Herring gull

One thing I miss by no longer living next to the sea is the constant cries of the huge numbers of herring and other gulls that are always part of the scenery. However, herring gulls (Larus argentatus) are often found inland, especially during the winter months around reservoirs and rubbish tips.

Appearance and behaviour

They are large birds, measuring around 56 centimetres, although their wingspan (123-148 cm) is relatively short for a bird of this size. The body is mainly white, with grey on the lower back. The head is white, with a yellow bill that has a prominent red spot on the lower jaw, which the young birds peck at to demand food. However, during the winter months the head has prominent brown streaks. The wings, which are broad to make up for the lack of length, are grey with black tips. The legs and webbed feet are pink or, occasionally, yellow.

The age of juvenile birds can be told by the amount of brown in the plumage. The youngest birds are largely speckled brown all over, but by the third summer they are almost indistinguishable from adult birds. Males and females have similar plumage.

Herring gulls are aggressive birds, being the bullies of their neighbourhood as far as other species are concerned, and they have been known to peck at dogs and even people whom they think might be threatening their young or their food supply.

Feeding

Herring gulls are omnivores, although food from the sea is their main diet, especially during the breeding season. One trick they have is to drop molluscs and crabs from a height to break their shells on the rocks. Fishing boats are often followed a flock of gulls hoping to feed on any scraps or small fish thrown overboard. They will also feed on the eggs and young of other birds, such as ducks and terns.

Inland birds feed largely on what people leave behind, hence their presence at landfill sites and beauty spots. I have a vivid memory of having climbed Mount Snowdon in North Wales, sitting to look at the view while eating my lunch, and having my egg roll snatched from my hand by a swooping herring gull! This was more than 40 years ago but the memory still rankles!

Breeding

Herring gulls are very colonial, nesting in large numbers on crevices in cliffs, on offshore rocks and in reed beds. They will also build nests on rooftops in coastal towns and villages. Three eggs is the usual clutch (laid in May or June) and, should disaster strike, the female gull will lay a new clutch to replace the first. Incubation takes around 27 days, but the parents continue to feed the young birds after they have left the nest and even when they are able to fly, which is at around 40 days.

Conservation

Numbers have been declining in the UK in recent years, so they are on the “red list” of the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds). According to the RSPB, more than half of the British breeding population is confined to fewer than ten sites. Of course, there are many gull species apart from the herring gull, but were that particular high-pitched squealing cry to be lost from our coasts, it would be a sad loss indeed.

© John Welford