From Bill Heately:
Took these pics of gulls on Ocean Grove beach today.
Camp Meeting sent out beach badge renewals last week, and if you act fast, you get an “Early Bird” discount.
Looks like 2 gulls have already got theirs.
One has both wings tagged with a red “815” tag and is wearing two ankle bands.
Second gull has band that says TA7.
Third gull is just an angry bird.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Thanks to Bill for his “information sharing” contribution on Blogfinger.
In Florida, no one pays to get on a beach, but it is not free, because you pay for parking. They do not have meters, and the parking lot spaces are not numbered, as in Asbury Park. Instead you pay $2.00 per hour and stay as long as you like. You go to a pay station machine and buy a ticket (cash or credit card) that tells what time you paid and what time your stay is over. You place the ticket on the dashboard so that the traffic officer can see it.
In Ocean Grove, like the birds in William’s photos, the senior citizens have their own tag. That’s because they get a discounted price. Their beach badge reveals their “special status”because it looks different from everybody else’s. Even with senior discounts at the movies, no one has to know that you are old. If 70 is the new 40, then why force seniors to wear a label that sets them apart and invades their privacy? At least we can hide our Medicare cards in our wallets. I know, it’s because a regular badge, discounted, might then be given to some thirty year old. Here’s a solution: Have the senior badges look like everyone else’s except for a barely noticeable S on the bottom that only a sharp-eyed teenage badge checker can spot. And, how about a star to stick on the badge of anyone who helped with the clean up of the beach front or who helped with Sandy related activities.? —Paul Goldfinger, editor.
Julius LaRosa is glad he’s not young anymore:
Why spend $ for Sr. badge logo? We won’t cheat and swap ’em..promise! Let us blend in..we really support the Grove..
EILEEN SOKOL of Ocean Grove did some research. She said, “The story was beach badges but I recognized the tag and sent the info to the DCR. Below is their reply. It helps a study if more people about it and respond.”
“Thanks for reporting the sighting! The gull with the wing tags is one of our gulls. The other gull belongs to a trapping study in Montreal Canada. I will forward the sighting to him. See attached for info on the gull.”
Ken MacKenzie
Senior Wildlife Biologist
DCR- Division of Water Supply Protection
180 Beaman Street
West Boylston, MA 01583
508-792-7423 x313
EDITOR’S NOTE: Thanks Eileen for looking into this matter. It’s very interesting and important. —Paul @Blogfinger
Cute captions for the gulls. I think all beach badges should be reduced this year in Ocean Grove, as we probably won’t have a boardwalk. You’ll have to hike through the sand to get onto the beach, and there will be no snack bar, probably.
It looks like the Mass DCR tags. They use them to track the gulls for their water protection study.
Probably probation gulls under beach arrest
Not pleased last year with my beach badge that looked like it had an old geyser on it. Totally agree with editor’s view on this!