People Feeding Ducks

We were at a lake a while ago and saw a big family -- must have been 12 kids, not as two parents' kids but as a larger family together -- throwing bread in the lake. The ducks were going for it, of course, and ducks were even swimming in from down shore to get in on the action.

I was grumbling about it to myself and one other person, since you're not supposed to feed the wildlife. Something about if they get a taste for human food, next thing you know they'll be wandering the aisles of our groceries stores pooping everywhere.

They kept it up, the people feeding them. Then some seagulls who also happen to be in the area came swooping in, and they were virtually diving in over the family's heads, trying to get the bread in midair. That's tough to do, but some where going down to the surface and picking it up quickly. One intelligent seagull actually landed on the water. But then when a kid lobbed a piece of bread toward it, it got scared and few away. So not so intelligent!

I watched the family for 10 minutes or so. That's how long it took, either to use up all the bread or to lose interest.

I was hoping the seagulls would carry one of the kids out maybe 15 feet, drop him or her, so I could see the frantic parents diving in. That'd teach them to feed the birds! But of course seagulls aren't organized enough to manage it. We don't live in a perfect world, alas.