My Herring Gulls

13 years ago I was visited by a pair of herring gulls who built a nest on the balcony outside my top floor window. A couple of eggs were laid and eventually two chicks hatched, developed into juvenile birds and learnt to fly. Parents and offspring then left me. I took several photographs of the proud parents and their chicks, showing the development of the latter:

https://www.flickr.com/gp/79459751@N00/V8U6kQxvb1

I supplemented their diet with cat food.

In 2011 they returned and I think that the female had chosen a different mate. His behaviour was different, for instance he pecked the window for food! One of their chicks learnt to do this and has visited me most days since then, accompanied by his sibling.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/79459751@N00/ZERYQ11BxY

The following year they laid a single egg and the chick disappeared after a couple of days. I have a feeling that it was eaten by a magpie, one of a pair that lives along the road.

In 2013, they laid three eggs and successfully raised three chicks.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/79459751@N00/nC3o8aj53H

They visited me for another two years and raised a pair of chicks each year.

My downstairs neighbour, who owns the freehold of the property, objected to my gulls nesting here because he claimed that they made a mess of his car. He insisted on removing the nest, outside the breeding season, and put bird deterrent spikes on the top of the balcony wall. The birds have not nested here since, although the aforementioned pair still visit me most days for a handout - digestive biscuits or cream crackers - sometimes several times a day. They don't take any notice of the bird deterrent spikes!

In the wild herring gulls can live to 30 years or more. One kept in captivity lived for over 50 years! "My" gulls are now 13 years old.

Herring gulls are a protected species and are on the endangered Red list.

On a couple of occasions I had to go out on the balcony and rescue chicks that had fallen out of the nest. The parents were distressed and flying around emitting alarm calls. I returned the chicks to the nest and peace was restored. On another occasion a half grown chick got one of his legs entangled in twine and around a weed that was growing in soil on the balcony. I went out, cut the chick free and removed the twine from its leg, holding it upside down on my lap. It had a surprisingly high body temperature, probably because of their high metabolic rate. It couldn't use the leg properly for a few hours but it had recovered by the next day.

Despite the name, adult herring gulls don't consume herrings. They only catch them when they have chicks to feed. The rest of the time they eat crabs and molluscs, as well as scavenging rubbish dumps. They have been known to snatch chips and ice creams from holiday makers. I think that's quite rare here in Hastings and St Leonards-on-Sea.

I keep the biscuits/crackers on the window ledge by the window. On one occasion the bird that pecks the windows came into the room through the open window and flew around the room. I had difficulty catching and ejecting it without injury. When I caught it, it clamped it's beak on one of my hands whilst screaming it's head off! My hand had a slight cut.

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