It’s good to have a goal ― even if it’s screeching like a seagull.
And that was the aim of the Fifth Annual European Gull Screeching Championship, which attracted 60 seagull soundalikes from 14 countries to the coastal town of De Panne, Belgium, this past weekend, according to Boing Boing.
Contestants were awarded points based on their sound and performance in three categories: adult, junior and colony (That’s a group of gulls.).
The contest is intended to create a more positive image of the seabirds, which have been called “trash birds,” “beach rats” and “klepto-gulls” by naysayers.
Gulls are known to be so intrusive that one zoo in Blackpool, England, hired people to dress up in inflatable eagle costumes and scare the birds away.
But gulls won’t get any hate from Denmark’s Anna Brynald, who took gold in the quirky contest.
“I like that the seagulls like fries, because I love fries, and they’re just a bit misunderstood, like me. And they’re cute,” Brynald told the CBC.
But she admits practicing for the bird-brained contest had its challenges.
“I worked with the seagulls. I went to the beach, and I looked at many seagulls, and I thought they looked nice. And I screeched at them, but they became scared of me,” she said. “Maybe I’m saying something wrong in seagull language. I don’t know.”
Brynald said she was slightly under the weather on Sunday. She hopes to defend her crown next year and to improve upon her performance.
“I think next year, if I participate next year, I’ll be even better,” she said. “I’ll, first of all, not be sick. And I think I’ll need some more feathers.”
Meanwhile, 10-year-old Cooper Wallace won the junior category for a second year in a row, while his 7-year-old sister, Shelby, came in fourth.
Their mother, Lauren Wallace, was very proud of her avian-imitating offspring.
“It’s a very tough competition. Everyone who takes part is very, very good, so I’m very proud of them both,” she told the BBC, while also making a prediction.
“We are so happy that Cooper won again, but Shelby is going to be after that title next year, I think.”
Lauren Wallace said the family will definitely return to next year’s contest, which is something she admits is hard to imagine.
“It’s a really amazing event — but not one I’d ever have thought we’d have a talent for in the family,” she said.