These guys nest on the East Coast. They are a summer staple along the New Jersey coastline. Growing up, we went down the Shore every summer and our summer days were filled with laughing gull calls.

Note: people from South Jersey and Philadelphia do not call it the “Jersey Shore.” 😱 We call it “down the Shore.” As soon as we hear the term “Jersey shore,” we have you pegged as not being from the Philly/South Jersey region.

Back to the laughing gulls….they come up early from the southern beaches and in late Spring you can hear them for miles along the Delaware Bay, it’s like one giant gull party. It’s one of the best sounds of the Spring. They nest in the salt marshes and their favorite natural food is horseshoe crab eggs. They’re favorite junk food is the stolen sandwiches from toddlers. It’s hilarious to see a small child running with food and a laughing gull dives and deftly snatches it from their hands. Priceless.

Here are two mixed media laughing gulls.

Enjoy!