Tuesday, July 14

Flying Rats!

I'm talking about seagulls. They're like flying rats. They dive-bomb bald people and steal hot dogs right from your bun. I have seen fishing line used at pools and restaurants as a seagull deterrent. I knew it might be worth a try here in the Caribbean. We got some fishing line and installed the grid of fishing line between the concessions stands at Trunk Bay today. Immediately, several seagulls were deterred from entering the food areas around the snack bar. I returned to the office for a short while and came back to Trunk Bay closer to lunch time to get a better feel for how the seagulls might behave after they've been taunted for several hours by hot dogs and french fries. The dive-bombing and fry-stealing activities of the seagulls was reduced. A few birds still managed to get through the lines and swipe a fry or two, but I feel like the system is a definite improvement. We've got plans to go back and put in a few more lines to fill-in gaps and areas where birds are finding ways to sneak into the picnic tables and harass the visitors. Of course as I sat there filming the lines to see if I could catch a bird getting caught in the line, a small teenage girl threw a french fry right to one of the birds. Moments later, the birds swooped in all around her and she scurried off, covering her basket of fries, terrified. When people like that have their food attacked by the flying rats, I don't know that I feel all that bad. You can only save people from themselves to a certain degree.

Kevin is coming for a visit! Hooray for a dive buddy! And for a visitor! So far, I've had a few folks let me know they'll be in town at some point, but no dates are set for meeting up with anyone just yet. I'm anxious to have friends come into town and see the island. I would love to give an island tour if you're looking for a great place to vacation!

I hope to work on some new writing this evening!

I forgot to mention it yesterday- Jessica was the ranger for my hike yesterday. She's awesome and did a super job with the hike!