You won’t believe when Laughing Gulls Return to St. John! The coincidence with April Fool’s Day adds a playful twist to their seasonal arrival!

A laughing gull sitting on a boat's outboard motor

Every year around the start of April, laughing gulls return to St. John. It's pretty easy to remember because it coincides with April Fool’s Day, and well, they laugh. Most birds migrate to escape the cold winters up north, but these guys do things a bit differently. They arrive here in April, all dressed up in their breeding plumage, lay their nests in May and stick around until November. These birds may be coming here from the northern coast of South America, so they might be showing up here during the southern hemisphere’s winter. Although our temps don’t differ much, they may be seeking our peaceful, quiet cays which provide a great nesting spot for them.

Boaters Beware: you might want to keep an eye out. Laughing gulls love to perch on boats, especially when they’re not in use. And let’s just say, when they do, they leave a little “gift” behind – lots of guano. So, you might find yourself spending more time scrubbing your boat than you’d like. Maybe even think about getting some bird deterrents if you don’t want to deal with the mess. If you have any good advice for bird deterrents that work or have pictures of outrageous one, please leave a comment/picture in the comments below.

And if you're heading to the beach? Watch out for the gulls there too. They’re infamous for swooping in and stealing food. Please don't feed the birds; it's not good for them or other beachgoers. They’re not built to eat processed human food, so it can mess with their health. Plus, while you might think it’s “cute” when one snatches an offered snack from your hand, the person next to you who just had their $20 sandwich snatched might not agree! Not to mention, feeding wild animals is actually illegal on most of the beaches here because they’re in the National Park.

If you’re a birdwatcher, you’ll want to keep an eye out for these quirky little guys. One of the behaviors that they’re known for is steal fish right out of the mouths of brown pelicans. If you’re at the beach and see a pelican diving for fish, grab your camera and see if you can catch the gulls in action – they’re sneaky little thieves. This behavior is called "kleptoparasitism" – basically, the gulls get a free meal at the expense of the pelican.

Keep your eyes peeled, the laughing gulls should return to St. John any day now. These laughing gulls are both entertaining and a bit of a handful. But, hey, they’re part of the charm of St. John!