Captain Birdseye! Lazy seagull 'sails' a log along lagoon instead of swimming or flying

This is the hilarious moment that a lazy seagull hitched a ride down a Canadian lagoon on a wooden log, even though the bird is able to both swim and fly.

Photographer Gary Woodburn filmed the seagull leisurely floating down the Esquimalt Lagoon in British Columbia.

In the video, the seagull stands on top of the long branch as it travels downstream, apparently forgetting its useful knack for flying and swimming.

The lazy bird does not even try to stand comfortably in the middle of the log, but precariously balances at the back of its wooden water taxi. 

A lazy seagull decided to hitch a ride down the Esquimalt Lagoon in British Columbia on the back of a wooden log, hilarious video footage shows

Mr Woodburn shared his unusual video footage on Instagram on October 6. 

He jokingly captioned the video: 'Why Fly When you can Drift?'

The Esquimalt Lagoon Migratory Bird Sanctuary gives migrating waterbirds a safe place to feed and rest and is located 10km west of Victoria.

The 134-hectare sanctuary is one of the top birding spots in the region, as the shallow tidal waters support thousands of waterfowl from October until May.

Some of the main bird species found in the shallow waters are mallards, northern pintails and American wigeons.

But many gull species are found in the deeper waters of the tidal lagoon, along with canvasbacks and buffleheads.

Photographer Gary Woodburn spotted the seagull travelling down the lagoon on its wooden water taxi and shared his unusual footage on Instagram on October 6

The 134-hectare Esquimalt Lagoon Migratory Bird Sanctuary attracts many birds all year round, with many gull species being found in the deeper waters of the tidal lagoon 

At least three types of rare gulls were spotted in the Esquimalt Lagoon this summer, despite some areas of Greater Victoria seeing a decline in its number of gulls. 

Ann Nightingale, a volunteer with the Rocky Point Bird Observatory, told Victoria News that a Lesser Black-backed Gull, a Franklin's gull and seven Sabine's gulls were spotted at the lake.

But the sheltered lake has luckily seen 'literally thousands and thousands of gulls' this year, according to Ms Nightingale.

Migratory bird sanctuaries were established across Canada to protect bird migratory birds during critical times in their life cycle, including nesting and feeding.

The Esquimalt Lagoon sanctuary was created in 1931 and plays a vital role in the survival of many bird species.