Black-headed Gull Foot Paddling

Today I observed  a Black-headed gull  Larus ridibundus  foot paddling on short grass I know Common Gulls frequently do this as do Herring gulls ,I remember reading something about first recorded I think by Tinbergen in  an article for British Birds in the 60's , can't say I have seen BHG do this before or probably just not noticed  it . There is a lot of short grass along our coasts  as towns  always seem to keep the grass very short  on the extensive links like those at Whitley Bay's "Astro Turf " areas ,someone must go along with a measure marked in Millimetres to keep it that short . Wouldn't it be nice to see an area of wildflowers      now and again with tall grass you could walk through  looking for "Butterflies" which oddly don't seem to like short grass ! or imagine small fenced off areas with actual trees in wow! . I noticed The Briardene had been tidied up or sanitized depending on how you see it, I looked for the Med Gull that frequents the car park or at least did , I wonder if they have been recorded foot paddling , I have been know to paddle but that was in my youth I'm sure the sea was warmer then !!!