Gull State at Memorial Stadium

By James Ed. Ducey

There was more than excitement in the air as another football Saturday got underway in Lincoln.

A flock of migratory, autumn gulls visited the downtown scene as the regular avid fans were flocking to watch the Cornhuskers play Ball State in Memorial Stadium.

The birds - Franklin's Gulls - were first noted flying just above the buildings on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus. As they slowly moved southward, they flew above and among the taller buildings of downtown. The flock of an estimated 75 birds eventually continued southward past the state capitol and were lost to view as they continued their journey.

The gulls were behaving in a manner very similar to Chimney Swifts, a few of which were also present but not as predominant in the skies.

Airspace of the scene was quite busy at the time. There were at least two helicopters present, including one with a camera mounted on its lower surface, likely to provide video for the came being telecast on pay-per-view. Another buzzed past quickly on a route north to south, just above the meandering flight paths of the gulls.

Different small, personal planes circled about the sellout crowd in the stadium.

Once the game was underway, a historic Ford Tri-motor plane made a slow, circular route above the city. The "Silverhawk" - 78 years old- had been a firebomber and a Dominican president's private plane, according to news reports. "It was also featured the 1965 Jerry Lewis movie The Family Jewels."

A couple of other more typical planes also circled the football stadium, as well as the seemingly ubiquitous high flying jets, marked by their contrails.

Upon scoring by the home team, other items were added to the atmosphere. The first was a bunch of smoke from fireworks. Then when other points were added to the scoreboard, a big bunch of balloons were released.

The latter will end up as a bunch of trash somewhere...

Another flock of about 100 gulls - some barely visible way up in the sky, was over the city campus at the end of the game. An American Kestrel, calling during a short flight to a perch, seemingly celebrating Nebraska's one point victory, from its vantage point atop nearby Hamilton Hall.

The visiting gulls certainly had the best view of the land action of anyone or anything in attendance.