Spring 2017 | Issue 12 Spring 2016 | Issue 10 | Page 16

Gulls: maligned & misunderstood
Herring gulls are officially number one
at West Hatch, with 579 being admitted
in 2015.
They come into our care for a variety
of different reasons – as orphaned
chicks that have fallen from rooftops,
as casualties of road traffic collisions,
having been entangled in fishing line
and after being shot, poisoned and
polluted. Whilst we care for each bird
as an individual and aim to get it back
to the wild in good health, these
magnificent birds are not loved by all.

Photo: Joe Mu

rphy

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Our overlapping worlds began to generate
friction when people moved into the
natural habitats of the gull and created a
range of nesting places such as flat roofs
that suited them perfectly. Alongside these
nest sites, humans brought access to
energy-rich fast food and plenty of edible
rubbish and waste, giving gulls a taste
for more than just fish. Being birds with
speed, intelligence and audacity, they
quickly worked out how to make the best
of this co-existence.
Where we at West Hatch see birds skilled
at surviving and with great agility and
speed on the wing, others see an urban
menace that threatens their ice cream
and chips. Where we see a bird that is a
strong and protective parent, guarding and
feeding their chicks tirelessly, others see
a noisy, dangerous predator that attacks
from the sky. It is this more negative view
of gulls that can bring their downfall. Each
year we care for a number of gulls that
have been maliciously shot with airgun
pellets and those that have been kicked