It is impossible not to admire the sheer adaptability of gulls. On holiday in the Cornish resort of St Ives recently, I was amused to see people having everything from pasties to ice creams snatched by these airborne raiders. But a taste for convenience foods isn't natural gull behaviour – these birds have simply learned to take advantage of unsuspecting holidaymakers, just as they have learned to forage on landfill sites further inland, taking advantage of our gross wastefulness. They didn't create the throwaway society – we did, and they are simply reaping the benefits by grabbing a free lunch whenever they can.