Edutainment > 36 Views of Green Island (17) - Seagulls

Tom Kristensen, born 1962, is a young artist from Australia who works in the tradition of Japanese woodblock prints. On this page he describes his print work 'Seagulls' from the series of '36 Views of Green Island'.

Prints by Tom Kristensen
Green Island - Seagulls
copyright Tom Kristensen

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Seagulls - No. 17

The Silver Gull, Larus novaehollandiae, is found throughout Australia, but is most common on the southern coastline. They are found in large numbers wherever food is plentiful. The gulls gather in noisy flocks on the sea, and pick over the flotsam on the seashore. They are equally busy at the garbage tip or following the fishing boats.

Silver Gulls are scavengers and kleptoparasites, meaning they are happy to try to steal food that they are unable to catch by themselves. They are often seen fighting over food, not only among their own kind but also with other species. They are well adapted to life with Homo sapiens. When the weather is rough they come in to shelter on the lakes, and parks. At sporting events the gulls gather on the green. Gulls are also common on airfields, where they are a serious hazard to aviation.

Gulls can also interfere with boats, redecorating moored yachts as suitable nesting sites. The breeding pairs may produce two clutches of hatchlings in a single season. The young are able to leave the nest within two days of hatching and begin begging food from their parents. The begging behaviour continues into adulthood, with nesting females begging food from their mates. The males that are best able to deliver food are most likely to maintain a pairing through to the following mating season.

Woodblock Print by Tom Kristensen

Tom Kristensen - Video

Video - Tom Kristensen
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In this print I have tried to reproduce the colour of the scarlet legs, bill and eye ring of the adult birds. In the young birds these parts are black then turn yellow brown; the red colour develops with maturity. There is little to distinguish the male Silver Gull from the female, but the red colour separates the immature males from the breadwinners.

Tom Kristensen, August 2005
(edited by Dieter Wanczura, updated in October 2009)

Video Presentation of Tom Kristensen

We produced a video with a short presentation of Tom Kristensen. Please click on the image or on the link to go to the video page.

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