A beady eye

There we were sitting in the car on Dover docks for 2 hours with it blowing half a gale, waiting for the delayed DFDS car ferry. [We'll be back on P&O next time], when our friendly [?] gull fixed me with his unblinking eye and used all his power of persuasion to get me to give him food.
He was unsuccessful, but he did put me off my reading of The Times!