It’s a good time to be a gull
It’s been said that it’s a dog eat dog world. When it comes to the Stony Brook Herring Run in Brewster, gull eat fish is much more appropriate.
Once again, the herring are running. It’s the annual sprint to spawn, up stream, over the ladders to placid Mill Pond. The current rushes, the gulls attack and the herring push on.
The herring stock remains low and the Commonwealth has prohibited the taking of herring until further notice. Unfortunately, the gulls did not get that memo.
As you approach the herring run, driving down Satucket Road to Stony Hill you can see the gulls flying around–that is always a good indication that the herring are on their annual watery trek.
The run is a beautiful spot. Green and lush and this time of year, filled with curious folks of all ages who come to cheer on the herring as they make their way up the ladders in a silvery flash.
But there is an unsettling element to this idyllic scene–the jarring, constant squawk of the gulls as they dive into the water and scoop out herring. Battling one another for position and catch. It’s fascinating, it’s nature and it’s not for the faint of heart.
The herring will continue to run now through mid-May or so. Stony Brook is a popular site and there are herring runs in Mashpee, Harwich and Bourndale too.
Click here for a gallery of photos and here for some more video of the run and accompanying feast. Click here for a map and directions to the herring run.
