One of the first natural behaviours I observed that I’d never heard of through books or television was demonstrated by a couple of Herring Gulls ‘dancing’ on a tiny traffic island in Poole. In perfect alignment with one another, and side-by-side, facing the same way, the two gulls puggled the ground (I may have made that word up for this new use!) It’s like paddling but not in water.

I believe the gulls were simulating the effect of rain on the surface, encouraging worms to the rise and be surprised!

Since that first enchanting moment, I’ve seen this multiple times in the Poole and Purbeck areas. I believe other gulls have caught on and learned the new skill. I do not believe this to be instinctual. The other fascinating observation is that it is always in pairs – never alone.

Moodscope is like this for me – learning new useful behaviours from other Moodscopers… skills we’ve learned by experience, not instinct. What I particularly like is how my understanding of the blogs I write is transformed and improved by the dance of the commentary back-and-forth. I delight in this kind of collaborative change.

Thus, I wanted to say, “Thank you, for taking the time to think, reflect, and comment.” I am certain this means the world to everyone who writes a blog for Moodscope.

There’s more.

I do not know of another community that commits to the conversation as much as we do at Moodscope. It is notoriously difficult to get engagement on Social Media, and yet, here, at Moodscope, we are consistently excellent at sharing our feelings, insights, and support. That is something to be enormously grateful for and to cherish.

It seems it takes (at least) two to Gull-Dance. Thank you for being my partner(s) in the dance. May we feast on the results of our joint-efforts!

Lex

A Moodscope member.