Seagull

"Seagull, you fly, across the horizon,
Into the misty morning sun.
Nobody asks you where you are going,
Nobody knows where you are from...
Seagull you fly, seagull you fly away."
- Bad Company

Months ago on the first bearable day for us to venture outside, I took a loaf of bread to feed the ducks. This was something we did quite often back at home. It was nice seeing the boys faces light up as ducks surrounded us at the neighborhood pond.

Toolo Bay is less a few blocks from our home. Through narrow canals it is connected to the Baltic Sea. The path that surrounds it measures a little over a mile and is always busy with pedestrians, cyclers, strollers, etc. That memorable day in April, the boys and I walked to Toolo Bay with our loaf in hand. We found a grassy area where a few ducks were trying to stay warm in a huddle. I decided this would be a great place to let the boys run and crumble the bread. Walkers began to look at me oddly, wondering was I was up to. "Do people not feed the ducks here in Finland?" was on the tip of my tongue...before I realized what was happening.

Within a few seconds, ONE MILLION seagulls surrounded me and my two precious gifts from God. They were only thinking one thing..."Mine, Mine, Mine, Mine"...yes, just like on 'Finding Nemo.' I immediately threw both boys into the stroller, dropped the bread and ran for our lives. I do not think the ducks even got a snack that day.

Needless to say, we do not feed the ducks any more and now I know why everyone was staring at us. I guess we are not the only people who have had that idea because since then, the city has posted this sign. And according to the Helsinki news, the seagulls are a problem everywhere!