Known for their piercing calls and swarms for the dropped french fry in any McDonald’s parking lot, most of us aren’t trying to become best friends with a seagull—unless you’re this guy. For 15 years, this lobsterman has bonded with one particular gull, and the tenderness of their relationship is nothing short of astonishing!
What is it about a connection with an animal that can be so meaningful? How do these relationships change us? Many of us have had the experience of bonding with a beloved pet, but few have connected as deeply with a seagull as Captain John Makowsky.
When it comes to lovable creatures, these birds probably aren’t at the top of your list. But for Captain Makowsky, a fourth-generation lobsterman in Maine, life wouldn’t be the same without his pal, Red Eye. She’s been finding him out at sea for nearly two decades!
This is a story that will have you finding delight in places you’d never expect!
Source: Pixabay
All Aboard the Friend-Ship!
It happened in 2005. Captain Makowsky was out in his lobster boat doing his daily activities when he received his first visit from a particularly precocious seagull. Every day since then, as the Captain made his daily trip out to sea to pull up his traps, this same gull, who he came to call Redeye, found her way to his boat to visit him without fail.
Over the past 15 years—some gull species can live into their upper 20s 1—these two have passed the time together sharing life out at sea!
As it is, this would be a lovely story: a man, his boat, his lobsters, and his unusual friend. But as we all know, stories only get better when we add a bit of suspense.
When Red Eye stopped in for her daily visit in the late spring of 2020, the Captain noticed that something wasn’t quite right with her. In the end, this friendship ended up saving both of their lives.
Here’s the wonderful story from CBS Sunday Morning.
If you want to take some time for the kind of content that will leave you feeling better about the world, go check out the CBS Sunday Morning YouTube page. It’s one of our favorite programs, and if you can’t catch it live on Sunday morning, make sure you tune in on YouTube for some of their highlights.
When we need connection!
Whether you believe that seagulls carry the souls of lost sailors, or you look into the eyes of your dog and feel that they’re more than “just a pet,” the animals in our lives can change us.
Simply taking the time to listen to the birds in our backyard, or spending quality time curled up with our cat gives us a quiet moment to connect with another creature and be present in a way that lets us step away from the thoughts in our head.
If you want a few more stories of the human and animal bond to warm your day, try a few of these!
So, whether it’s with a beloved pet, or maybe just the squirrels outside, take a moment today to enjoy a quiet moment with another creature!
Stay beautiful & keep laughing!
-Liesl
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Notes:
- “Herring Gull Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology.” Allaboutbirds.Org, 2015, www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Herring_Gull/overview. Accessed 19 Oct. 2020. ↩
- CBS Sunday Morning. “A Lobsterman’s Friend.” YouTube, 23 Aug. 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkuHlemT01s. Accessed 19 Oct. 2020. ↩
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