5:30 AM. It starts quietly. In the distance, a seagull calls a warning and then is silent.
5:40 AM. The seagull calls again and is this time joined by two more. The panic is spreading.
5:45 AM. The original three seagulls are calling back and forth repeatedly, causing other nearby seagulls to cluck worriedly. A dozen or so distant birds can be heard doing the same.
5:50 AM. Every damn seagull in the city has worked itself into a frenzy of calling back and forth: “Aa-aa-aaa-aaaa-aaaaark-aaaaaark-aaaaaark-aaaaaark!!” (ad infinitum).
This is what I hear from my window before sunrise every single morning. You would think that, having seen the sun rise up daily, they would learn that there’s no need to panic.
Bloody seagulls.