We were lounging at Nauset Beach, one of my favorite Cape Cod beaches, when I began to wonder whether seagulls had a keen sense of smell. Is this how they just know I have tasty morsels of food in my swimming bag?
It turns out the answer is yes, they do have a nose of sorts. The two slits on their upper beak, called nares, let them breathe and pick up the scents coming from my swimming bag.
I am told you can look into one nare and see right through to the other side of the beak. I tried to witness this but the gulls did not cooperate with my experiment, in spite of how close they like to get to my swimming bag.
Another interesting fact I learned is that gulls drink salt water and it is excreted through their nares. Salt glands located above a gull’s eyes remove excess salt from their bloodstream.. These salty nasal secretions often are channeled down the beak via grooves where they drip off the tip of the beak
That is about all I learned about sea gull noses today. Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for some more interesting Cape Cod discoveries tomorrow!
Perspectives on the Road 
Great photos! I can hear their screeches, see their stalk-walk, feel the coarse sand, smell the beach at Nauset. In our courting days, Marion spent a couple of summers teaching at the children’s science school in Woods Hole, and I got to spend some time there. Sweet memories. As I recall it’s a kid-friendly beach; a hope there’s a child or two to enhance your people-watching.
Enjoy!! ♥️♥️
nancyG
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Great photos! I can hear their screeches, see their stalk-walk, feel the coarse sand, smell the beach at Nauset. In our courting days, Marion spent a couple of summers teaching at the children’s science school in Woods Hole, and I got to spend some time there. Sweet memories. As I recall it’s a kid-friendly beach; a hope there’s a child or two to enhance your people-watching.
Enjoy!! ♥️
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