[BoxOfRain]

When I lived in Aberystwyth on the Welsh coast you could always tell a newcomer to the town because they'd eat outside without aerial cover. The herring gulls there are pterodactyl-like, massive and always watching for the slightest opportunity to fill their beaks. They're clever birds too, I've seem them work cooperatively to deprive some poor fresher of their lunch and hawks had little success in driving them away. I've actually come to miss them a bit having moved inland, I'm moving back to a city by the sea this year and I wonder how long that will last!

Depending on where you are, you may be thinking of the great black-backed gull.

[n0rdy]

I've just googled, and herring gulls are indeed the birds I was referring to here in Norway, good catch. We have the same, actually, when tourists/guests of the city are easier targets. A few times I had to "defend" (mostly, by hiding) my lunch sandwich or bun as well, if I wanted to eat somewhere with a view over the sea. However, even a few kilometers from the sea, they can still be on a "hunt". Very interesting creatures!