I saw two Mockingbirds hanging about a trash can along the Tennessee River. I figured it was a long shot, but I put the chair on the can and stepped back. Within five minutes, I had these photos. The other bird perched in the tree above the chair and stared down at it, but wouldn’t come any closer.
It was in the mid-60s, but several people were skating on a rink in Ross Landing near the aquarium. A young woman came out of the skate rental booth and threw down some popcorn for the flock of Ring-billed Gulls that were in the area. I asked if I could put the chair down nearby and she readily agreed. We exchanged a few comments and I said it would be fun to put some popcorn on the chair and see what the gulls would do. She walked over to a nearby food truck and talked with the woman inside.
Next thing I knew, Sharon, the woman in the food truck was making up a large batch of popcorn just for me. I offered to pay, but she said no. She even resisted a bit when I said I wanted to buy a Diet Coke.
When the popcorn was ready, I walked out into the field. The gulls knew what I was about and started gathering.
