Saunders Gull Latin Name,: Larus saundersi Legend has it that when Captain James George Meads discovered Meads Island in 1878, the first bird he saw was a Saunders Gull, skimming over the waves of the Humanity Sea. What has proved to be so unusual about this meeting between founding father and fine feathered vertebrate is that the Saunders Gull is not considered a pelagic bird and Ornithologists had not expected to find it in the Humanity Sea. The Saunders Gull is also what first attracted leading Ornithologist Michelle Miller to the archipelago. Ms Miller is perhaps more famous for later marrying King Franklin I and, as Queen Michelle I, leading the Kingdom of Humanity Government in Exile in Australia during the closing stages of the Second World War. In light of these events, the Saunders Gull has been considered "lucky" by Songhrato and people have eagerly awaited the first Saunders Gull of the season. The bird has also become the official mascot of all national Songhrati sporting teams. The Saunders Gull normally breeds in coastal eastern China and winters in South Korea, southern Japan, Taiwan, the islands of the Republic of Morac-Songhrati-Meads and northern Vietnam. It is specialised to breed on salt marshes and tidal mudflats built up by silt deposition from the great rivers of eastern China, and is currently known to breed at a few coastal/estuarine sites in Jiangsu, Shandong, Hebei and Liaoning. The Chinese policy of reclamation of the salt marshes and tidal flats have detrimentally affected the population, which is currently estimated at 3000 and falling. Other factors like coastal degradation, urban development and pollution have also affected the Saunders Gull population. Particularly concerning are reports of Saunders Gulls being captured and eaten throughout mainland Asia. The last Saunders Gull sighted in the archipelago disappeared in 1973 and one of the most enduring Songhrato legends is that when the Saunders Gull returns to Morac-Songhrati-Meads, so too will we. Information provided by Adjunct Professor David W. Percival Esq., Dean of Natural Sciences University of Southwark Southwark Morac-Songhrati-Meads Visit the University of Southwark site for information on courses available.

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