Author Topic: Seagulls (Read 7670 times)

Cudzoziemiec · « **on:** 13 November, 2021, 06:14:34 pm »

I vaguely remember someone posting something along the lines of "we don't have anything as exotic as seagulls here", which made me think they must be somewhere really exotic not to have seagulls. Suffice to say they're a common sight in and around Bristol, about ten miles from the sea proper. Also in Bath, another ten miles inland. And in Gloucester and in lots of places. I'm sure I've seen them in properly inland places too. But over the last week I've been to Cardiff, a mere five miles from the sea, and also to Bournemouth, and neither has seagulls. Admittedly those are just one-day snapshots. But where and where not has seagulls in Britain? And why?

Kim · « **Reply #1 on:** 13 November, 2021, 06:17:26 pm »

No shortage of Shitehawks amongst the Birbs of Birmingham, which is almost as far from the sea as it gets.

Presumably it would have to be a rural area, with a lack of a) fish or b) scavenging opportunities, possibly combined with predators and/or angry toffs with shotguns.

PaulF · « **Reply #2 on:** 13 November, 2021, 06:22:24 pm »

Also in Oxford

Pingu · « **Reply #3 on:** 13 November, 2021, 06:23:36 pm »

I don't think there are many on the tops of the Cairngorms (though it's been quite a few years since I've been there).

rafletcher · « **Reply #4 on:** 13 November, 2021, 06:31:27 pm »

Being pedantic, they’re not (none of them) Seagulls. Just Gulls of different varieties. We don’t appear have any around here, but we do have Terns on the local reservoirs.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #5 on:** 13 November, 2021, 06:51:11 pm »

I'm coming to the opinion that "seagulls" is not only taxonomically incorrect, it isn't even descriptive of their habits. How about litter gulls? Bin gulls?

Socks · « **Reply #6 on:** 13 November, 2021, 07:18:14 pm »

Alternatively, since they thrive on the rubbish that some of us throw on the ground, they are sometimes called shitehawks.

orienteer · « **Reply #7 on:** 13 November, 2021, 09:13:16 pm »

Quite a few on the Grand Union Canal here in Uxbridge

mrcharly-YHT · « **Reply #8 on:** 18 November, 2021, 12:48:40 pm »

Quote from: rafletcher on 13 November, 2021, 06:31:27 pm

Being pedantic, they’re not (none of them) Seagulls. Just Gulls of different varieties. We don’t appear have any around here, but we do have Terns on the local reservoirs.

Phew

I opened this thread, expecting the first post to point out "there is no such thing as a seagull". Was starting to get worried until I got to the 4th post.

Jaded · « **Reply #9 on:** 18 November, 2021, 12:54:20 pm »

I’ll not mention that there are no seagulls, then.

There are gulls in Cardiff. I have seen them at Sophia Gardens.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #10 on:** 18 November, 2021, 01:33:45 pm »

Definitely more gulls in Bristol than Cardiff. Also a lot more litter. Cardiff was remarkably clean for a British city. Might be different when there's rugby on.

lissotriton · « **Reply #11 on:** 18 November, 2021, 01:36:16 pm »

Anyone noticed gulls come further inland on windy days?

Pingu · « **Reply #12 on:** 18 November, 2021, 02:27:56 pm »

https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/herring-gull/

https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/black-headed-gull/

Check out the distribution maps.

Basil · « **Reply #13 on:** 18 November, 2021, 03:31:20 pm »

Does Bobby Seagull realise that he does not exist?

Wowbagger · « **Reply #14 on:** 18 November, 2021, 04:44:55 pm »

Lots of supposedly coastal birds are often distributed inland. Many waders, which I expect to see out on the mudflats off Southend, and have a twice-daily commute to avoid the incoming tide, can also be found high in the pennines. It's really weird to me to hear a curlew or an oystercatcher 1500 feet up in the pennines. But they live, and nest, there.

Gulls likewise. They follow trawlers and tractors with equal willingness. I think the noisiest gulls I've heard were the herring gulls that roosted atop Cheltenham Ladies' College when I stayed there for a summer school about 20 years ago. The Manglement of a nearby hotel had placed an enormous plastic model of an eagle owl on their roof in an attempt to scare off the gulls, but it had the opposite effect: they dive-bombed it with loud cries as they did so. Mind you, it didn't half look impressive when you saw it silhouetted against the sunset. Several of us were convinced it was a real one for about half a day, which led to much excitement amongst the Hungarian ladies who were teaching our course.

fimm · « **Reply #15 on:** 18 November, 2021, 05:01:12 pm »

Why is it OK to use the term "gulls" for "various species of [mostly] white birds associated with the coast" but not OK to use "seagulls" to mean the same thing?

Basil · « **Reply #16 on:** 18 November, 2021, 05:15:02 pm »

Quote from: Wowbagger on 18 November, 2021, 04:44:55 pm

Lots of supposedly coastal birds are often distributed inland.

I often see a cormorant around. We're only about 15 miles from the coast as the crow flies, but more than double that as the river flows.

Jurek · « **Reply #17 on:** 18 November, 2021, 05:23:48 pm »

We have plenty of gulls at work - but then, the Lea Valley reservoirs are at the end of our yard, probably replete with much fishy.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #18 on:** 18 November, 2021, 05:53:38 pm »

Quote from: Wowbagger on 18 November, 2021, 04:44:55 pm

Gulls likewise. They follow trawlers and tractors with equal willingness. I think the noisiest gulls I've heard were the herring gulls that roosted atop Cheltenham Ladies' College when I stayed there for a summer school about 20 years ago. The Manglement of a nearby hotel had placed an enormous plastic model of an eagle owl on their roof in an attempt to scare off the gulls, but it had the opposite effect: they dive-bombed it with loud cries as they did so. Mind you, it didn't half look impressive when you saw it silhouetted against the sunset. Several of us were convinced it was a real one for about half a day, which led to much excitement amongst the Hungarian ladies who were teaching our course.

If it kept the pigeons away then it was doing a pretty good job.

ElyDave · « **Reply #19 on:** 22 November, 2021, 10:31:45 pm »

Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 13 November, 2021, 06:14:34 pm

I vaguely remember someone posting something along the lines of "we don't have anything as exotic as seagulls here", which made me think they must be somewhere really exotic not to have seagulls. Suffice to say they're a common sight in and around Bristol, about ten miles from the sea proper. Also in Bath, another ten miles inland. And in Gloucester and in lots of places. I'm sure I've seen them in properly inland places too. But over the last week I've been to Cardiff, a mere five miles from the sea, and also to Bournemouth, and neither has seagulls. Admittedly those are just one-day snapshots. But where and where not has seagulls in Britain? And why?

Plenty in teh Fens, though I did once have a denizen of Taunton tell me there were none in Bath - I was at uni there at the time and regularly scaring them out of ornamental fountains

Blodwyn Pig · « **Reply #20 on:** 23 November, 2021, 07:33:25 am »

We call them ‘tip gulls’ as they always on landfill sites and waste depots.

mrcharly-YHT · « **Reply #21 on:** 21 January, 2022, 11:33:13 am »

Quote from: fimm on 18 November, 2021, 05:01:12 pm

Why is it OK to use the term "gulls" for "various species of [mostly] white birds associated with the coast" but not OK to use "seagulls" to mean the same thing?

Because that is the name.

There isn't a bird called a 'Herring seagull'. It is a Herring gull.

Gulls are seabirds of the family Laridae in the suborder Lari.

Terns aren't gulls. Neither are cormorants. Gannets are white, but they aren't gulls.

[edit] shock news!

There is such a thing as a 'sea gull'.

The black-backed gull has the latin name Larus marinus, which translates to Sea Gull.

There we are, standing corrected.

Mind you, that means calling a Herring Gull a seagull is even more inaccurate.

Pingu · « **Reply #22 on:** 21 January, 2022, 04:27:11 pm »

Herrings live in the sea, thobut.

IanDG · « **Reply #23 on:** 21 January, 2022, 05:41:21 pm »

My understanding is that their natural habitat has been destroyed so they've adapted to feed on human food waste. I also believe that they are migratory and follow the lines of major trunk roads stopping at services to 'refuel' on discarded waste food products.

Told this by a birdwatcher but haven't followed it up to see if she speaks the truth.

Steph · « **Reply #24 on:** 14 February, 2022, 06:06:50 pm »

Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 18 November, 2021, 01:33:45 pm

Definitely more gulls in Bristol than Cardiff. Also a lot more litter. Cardiff was remarkably clean for a British city. Might be different when there's rugby on.

You will find that the Brissle gulls are largely herring gulls, while a large proportion of the Cardiff gulls are lesser black-backed gulls.

Odd factoid: The LBBG/HG complex is astonishing, as they are effectively the same bird on the other side of the world. As you move to East or West, they steadily diverge, so we have two species that regress back to one as you circle the world.

There are LOTS of 'races' of HG. Some twitchers specialise to insane lengths.