Things you need to know about HERRING GULLS!

[@petebarnesTaiChi]

I live by the sea and it's such a shame that many people in the area seem to really hate these beautiful birds. I particularly love watching their flying ability which easily outmatches any other common land or sea birds.

[@thomasniehues9743]

Es ist suuuuper das es Leute wie dich gibt, wir ticken da total gleich... Ich beobachte sie auch immer sehr intensiv wie sich verhalten und ihre Flug und Segel Technik, wie sie dabei die Gegend ausspähen Sie sind täglich auf Futter angewiesen um ihren Nachwuchs zu versorgen... dann dringen Urlauber in ihren Lebensraum ein und das nur für einen kurzen Zeitraum...sie werden verscheucht und nach ihnen geschlagen und das wo die Flügel sehr schnell brechen...sie können sich nicht selbst helfen und veränden qualvoll... Nur weil Menschen am Strand essen wollen...

[@dazv3605]

Same here, I find herring gulls to be fascinating birds that simply have adjusted so well to human evolution - ditto with pigeons and crows.

[@neilhobson3624]

I’ve been to sunny Rhyl for a week and fed a few gulls. Not supposed to but I fed them and one hung around on the next caravan all week. So I kept giving him food. I felt sorry for him when we had to go home. Beautiful creatures , although I probably won’t get a round of applause but I liked him. 👍.

[@themorgan1111]

i have a herring gull that comes to me everyday for the last 3 years, he sits with my old cat in the garden , at the moment he is sooo hungry as hes feeding his babies xxxxx..i adore him his name is Doug!!

[@nicnak4475]

My late mother had a pet herring gull that would come to her house when she got up at 6am, It used to tap on the patio doors, so that she knew it was there ready to be fed, One day we heard a tap tap on the patio door and the gull was there and also a neighbours cat, both standing together and looking through the glass ! 🤣

[@tiggerific007]

so cute

[@CommonThresher]

​@maynardssoblue3839they dont attack. Children

[@manephewlenny6401]

@maynardssoblue3839 Your kids are a lot more dangerous and annoying than herring gulls ever will be.

[@AlexandruBurda]

I really love this birds. Most of my life I lived in an apartment at the 10th floor and seeing the gulls fly in the wind high in the sky or close to my window it gave me always a marvelous feeling. It is like feeling the beauty of life, the enjoyment of being there, so close to the clouds. Absolutely fantastic birds.

[@felinesandflowers]

Love them rascals, every time I hear their loud calls I smile. People who hate them, must remember that they were here long before us.

[@Robbie7441]

Something wrong with you ,they are flying rats and a major pest .

[@BOAR-yv9nj]

You've never lived in a coastal town where they've turned from the sea to feed off bins, come visit the isle of man and see if they make you smile in Douglas while they are swooping your chips out of your hands, I like them personally and I live in a tall house with nests on my roof and the king of the gulls lives up they're, no idea what they weigh but its a big one always has feathers in his/her beak from defending the nests and fighting all the time, i feed him/her prawns and mackerel to keep them sweet with me 😅, even had it defend me while another swooped me it intercepted like a f22 😂 I personally love birds and find them interesting to try and form bonds with but gulls can be a real pest and I fully understand how people would absolutely hate them to be honest regardless of who's there first, I'm certainly guilty off it but people are domesticating the seagulls by accident feeding them, it's drawing them inland as it's easier to find food they knock full bins over and drag the bags out all over back lanes in Douglas the council had to post warnings not to feed them in one area because they were such a nuisance.

[@joegrey9807]

They're very charismatic, and an easy way to watch nature, and the lifestyle of a wild animal.

[@whitecloudmountainminnowpr6353]

I've always liked seaguls👍✌️

[@indyreno2933]

They're called gulls not seagulls, in fact a gull is any shorebird species belonging to the family Laridae, a shorebird is any bird belonging to the order Charadriiformes, the closest living relatives of gulls are the skuas (family Stercorariidae), the second closest living relatives are the puffins, razorbill, auks, auklets, guillemots, murres, murrelets, terns, noddies, and skimmers (families Fraterculidae and Sternidae), and their third closest living relatives are the stone-curlews, sheathbills, pratincoles, coursers, crab plover, and crocodile bird (families Burhinidae, Chionidae, Glareolidae, Dromadidae, and Pluvianidae).

[@MisterRose90]

@@indyreno2933 wow, you must be very popular at parties. “Seagull” is a colloquial term. While technically not accurate, its useful enough. You’re attempt to educate just comes off a pedantic and demeaning.

[@MisterRose90]

@alexs aquariums Same.

[@theotheseaeagle]

@@MisterRose90 nothing wrong with correcting people. Plus gull is a lot easier to say than seagull

[@hobouk3871]

Love Gulls the sea side wouldn't be the same without them, we need to look after these birds.

[@LakeNipissing]

The foot stomping to mimic rain is amazing. I had no idea gulls would do that.

[@AShotOfWildlife]

I've recently seen blackbirds doing the same thing too.

[@helen3800]

I live near the seafront and work out of the docks as a truck driver. Often, as I'm driving back through the docks, the seagulls will take flight and fly alongside the truck for a while. The woodpigeons do it too. I love it, makes me smile

[@AmyCHollingworth]

BRILL video! One of my favourite species to care for- I miss my crèche of grey bitey puffballs!

[@AShotOfWildlife]

You are crazy, they are funny to look after but the smell... and the mess!

[@maire428]

I live in a coastal town which is also home to many herring gulls. Unfortunately many people hate them and put thin metal spikes on their roofs to prevent them nesting and perching. Early one summer morning a few years ago I heard the gulls kicking up a fuss so looked to see what was happening. A juvenile gull had managed to impale its wing on a metal spike on the roof of some flats opposite my house. Its parent and some other gulls were with it squawking and screaming as it struggled to free itself. It was going to be a very hot day and I felt so sorry for this bird which would have had a horrible death if left there all day, so I rang the RSPCA and reported it. The RSPCA came but couldn’t access the bird as it was out of their reach so had to call a fire tender from Torquay to come with their telescopic platform. The bird was rescued and taken away by the RSPCA. I don’t know if it survived but at least it didn’t suffer all day. Sadly, on the same roof I’ve seen the carcass of a young herring gull that got similarly tangled in the spikes and wires. I’ve reported it to the management of the flats but they did nothing. I pointed out that these spikes and wires are ineffectual and a hazard to these birds but apparently they’re legal. Thank you Liam for another great video, along with all the others you make. I’ve also enjoyed your videos on similarly vilified birds: magpies, wood pigeons and jackdaws. Keep up the great work to inform and educate!

[@deerohdeer8000]

Brilliant Liam !! You make these common birds so more interesting! Great documentary again 🎥🎥🖐🏻👍

[@spritzpistol]

That’s an amazing video and information. Thank you. We have a pair of herring gulls that visit us frequently, but for the past couple of months have disappeared ( the male was very young when I first encountered him, he who would visit and walk around the garden, let me practically hand feed him, he would then tap on my gate for me to let him out, and walk up the road with me in tow, it’s amazing and I caught it on video a few times ). I thought they had gone off to mate, but from your info they are not mature enough. However, two youngsters (all grey and black beaked) have appeared. Probably a coincidence, as it’s highly unlikely they are related? My menagerie (garden) is full of all sorts from solitary bees, hedge hogs, masses of bird life, adult and baby snakes, toads, frogs and newts, plus it’s a pathway for foxes and even ducks (even though we are not near any water source…..unless you count our small pond ☺️). Thank you for sharing.

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, I am glad you enjoyed the video. I think it is likely they are unrelated although sometimes they use the same nest sites year to year so perhaps they were siblings but a year apart. It sounds like you have a great garden for wildlife! Keep an eye out for my next video if you want to learn more about hedgehogs, that'll be out in 5 minutes!

[@adamtt2009]

@Maynards so blue because of a patch on its head

[@theotheseaeagle]

It makes me sad seeing the amount of demonisation these birds get. They are incredibly fascinating and intelligent birds and provide an important ecological role, but I appreciate that might be a bit difficult for some people to understand

[@GCAbleism158]

They probably get rid of disease.

[@theotheseaeagle]

@Maynards so blue they aren’t vermin though. They are a declining species and incredibly important to keep the ecosystem functioning. The reason they nest on people’s roofs Is because people feed them and they are also attracted to discarded food in rubbishtips

[@aprioriontoast704]

@@theotheseaeagle Maynards so blue is a renowned seagull hate, they watch seagull videos just to complain about these birds

[@kimbycampsworld3835]

Definitely agree all birds lives matter 🤍

[@Sgt.chickens]

Love em but. One of them still hadnt figuref out what the mysterious barricade known as a glass door is. Idk how smart they are

[@NaturallyCuriousUK]

Another welcome instalment in your "Things you need to know..." series. Like all the others this is excellent. Keep it up buddy and catch up with you soon. :-)

[@paulinephillips8305]

Another really informative video, thank you! We have both herring and lesser black backed gulls visit, as we are quite near the sea. They are such characters, I know people often dislike them, but I enjoy all birds. When the youngsters grow and follow the parents around, I don't know how the parents stay sane, with the constant 'bwa bwa bwa' in their ears!

[@nataliazielonka9824]

Great video, can’t beat baby gulls! 🙂

[@nataliazielonka9824]

Speaking of them being opportunistic, I recently had the pleasure of meeting a 19 year old herring gull, Gregory, which for 19 years has been feeding at a friend’s garden in Brighton getting more dog food than their dog! Before you ask, the friend knows it’s the same gull because of a small round hole in the webbing of one foot. Over the years, it’s been suspected that Gregory has invited multiple wives to his buffet too

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Classic Gregor! Did you give him a feed?

[@nataliazielonka9824]

Obviously! Pretty sure he’d have my dinner otherwise

[@richiehoyt8487]

I've been a resident in, as Ian Dury would have said, "A long term h~institution" for the last two years and though it is frowned upon by the hospital management, I often feed the birds 'for something to do', and, if I'm honest, because I have something of a sentimental streak. It started with the robins, sparrows etc. (of course) but I soon came to have a preference for the bigger birds. The wood pigeons, when and if they condescend to take my offerings, but in particular the corvids. There used to be a number of grey/hooded crows (same thing??) that don't seem to be around very much these days, and the magpies, who, unlike most people, I've come to have a real liking for on account of their being real characters and somehow very likeable. The one bird I take exception to though are the herring gulls and/or the nearly indistinguishable lesser black~backed gull. I know that's not entirely logical - "Feed none of 'em, or feed all of 'em", you might say(!) but they just have this really off putting quality about them. Even their names - they call them herring gulls but I doubt if any of this hospital's resident flock (I've noticed that they seem to be particularly drawn to hospitals!) even _know_ what the sea _looks_ like, in spite of it only being two miles away! Why would they when there's rich (ahem) _peckings_ to be had around here? And I know that country dwellers often have somewhat unpleasant stories about some of the more _unsavoury_ dining habits of the crow family; nonetheless, I have difficulty picturing crows noisily fighting over a used sanitary towel they've torn from a black bag! And I've never had a crow snatch - and swallow - a lighting i=ag~end out of the air (I smoke the 'plain', ie, untipped sort which don't really litter, as they break down in a matter of days. Hadn't figured for birds, though!) I fancy that _that_ particular seagull looked a bit 'green' around the chops, but like as not, the hot coal probably didn't even register with it! If they were human, they'd be the sort of person that here in Ireland we refer to as "Hungry l8as†erds" meaning the sort of person that, be it food, money, booze, drugs, whatever, the expression "enough's enough" has no meaning for them. Still 'n all, I don't think I'd have such an antipathy for them, except that, as I say, I'm in a hospital as I write this. Many of the patients here are very frail, and like to be wheeled out to the gardens where they can sit in the sun during the fine weather; one doesn't particularly like the idea of them being mobbed by 'sh1†ehawks' (to use the correct biological term) for making the rookie error of opening a bag of jellies. Which is why I use a powerful water pistol to fend them off when feeding other birds. One doesn't want them associating humans with food as a 'dine & dash' opportunity. 'Positive Reinforcement' or 'Negative Reinforcement' or whatever - one cannot tolerate people suffering broken hips and the like because of airborne muggers! I sometimes think I can _see_ the hatred as they stare me down with those beady little eyes! [EDIT: Ralph Hancock has video online of these gulls taking live pigeons and goslings, and I've also seen video of them atempting to take small dogs!] While I don't think I'd go so far as a certain band from the 'Madchester' days that used to bait the birds with white phosphorus filled treats (kinda putting lighting dog~ends in the ha~penny place!), I shouldn't be surprised if sometime soon I was forced to replace the water with hot sauce. Even if it didn't have the desired effect of being 'sh1†ehawk repellent', then it might at least have the effect of them turning their beaks up at food lacking the 'zing' of their favoured condiment!!

[@HelenaMikas]

This is one I missed , but have found.Terrific since I do like gulls .Noisy they maybe but amazing ..Fabulous filming too. Until next time :) 👍 Helena

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Thanks Helena. 😊

[@HelenaMikas]

@@AShotOfWildlife We do have many gulls live in Berlin as there is much to eat and huge expanses of water. However the two things I really miss are the sound of the sea ( nothing like it) and the wonderful call of gulls.) Can sit on a beach in all weathers just looking and listening ..takes hours to get from Berlin to the Northsea or Ostsee -Quicker to fly to UK lol Oh will the pandemic ever end :)

[@AShotOfWildlife]

@@HelenaMikas did you come to the UK much prior to the pandemic? Im lucky here in Norfolk, I can almost always see signs of the sea (although a lot of gulls here never actually see the Sea).

[@HelenaMikas]

@@AShotOfWildlife Now I know why you are always so happy .I'm from UK but came here to teach. Each year I visit at least once to see Canada Geese ( which I like and am doing a children's book on )and be able to get to the sea easily. Hence gulls . Gulls are everywhere now I know .Last year was 1st ever minus a visit and missed it .Have decided that no matter what I will visit before Easter .Manchester & geese , North sea and hundreds of gulls .Maybe. go mad and get to NW Scotland for really good swimming ..:)Say hello from Helena next time you see the sea .

[@HelenaMikas]

Just watched this again .Why oh why did people cull them .Those who say we have too many should think how horrible a world minus birds and all wildlife would be ..Thanks again .

[@sidneylol]

Hi Liam. I’ve not been on for ages but I now see you’ve been busy as usual. Always so much information in your videos and always lots that I don’t know and find very interesting 👍🏻 Keep up the good work pal. Stu

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Cheers Stu. Im going to gradually work my way through every species I can think of. Next stop, the Brown Rat!

[@gullloverstravels836]

They are so smart and have a wide range of communication noises. Mine currently have babies and I'm supplying their food. They are good parents. I love them, hence my channel 😊

[@Bertil_Lundin]

Thanks Liam for sharing the facts about the Herring Gulls! We have a lot of them here too. Greetings and have a good weekend! // Bertil.

[@sarahboakes6392]

Thank you I enjoyed this as we live by the sea. I make sure each day they have fresh water to drink.

[@jakubprzyrodnik]

Very interesting video! I've never heard of this imitating rain with feet. So cool and tricky 😁👍

[@myslicechannel]

The other thing I would add that you need to know is carry an umbrella when out walking your dog and their young are on the streets. Being swooped is not a pleasant experience and the umbrella seems to put them off! Apart from that, I like them!!

[@valoeghese]

It's interesting as a kiwi seeing gulls with the colouring typically associated with gulls (grey wings, yellow beak), as none of the 3 gulls found in New Zealand have a plumage like that! The most similar bird we have is the southern black backed gull, though they have, well, black wings.

[@theotheseaeagle]

Here in the UK we have greater black backs and lesser black backs, which have much darker feathers (although are lesser black backs have lighter colours than their mainland counterparts)

[@BlakJanuary]

My friend and I watched a bunch of these bird fact videos while we were trying to sober up before bed one night, after the first one (the robin one I think) we started playing a game called "guess how old the oldest bird of x species is" we were wrong every time. Basically what these videos have taught me is that a bird will live until it's killed 🥲

[@jayleigh4642]

Brilliant. Love your channel.

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Thank you. I have a load of other videos on the way so stay tuned for more.

[@jayleigh4642]

@@AShotOfWildlife I’m looking forward to them 👍🏻

[@Buster_Piles]

Very interesting. I thought the brown feathers were only for the first year, now I know better. 👍 😊

[@Foxiepawstotti]

I'm Aberdeen born and bred and believe me theyre bigger, are out day and night and adept at snatching pies from the hands of people at the old Bus Station, no fear, theyve been known to do it with kebabs at 4am too! The Aberdeen Gull is a real piece of work...I remember at College doing biology and being told that Herring Gulls have slight differences the further North you go and eventually the differences are so extreme that Southern Hemisphere Gulls cant breed with Northern Hemisphere Gulls or theres hybridisation if they do. I have a couple in my garden but, and this does Not happen in Aberdeen, my neighbourhood crows chase them off. I dont think crows would even think about it in Aberdeen....fierce Gulls but, I like their personality. My heart has always belonged to crows though.

[@dazv3605]

I've seen many of them and they're quite impressive. I wonder whether they're the same species as the yellow legged gull. I see lots of these in the south of France whereas herrings are often confined to northern countries. I noticed that lesser black backed gulls now tend to flock together with these ones.

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Until fairly recently they were thought to be the same species as yellow legged gulls but now they are treated as separate species. I believe they can hybridise though. They are also closely related to lesser black backed gulls and the way they split through evolution is interesting, I would try to explain it but its a long story and is better explained here: avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2021/07/17/the-herring-gull-complex-is-not-a-ring-species/

[@theavootar]

love noisy seagulls!

[@philipwatson7883]

Thanks again. Great content.

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Thanks!

[@carlosm4798]

Great stuff Liam!

[@williamsmiler184]

Great video mate, subscribed.

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Thanks! I hope you continue to enjoy the channel :)

[@mattwordsworth9825]

Who needs an alarm clock when you have these.

[@TJ-eq6dl]

Great insight,should be on main stream tv)

[@richard01690]

Brilliant. You deserve more subscriber's. Keep it up.

[@JacqJansen]

Great to see and know. Greetings, Jacq

[@elizabethrhvb-b6162]

Brilliant video, very informative, thankyou!

[@frednorman1]

Nice video!

[@GregsWildlife]

Another great and informative video buddy.

[@kianalamarche9418]

No matter how much I hates seagulls and there creepy looking to me it was a nice video and very interesting and so much research this is a very smart subject to do research on there's a seagulls were I'm at because I lives by a ocean and a lot of water and there on of the main sea birds.

[@marilynhull-parkes7927]

Another fabulous very informant video Liam,, I love Seagull,s but perhaps you should have included a warning, not to carry food in your hands , Ive seen first hand of a Gull sweeping down and pinch a bun out somebodies hand,, in fact when we where in Cornwall on Holiday one came halfway through the window to steal my son,s pasty..

[@Glenrsi]

Where i am the Herring Gulls and the Hooded Crows often attack each other. More like a mock battle, or simply chasing each other.

[@patriciabrown1189]

We fetched a baby sea gull up came in the house cuddled up to the dog we called it cherpy stayed with us till it flew away loved it we took it to the beach for it to fly it landed at are feet so funny followed me every where we think thats him that we feed every day or her then the babys come been doing it for at least the last 20 yrs

[@rosiejones6692]

Thanks so much for this, been researching more about gulls recently :) just wondering, do you know what juvenile gulls do after they've fledged? Do they stay with their parents' colony, or find/make a new one?

[@TheWolfenMole]

In winter, gulls spend a lot more time at the coast or at sea so the colonies naturally split up a bit anyway! Young gulls tend to move around even more and usually find a different colony to breed in when they're ready (it takes 4 years before they can breed) 👍🏽

[@rosiejones6692]

@@TheWolfenMole amazing thank you!

[@Nick-oz1ex]

Do the parents and chicks return to the nest area after the first successful flights?

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Yes, the young gulls often stick around the nesting area for several weeks after their first flights.

[@ERGORSE]

Love all gulls. Is it true that the red dot on their bill is used as an impetus for the very young chicks to peck at in order to be fed?

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Yes, ifs a target for the chicks to peck at and stimulates the parents to regurgitate. Cheers

[@ERGORSE]

Thank you. Love your channel & your passion for the ‘lesser’ diamonds in our wildlife ie The Brown Rat & indeed these terrific creatures.✌️👍🏻

[@potatohead2729]

Thankyou so much

[@JamesSBunting]

I have a pet gull - she must be ar least 20. Several families, but no new info.....?

[@johnwillans3107]

Hi, I enjoyed your video as I have become very interested in herring gulls now that we have one as a regular visitor to our garden. He or it could be she has started bringing nesting materials for us. I have no idea why. Have you?

[@theavootar]

what other invertebrates are attracted to the surface by the drumming other than earthworms

[@AShotOfWildlife]

I dont know if anyone has studied this but I know that beetles come to the surface when it rains so they probably come up for the gulls as well.

[@AxelLindquist]

Thank you! Song?

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Did I not include their call at the end of the video?

[@AxelLindquist]

Oh I meant the song in the background of the video! :)@@AShotOfWildlife

[@AShotOfWildlife]

@user-if4wr8he2w ahh, well I have tried to find it but don't keep a record of the songs i use in each video so can't help there unfortunately. It will almost certainly be by Aakash Gandhi but I couldn't tell you the name unfortunately

[@adamtt2009]

The thumbnail though 🤣

[@sgmostafa]

Nice

[@andydreads100]

NOT EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW BUT A BASIC OUTLINE

[@sanjugeorge2786]

All my body characteristics are like like passwords with jigsaw puzzles

[@silviopozza8413]

They are lil' bastards sometimes, but they are cool and funny :D

[@AShotOfWildlife]

They are definitely good at making enemies. I am from a coastal town and a lot of the people there are not fond of them!

[@paulwarner5674]

The local council paid people to paint the eggs so they didn't hatch a few years back and gave a license for culling by shooting. Have a colony near me on a trading estate and for weeks they have been dive bombing me and my dog whilst we are on our early morning walk. In the last few weeks there has been several times when 40 to 70 gulls take to the sky They look like they are frightening something off but they are so high it's impossible to see if this is the case.

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Sometimes they also swarm in the sky in time with the flying ant days, catching them from the air. Funnily enough, that exact thing happened here yesterday.

[@theavootar]

Ive never seen a gull nest in my town they really common here, but never saw the location or chicks

[@theotheseaeagle]

If your based inland, it’s likely they aren’t nesting. They come inland for the winter months and then head back to the coasts for breeding

[@hugebartlett1884]

Surprising how quickly they get to know you once you start putting food out! I always leave some chips and watch to see how long they last. One or two of the birds will approach quite closely,but always wary. I get on with them and enjoy their company.

[@sarahboakes6392]

Hi I always put fresh water out and fish skins when I have some

[@FreddieFraggs]

Not all herring gulls have the desire to eat other birds. For instance in my 40 years of knowing them I have seen seagulls. Starlings. Sparrows and Pigeons all standing just within a few inches from each other during feeding with no fighting. I am sure that the killing of other birds is if there life depended on it. Such as when some humans revert to canabolism as the last ditch attempt to survive.

[@AShotOfWildlife]

I think they probably just go for whatever is easiest. If they have lots of food they probably won't waste their effort trying to catch a living animal but if their isn't much food, the reward is higher.

[@theotheseaeagle]

They are opportunistic, so will often not hesitate to eat unguarded nests of eggs or chicks (nothing wrong with that, it’s just how they survive), but most gulls don’t prefer to use energy catching larger swifter adult birds when there’s already plentiful food. Most gulls which do hunt other adult birds (for example the rock dove eating LBBG in London) do it out of habit. After awhile other birds pick up on this and start exhibiting similar hunting techniques. In areas where birds are commonly fed scraps by people however, they are far more likely to attack or try and hunt other birds

[@FreddieFraggs]

@TheoTheSeaEagle Have you seen this personally yourself or just on videos? There is a complete ban on feeding any type of gulls here. So they will be short on food for sure. Yet like i said a few months ago i have seen Gulls hang around with all kinds of birds even Sparrows never chasing them or any other kind of bird. Nobody I know has even seen or heard about it happening here either. Maybe it's the type of Gull. 99 percent of gulls here are Herring Gulls. 🤔

[@theotheseaeagle]

@@FreddieFraggs lots of areas ban feeding gulls yet people still do it

[@FreddieFraggs]

@TheoTheSeaEagle Yeah in a lot of cases but we have the local council patrolling the coast here every day.

[@musfik7372]

I wanna get one pair. How can i get??

[@AShotOfWildlife]

I dont think you can own these birds as pets, they definitely wouldn't make good pets at least.

[@MajorKlanga]

It's surprising that they are in decline because in places like Penzance and St Ives in Cornwall, there always seem to be plenty of them. Unfortunately many people here hate them because of the noise, poo and rubbish bag raids. I've been berated by people for sharing a few crumbs with them and bringing an injured chicken to the Mousehole Bird Hospital. I've even seen people deliberately run them over with cars.

[@colmreilly8779]

5am when the chicks first hatch in Summer, is when they are at their most dangerous for some reason. during the day only specific gulls are territorial.

[@AShotOfWildlife]

I suspect its because they get tired of chasing everyone and everything throughout the day and are most rested early in the morning.

[@kaamkmca]

👏👏👏

[@theavootar]

are herring gulls eaten anywhere

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Not that I know of, I think they wouldnt taste very good.

[@bonnyismyname3063]

We have a herringgull juvenile, sleeps with our rabbit

[@raphlvlogs271]

why do people kill that many of them?

[@granttalibard6193]

I can’t believe that the Herring Gull population is in decline , there’s far too many of them where I live , and we’re 7 miles from the sea !

[@daryld4457]

It's one of the biggest scams of our lifetime, I can't for the life of my work out what the purpose behind perpetrating this myth is when they clearly are a nuisance and need heavy culling.

[@lilithsmith1290]

Are they Eatable ?

[@stevensudlow3759]

They are a complete pain here in Devon, they raid the bins and cause a lot of damage everywhere they go I even have barbed wire around the roof of my garage to stop them ripping up the roofing materials

[@suteners2111]

they will gobble down all thay can take at point they cant fly :D

[@weaton25]

I do not mind these birds when they are where they belong by the coast but they bug me when they come to my area of the uk about fifty miles from the sea I would have no hesitation in shooting one if I had a shotgun nasty things.

[@theavootar]

Do seagulls ever kill themselves?

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Not intentionally but I would guess they crash into windows occasionally.

[@epbicfortnitegamer]

they should

[@theotheseaeagle]

@@epbicfortnitegamer no

[@theotheseaeagle]

No, gulls are not like humans, they do not try and kill themselves intentionally, or cause themselves harm deliberately

[@ozzyg82]

But do gulls intentionally poo on people?!?!? Also - bird eggs have some of the best colours in nature.

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Yes, when they are trying to dissuade people from going near their nests they will deliberately poo on them. They're also less likely to try to steal your chips if you are looking at them. I agree, birds eggs are beautiful

[@ozzyg82]

@@AShotOfWildlife yes I’ve found that about chips, staring them down is my go-to defence now. I live by the sea and chip stealing is a constant danger.

[@vyckusher6410]

One day I saw one trying to eat a plastic flower from a bicycle kkkkkk

[@2O697]

i wonder how these birds are dangerous

[@lazrseagull54]

Mcmatmap!

[@theavootar]

gull

[@RHR-221b]

Thank you, A Shot Of Wildlife. Apparently upon this Astral Plane, we only have One Chance! Stay free. Rab 😎 ⏳ 🎲 🌠

[@garyturnbull9719]

They have a laugh like Jimmy Carr and they are super predators that hunt in packs!

[@J1122]

i saw a seagull eating a dead seagull since then i never liked them

[@AShotOfWildlife]

They are opportunists and will eat anything they can, I guess they just do what they need to survive.

[@theotheseaeagle]

In some areas of the world people engage in cannibalism. Guess I’ve got to hate the whole human race now lol

[@colinmccrone4990]

Hate them .I'm a roofer and these dangerous creatures could knock you off a roof.Ive been attacked numerous times.

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Yeah, I can imagine them being quite a threat if you are on a roof near to where they are nesting especially.

[@Choober65]

Evil verminous bullies. I hate them.

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Animals aren't ever evil lol

[@theotheseaeagle]

Would you mind explaining how they are evil? I guess I can call all humans evil because we eat chicken nuggets and people litter and our waste gets pumped into the ocean creating pollution and disease

[@jeffbrunswick5511]

It would be awesome if the Herring Gull went extinct. Unfortunately, they are one of the most adaptable and hardy birds on the planet. I once had a sandwich ripped straight out of my hand by one. It was an impressive act of thievery.

[@theotheseaeagle]

Nope, it would likely cause the collapse of coastal ecosystems and also cause rat populations to skyrocket (which if you’ve ever been around rats, you will know is far worse).

[@jeffbrunswick5511]

@@theotheseaeagle If you think rats are worse than seagulls, you obviously never met an Aberdonian seagull........

[@danielpeti3885]

Can’t stand them at all. I live by the sea and the noise they r making is just annoying. They crap on my car on a regular basis and they r big as fuck.

[@theotheseaeagle]

If you can’t handle a little bit of birdsong, maybe don’t live near the coast? If you want to live near the coast, your going to have to put up with gull calls, no point complaining about it

[@ME-ke7qc]

horrible birds rats with wings greedy..my 22 air rifle has bagged loads

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Sure.

[@roberthill1586]

I hate the bloody things and hate the thick humans who feed them. They don't last long on my roof. Flying rats that's all they are.