File:A Gull's Trip to India.jpg

English: After having spent some memorable time in Murud, it was time for us to return to Mumbai. A journey by car would have been very mundane and boring so, my parents and I chose to travel by a ferry. At the port, under the scorching sun, we waited for the ferry. It finally arrived. I rushed onto the upper deck to catch a seat for us. I succeeded in doing so. As more and more passengers entered the upper deck, it kept getting hotter and hotter. I was just waiting for the journey to start. After some 15 minutes or so, it finally did! The cool breeze was almost equivalent to the cool air of an air conditioner. We met some new companions on our way- a horde of common gull. A young steward carrying a big basket filled with chips, biscuits, ghatias and samosas, walked around offering these food items to the passengers. The passengers, bought these items not for self consumption but to feed the gulls. It was like a game of "catch-catch". They would throw some chips outside the ferry and the gulls would come closer to the ferry and would dive from great heights to catch them with their beautiful beaks. Although noisy, yet their sound was like music to my ears. The game went on all the way till we reached Mumbai. What a beautiful sight it was! It would appeal to anyone who has the love and passion to appreciate nature. I couldn't resist my temptation to capture it. This is how I got this spectacular shot.

Fascinated by their beauty, I researched a little bit about them. The common gulls are non passerine birds which migrate to India when it is winter in the polar regions. Their stay in India lasts from mid of October to mid of March. However, most of them breathe their last during their stay in India. We Indians are very hospitable by nature. We always make sure that we feed our guests well enough before they leave our house. Our hospitality is not just limited to humans. We also feed the migratory birds that visit our country. However, we often fail to realize that spicy and oily food does not suit these birds. It spoils their internal system and often leads to their death. Some years back, around 50 gulls (seagulls) were found dead in Gujarat. Ornithologists have found a change in the eating habits of the gulls when they visit India. Instead of being predators and eating their natural food, fish, they consume food that comes easily to them that is the food that humans feed them with.

I believe this is a serious problem that many of us are not aware about. Bird feeding maybe a nice and a entertaining way for some to pass their time however, we should be careful about what we are feeding to the birds since it may have some hazardous impact on their health. Ignorance is the reason why this problem exists and the only solution to it is to spread awareness. Let's take efforts to ensure that our guests, the gulls, have a pleasant stay in our country after all, "Atithi Devo Bhava".