Dear Resident,
I thought you might like to print this picture of my pet seagull, Jonathan, enjoying himself in the pool. I was given the seagull as a tiny, 10-day-old chick with the hope of raising and releasing him.
These are very difficult birds to raise. He not only survived but thrived on a diet of best sushi and grew into a great character, comical and very intelligent.
When he was six weeks old, I took him to Marcial at A Rocha, at the Cruzinha Sanctuary in Mexilhoeira Grande (Portimão), which is a Christian organisation concerned with conservation worldwide, to have a ring put on for identification purposes.
By seven weeks of age, he had started to learn to fly, which he managed to do within a couple of days. For the following two weeks, he would come and go as he pleased, flying in for his sardines and carapaus.
His final visit was on July 31 when these pictures were taken. It has been a tremendous experience raising and getting to know this wonderful creature. He has totally changed my perception of gulls, who are masters of the air and very intelligent birds.
But I could not have achieved this without the help and great advice from Marcial at Cruzinha, who deserves a big thank you.
So, if anyone finds a gully enjoying himself in their swimming pool, it is probably my Jonathan Livingston Seagull!
Val Window
Lagos
Editor: For more information about A Rocha, visit http://en.arocha.org/portugal/
