Really? Just Unbelievable! Another Dodgy Vote.

[joggerjayne]

Britain's national bird ... the Robin?

No Gulls in the Top 10?

I think a recount is needed. National bird? How often do you ever see a Robin?

And I'm sorry, the "Mute Swan" (is that a real bird) comes in ahead of the seagull?

Who organised this vote? FIFA??

http://www.votenationalbird.com/

[Svejk]

Robins are nasty.

[follyfancier]

when you say "Seagull" do you mean Herring gull
there is not actually a breed called a Seagull

[Canary42]

Surely if FIFA organised it the winner would be Rook.

[mikey4444]

I once saw a gull swoop down and take a pasty straight out a childs hands, on the beach in St Ives. The poor thing was terrified ( kid, not gull )

Ask anyone who has left their car in the Harbour car park in Penzance for any length of time, whether gulls are their favourite birds !

[Mamyalynne]

I was tempted to vote for the Kingfisher as I am privileged to see them too - not often, but when I am sat on my balcony with the crosswords and a cuppa and catch that flash of glorious colour as it swoops low over the water I get a real kick.

[Milvus]

Sadly in choosing the Robin, the public have picked a highly territorial, murderous bully of a bird whose beautiful song is the avian version of "come over here if you're hard enough".

[FrogNog]

I would have voted for the red kite.
What a magnificent creature.

[Buenchico]

>>>The seagull's natural diet is fish and chips. And sometimes doughnuts

No, JJ. That's your natural diet (when accompanied by a bottle of Pinot Noir), isn't it?

[gness]

Spot on, Milvus.......if I had to choose a seabird, JJ....it would be the gannet.....
My vote went to the harrier simply to make folk think about it.....I'd have been happy with the red kite or blackbird over the robin....x

[joggerjayne]

// there is not actually a breed called a Seagull //

That is true. That's why I've given all the bird breeds a capital letter, and also "Gull", but only a small "s" for "seagull".

Good bit of general info from follyfancier.

In fact ... Best Answer for mentioning the Herring Gull (which really should've won the vote).

[joggerjayne]

Chris ... that maaaaay be true.

[joggerjayne]

We are an island, and a seafaring nation. The seagull (Gull of whatever variety) is simply iconic. Our coast is patrolled by gulls in the way it has, throughout history, been patrolled by the Navy.

[FrogNog]

Tell that to the gulls that live over our very much inland landfill sites

[237SJ]

I`m not surprised it was the robin. I would have voted the barn owl

[Svejk]

joggerjayne /// Our coast is patrolled by gulls in the way it has, throughout history, been patrolled by the Navy.///

Quite right, jj. In WW1 they dragged smelly fish behind the periscope of a submarine. And then if a U-Boat turned up off the coast, 'ze war for them was over'.

[roopower]

I voted for the lovely barn owl, it came second. I wouldn't have called the birds on the list obscure.

[mikey4444]

The anthropomorphism on this thread is amazing !

[Baldric]

No such thing as a Seagull, unless it's a Footieballer, they are just Gulls!

[Baldric]

Svejk, my Grandad had that job during the war, he was issued a rowing boat and a tin of green paint.
If a periscope was spotted he would row out and paint the lens green, then the submarine kept going up, when it got to 1500 feet it was shot down by Ack Ack!