Through Balanda Eyes

Life by the sea




The entry to the dining area on Stokes Hill Warf

An idyllic view of Stokes Hill Warf at dusk; where people toss scraps of their deep fried dinner to a writhing throng of fish and the feathered rats called silver gulls that have infested our populated shore. The people are blissfully unaware that the scraps they throw are feeding a growing population of verminous birds.
When I arrived in Darwin I noticed the absence of Seagulls. There may have been one or two floating around at that time but I don't recall seing them.
Like the handfed pigeons that had infested our suburbs and carried an infectious disease to our native birds I believe the number of gulls has increased because of our ignorance.

Silver Gulls on lamps

Beware the gulls; they are a winged scourge of the sea that invade rookeries and wipe out whole colonies of rare seabirds. These birds are one of the many animals that have benefited from human colonisation and have proliferated as a result of our wasteful ways. And the fools keep feeding them!
Ignorance must be bliss! It would be so nice to visit the coast and throw a chip to a bird with no comprehension of the disastrous repercussions of my benevolent act. But I can not un-know what is an obvious fact. Once aware of the truth there is no going back!
Suppose I could, like in the film ‘The Matrix’. Which pill would I take? The Red or the Green?

Boy feeding fish

With the build-up settling in it’s a good time to get out of our hot flat and spend as much time as we can near the coast. It’s usually a bit cooler and there is sometimes a breeze.
Last week we took our daughter to the fish feeding in Doctors Gully they have built a gift shop and put up the price for visitors but the show was essentially the same as it has always been.