beak-hour traffic.


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