Gull Protection of Latter-day Saint Crops

In the spring of 1848, shortly after the Saints settled the Salt Lake Valley, they had 900 acres of winter wheat planted. Swarms of crickets descended and began devouring the fields. Despite the pioneers' attempts to exterminate them, the crickets continued their destruction. Then, thousands of gulls appeared, devoured the crickets, and saved the harvest, averting famine.

In his account of the event, John Smith noted that the gulls appeared daily for approximately three weeks, arriving in such massive numbers that when they flew between the pioneers and the sun, a 'shadow covered the field.' He observed them settling across an area extending more than a mile. Historians also note that while the gulls' arrival was a significant event, they were native to the region and the phenomenon of regurgitation was a natural behavior, with the gulls feeding to capacity, drinking water, and then disgorging the remains of the crickets to continue eating.