A solitary gull ignores the water
In hopes that tasty tidbits come his way
From those who crowd the rocks to spot an otter
Along the kelp-choked edges of the bay.

Disdainfully regarding all the squirrels
Whose antic japes delight the human flocks,
He claps his wings, demanding their deferral,
And sends them scurrying among the rocks.

And while the opportunists fight for scraps-
Successful scavengers secure survival-
A mother otter croons while wavelets lap
To soothe her fussy, squalling new arrival.

How easily the common coexist
With those on the endangered species list.