Children's book focuses on captain, gull's friendship
Jun. 2—Stories big and small, some tragic and some humorous, make waves around the region and sometimes much farther.
A case in point is the story of Capt. Heath Ellis who befriended a herring gull, which makes Ten Pound Island its home.
The gull, called Polly, often flies out to visit the Gloucester mariner when he sails into Gloucester Harbor on the family schooner, the Thomas E. Lannon. The gull already has visited the schooner this spring while out on a sail, reported Capt. Tom Ellis, Heath's father.
That story now comes to life in New York Times bestselling author Sy Montgomery's new children's book, "The Seagull and the Sea Captain," released this spring.
Residents and visitors will have an opportunity to experience the inspiration for this story in a three-part program in Gloucester on Saturday, June 4. Things kick off with a sail, from 10 a.m. to noon, aboard the Thomas E. Lannon along with Capt. Heath Ellis, Montgomery and the illustrator Amy Schimler-Safford.
At 1 p.m., there will be a reading and book signing at Sawyer Free Library, 2 Dale Ave., followed by a concluding event at 2 p.m., just a short distance away from the library, with a book-themed children's art activity at Cape Ann Museum, 27 Pleasant St.
Also an international best-selling author, Montgomery has written 31 books for both adults and children, based on her many adventures — from searching out mountain gorillas in Zaire to working in a pit "crawling with 18,000 snakes in Manitoba," and now in the nation's oldest seaport.
The beginning
It began one day in 2013 when the seagull landed on the main boom, a spot on the back of the sail with no rigging, after which he flew off and landed on the stern.
"We do a lot of lobster bakes and clam bakes so we had oyster crackers on the boat and I threw him a few crackers and he flew away," said Heath Ellis. "He did it again the next day, and after a week, he would take the crackers right out of my hand. From that, it took until the end of summer before he would get on my hand. and it took another five years to walk up my arm and sit on my shoulder, like a parrot. We don't have parrots around here, so a seagull is the next best thing. It took three times, and then he'd jump on my head."
But when COVID-19 hit, the usually skittish seagull at first became even more apprehensive because Ellis was wearing a mask.
"He likes it when there is a breeze and he seems more comfortable because he can get away easy with the wind blowing," added Ellis.
The tale of the two's unlikely friendship became the cover story of the fall 2017 Cape Ann Magazine, and a good story always has legs. It was featured a few years later in the Boston Globe after which Montgomery, also a naturalist, heard about the story while working on her radio show, "The Afternoon Zoo" with Jim Braude and Margery Eagan.
"When the Globe story came out in 2019, it was on the front page," said Ellis. "My friends called me asking if I had seen the story. During the harbor cruise, the Globe photographer didn't believe it was real. The bird usually shows up at the beginning of the trip and that time it was at the end of the sail. I said 'she's here' and the photographer said 'no way.' It's random when the seagull comes for a visit. He'll come find me if he really wants a cracker."
In researching story for her children's book, Montgomery came to Gloucester to visit Ellis and take a schooner trip to hopefully meet Polly — and the two did meet.
Ellis refers to the bird as "Polly Five Toes" because it is missing a "toe" on its right foot.
"They have three little claws on each foot, and that's why I know it's the same one," explained Ellis.
He said a herring seagull can live to 35 years.
"I assume it was a younger, curious bird at the time we connected," he said. "I've never been a bird guy but it has been a great experience."
The book already has one young fan.
"My 4-year-old daughter loves the book and that it is about me," said Ellis. "It's been quite a trip reading her this story at bedtime."
Just last week, Ellis took a group of Boston concierges on a harbor sail, after which many asked the captain to sign the book for their children and grandchildren.
"I'm thrilled about the book and they did a great job with the story and illustrations," he said. "It has a great message about how everything is better with a friend. Come for a sail and see if Polly visits."
