There’s a seagull who flies by my balcony every morning that has a broken tail – her tail feathers stand straight up, like a mast on a seagull ship…looks a bit like she’s punking out.

She swoops by and I wonder, how do the other seagulls treat her? Do they mock her behind her back and comment about how she just likes to be the centre of attention?

Do they feel sorry for her and whisper behind their wings about how brave she is and the inner strength she is showing?

Or do they accept her, let her mate, share their food with her?

Of course, it’s hard to see seagull interactions – they don’t generally mass together around here and it is an odd day when they would all call together- maybe fish have been dumped into the sea? Maybe the crows are pestering?

The crows come to hang out when there are eggs in nests, as do blue jays, but I suspect the delicate aerial movements needed to steal the eggs from under building edges can be a bit challenging for your average huge seagull.

So I am left to wonder, a seagull with a broken wing myself- where does she fit in?

Of course, I can’t help but think of the book Jonathan Livingston Seagull, whose main character is a seagull looking for … something…

And so I spread my wings, and …