Port Orchard locals squawk to honor seagulls

PORT ORCHARD, Wash. - Port Orchard is located on the shores of Puget Sound, and like any community on the water, folks there have learned to live with seagulls.

But they go one step further: they’re actually celebrating those often annoying and loud birds in a unique way - a seagull calling contest.

People have been flocking to the shores of Port Orchard for over 30 years to take part in the event.

Judges say they’re not just listening to the sound of the call, but also looking to see how many actual seagulls respond to these calls.

“We want to make sure that they are getting as many seagulls to the beach as possible,” said Lena Price, who is one of the judges.

Nobody takes the competition too seriously.

“When you’re out there being goofy and everyone’s being goofy, you’ve got nothing to be embarrassed about,” said Matt Murphy with the Chamber of Commerce. “We were looking for something unique for Port Orchard. We don’t have the biggest rocking chair or the largest ball of string, so we put together the seagull festival because, well, we have a lot of seagulls here in Port Orchard.”