Most everyone who has gone to the "shore" has had constant company from above and either found them to be an accepted beach fixture or an annoyance.

I'm referring to seagulls.Well technically they are not seagulls but one of a number of species of gulls.The last 20 to 25 years, gulls have become common sights around local malls and fast food businesses. This species most likely is a ring-billed gull.As the name implies, this gull has a black tipped upper and lower beak. The ring-billed gull is most common here in March and April and again in the fall as they slowly migrate to and from their breeding areas. These are the common "mall gulls."Light fixtures around our local malls and anywhere near the New Jersey or Maryland shore often offer vantage points for the gulls waiting for humans to drop some of their fries or pieces of funnel cakes. They breed mostly inland to our north.Some overwinter in our area or the Lehigh Valley unless a prolonged cold snap makes it too difficult to find food.A second gull you may see locally is a herring gull. Almost a carbon copy of the ring-billed except about 25 inches in size compared to the ring-billed gull's 17-inch size. This gull too is a scavenger (opportunist) much of the time but will also steal food from smaller gulls and terns. It does use its natural instincts to catch some minnows or other aquatic prey.This herring gull displays the red spot on its lower bill which serves as a target for gull chicks. They instinctively peck at this bill spot when the adult returns with food. After being pecked just enough, the adult is stimulated into regurgitating the food directly into the open mouths of her chicks.If you vacation along the coast the two gulls species mentioned earlier are outnumbered by the laughing gull. Its incessant cackling, sounding much like wild laughter, will probably wake you in the morning or alert you that these gulls have found a sunbather tossing them a snack.This gull has an all-black head with bright red pupils in summer (breeding season) but slowly loses these black feathers as the summer wanes. They may lose these black feathers, but not the cackling.If you wish to see other "seagulls," the great black backed gull, a rather large gull will often course back and forth just off shore and spend less time close to the beachgoers. This gull is about 30 inches in size, or a bit smaller than a Canada goose.One reason these three species technically are not seagulls is many species spend very little time near the ocean. The Bonaparte's gull breeds around the Great Lakes and is a regular visitor to Beltzville Lake in late March to early May as it makes its way back north to breeding and feeding grounds.These petite gulls are much smaller and reach about 13 inches. They do a great deal of buoyantly crisscrossing above Beltzville's surface searching for food and spend more time than other gulls resting on the water's surface. From a distance you may think they are a type of duck.To conclude, if you wish to see gulls, large lakes/rivers in spring, and of course almost anywhere along the East Coast, will give you the opportunity to see: ring-billed, herring, laughing, great black backed, and Bonaparte's gulls; not seagulls. No matter what, just get out there and observe.Test Your Knowledge: The great crested flycatcher, locally common in our area, almost always places a _____ in its nest. A. Pine twig B. Fern frond C. Used wasp nest D. Shed snake skinLast week's quiz answer: Female toads lay their eggs in jellylike strings underwater; frogs' eggs are in jellylike ballsContact Barry Reed at

breed71@gmail.com.