Not based on true events

Why my companions never ventured far from the shore was well known to me, for all youthful California Gulls were told the tale of the Old Gull. He had come one day from the wilderness of the endless sea in a deplorable condition, and told of his many woes, which all, unfortunately, were true and by ill-luck occurred to a single gull. From then on none of my fellow roosters had dared lose sight of the safety of the shore ledges. But I, by sheer accident, and by the aid of a impetuous storm, came to know better, and made my way back to my home with slightly bedraggled feathers to tell of my adventures. None believed me, but stuck up their red-spotted bills to display the fact. Then they began to go over my condition with a fine-tooth comb, and did not fail to criticize a single rumpled feather. “No,” said the leader of the party decisively, “He could not have braved the wide ocean without encountering even one of the perils for which it is known!” And with that, they all turned their tails at me, all but one. This was Minnie, a pale juvenile barely fledged, and with much logic and little courage with which to air it. “ I believe that it is silly for one to expect a thousand misfortunes to occur to one gull in a couple days,” said she in her quiet sway, “so I would be glad to leave the shelf.” And so we did, and a fine time she had of the matter, and not a single woe befell us. When we returned that evening, we returned to, not a flock of gulls, but a flock of eyes as round as moons. As we landed, a chorus of questions surrounded and berated us, and all looked amaze at our prim appearances. Again and again, Minnie told of the wonders and security of our journey, and as she told, a change overcame our colony. This time, they did not tease or peck or stick their bills ridiculously high in the air, for the testimony of a second gull was worth more to them then the that of the first, though the first one  had also told the truth. “ So will you come?” I asked eagerly when Minnie had ended her prose. “ It is beautiful,” said she. But our friends were yet undecided, and set their heads askew in thought, and scratched their napes with their webbed claws in the same unsettled state of mind. For a moment, I believed in despair that they had nayed the suggestion again in their minds, but then I found myself catapulting several inches in the air when one burst out: “ Oh! Why not?” What followed was quite amazing. For, though they had launched from the ledge many times, our flock seemed unusually hesitant and crept inch by inch to the lip of the edge. Meanwhile, Minnie and I were already on the wing, and beckoned loudly to them. Then, finally with a simultaneous leap, they all rose gracefully from the cliff side, spread their silvery wings, and followed as we led them into the sunset, into the realm where fear  was no more, and musings of terror drifted away. 

California Gull
Larus californicus

This is a gull which can be spotted in urban settings, though in a lesser extent than the closely related Ring-billed Gull. You can differentiate between the two by noting the darker grey upon the wings and back of the California Gull, and the absence of a black bill band and presence of a red spot on its lower mandible. But look out, for some juveniles have black-tipped bill! The California Gull also has dark eyes to differentiate it from the Herring Gull, which has pale eyes. California Gulls are opportunists when it comes to diet, eating anything from birds to carrion to fish. They arrive in April, and take advantage of any water which is free of ice. A native species.