'Lil' Floof the seagull hatched on library roof becomes unofficial mascot

Halifax Central Library is touted as a place that's about more than books, and that definitely proved true this summer. 

It turns out, it's a great place for birds. Well, two in particular. 

Staff first noticed a seagull spending a lot of time sitting around in one spot on the library rooftop. It was next to a vent, on vegetation, in view of the patio on the fifth floor. 

"And then came the big announcement one morning that the birth, the hatching, had occurred," said Maureen Collier, the customer service manager at the library. 

And that's how the "tiny grey fluff ball," as Collier calls it, found its first home next to Halifax's living room.

Lori 'Lil' Floof

"There were pictures flying around in email throughout the whole library," Collier said. "Staff were so excited."

They even had a big competition to name the baby. It could have been called Bagel or Seagull. 

Lori and 'Lil' Floof won out. 

Lori was a suggestion that somehow evolved out of the Latin term for seagull, Larum.

Bird's-eye view

Collier said staff kept tabs on the bird's progress, "seeing the little, little fluff ball move a little further from its mom." 

It became a pet project for library staff, who learned more about the birds, their eggs and the nesting period.

"Every opportunity, whether it's you know someone coming in and having a conversation with you, or wildlife on the roof, is an opportunity to learn something new," she said.

Kids were definitely into the experience. 

"How often do you get to see a baby bird?" Collier said. "It almost became, you know, our little baby, our little child." 

Flew the coop

Like all kids, Lori 'Lil' Floof eventually had to leave home. 

The bird started stretching its long legs, Collier said. 

Then, one day, it wasn't there. 

Staff spotted it between the library and Dalhousie University buildings next door. 

"He had made the leap off of the building and was getting ready to fly away," Collier said. "Our little one was growing up."