SEAGULLS By Gary Rea
From the window of my apartment, I have ample opportunity to sit and observe the behavior of several bird species that come and go from the parapet of the parking garage next door. There are crows, who raise their young in nearby treetops and guard their territory during the spring months when their babies are developing. There are the aerobatic maneuvers of flocks of pigeons as they play in the sky, the occasional abrupt darting to and fro of tiny tits, the songs of the night birds that keep me company when I wake up in the middle of the night, and then there are my favorite, the seagulls, who calmly and peacefully stand or sit on the parapet, just looking around for several minutes at a time, calling to their brethren to join them. There are the crow’s dive attacks against the seagulls, who are doing nothing but minding their own business, not harming the crows at all. In the early morning hours, when the sunrise is beginning to light up the clouds, throwing the parking garage parapet into silhouette and the seagulls with it, I stand at my window with my camera, patiently waiting for the occasional seagull scene to come together. After a few years of this morning ritual, I have many seagull scenes to show for my patience, and this book is but a sampling of a few of them. Included here are a few scenes I’ve shot at Steinbrueck Park, along the Seattle waterfront, as well. I hope you enjoy them. Gary Rea June, 2019