Nine-year-old wins European Championships in the squawking of seagulls in Belgium

Competition in Belgium
To scream: A nine-year-old conquers the Seagull Screaming European Championships

The fourth European Seagull Crying Championships took place in Belgium. You read that right. It wasn’t a bird that won, but a young Brit and a Portuguese.

Seagulls are simply part of a holiday by the sea – but they can also be quite a nuisance. With their piercing eyes they like to peek at our French fries or fish sandwich and – bang! – grab them in a dive. Not to mention the seagull shit on the windshield! That’s why they even have the birds in Sønderborg, Denmark released for shooting, that’s how annoying they’ve become there.

In De Panne, Belgium, however, people have a heart for the feathered air pirates. On the Website The “European Championship Gullscreeching” says: “They are acrobats of the air who give you the fun of life. A screaming seagull brings back beautiful memories.”

The “Seagull Boy” from Derbyshire wins hands down

In order to bring people closer to the love of seagulls, the European Seagull Screaming Championship, the “meeuwenschreeuwen”, was launched in the coastal town. “In order to correctly imitate the sound of seagulls, scientific observation is required,” say the initiators. The idea is that if you take the time to do this, you will be more interested in them.

So they met last Sunday in De Panne for the fourth European Seagull Cry Championship. The seagull impersonators competed against each other in three categories: adults, juniors and colony, i.e. the group competition. They had to impress a jury with their screaming skills and collect as many points as possible; 100 was the maximum. Many of the participants even dressed up as seagulls.

A nine-year-old collected by far the most points: Cooper Wallace from Great Britain. The student from Derbyshire, nicknamed “Seagull Boy”, achieved 92 points. He is now the junior European champion and has made headlines all over the world. Radio, television, newspapers – they all want to interview Cooper.

A seagull attack inspires Cooper Wallace

“I was a little nervous. I thought they were cheering for me because they wanted me to stop, but then I realized they were all smiling and cheering me on to keep going. That was fantastic,” Cooper told the “Derbyshire Times”. But a small lucky charm in the shape of a seagull also played a role. “Without Stephen I wouldn’t have won.”

Jan Seys, marine biologist and juror, said BBC: “He managed to incorporate several types of calls into his performance, and each of them was impressively similar to a real seagull call. For me, he was not only the best among the young participants, but of everyone who took part in the championship .”

Cooper learned the art of seagull screaming after being bitten by one while visiting the beach. “I just wanted to make the noise to remind myself that I was pecked by one. But I like seagulls,” he told the “Times of London”. He has great respect for seagulls and his imitation is more of a homage than a mockery.

The next superhero?

“Spider-Man was bitten by a spider and became Spider-Man. I was bitten by a seagull. And now I’m ‘Seagull Boy,'” he said. Nevertheless, he admitted to the BBC that the birds were a bit scary for him. “I’m still a little wary about eating on the beach.”

Cooper’s new hobby wasn’t initially fun for his mother, Lauren, she told the station. At first she found it annoying. But then she realized how talented her son was. “People turned around and looked for seagulls.” She was “so proud” of her son, she told the Derbyshire Times.

By the way, the scientist Simão João from Portugal won in the adults category. He scored a respectable 87 out of 100 – five fewer than Cooper Wallace.

Sources: News agencies AP and UPI, gullscreeching.eu, “The Times”, BBC, “Derbyshire Times”, “The Brussels Times”