Breeding pair of herring gulls on my balcony

[leon_heller]

I live in St. Leonards-on-Sea, near Hastings in E. Sussex, quite close to the sea.

A pair of herring gulls took up residence on the balcony outside my bedroom window a few weeks ago. They've built a nest, and some mating has taken place over the last few days. They were at it again this afternoon. I've been supplementing their diet with cat food that my rather fussy cat refuses to eat, and stale bread. They won't touch leftover cooked rice, which is strange. I'll see if I can get some fish heads and other bits and pieces from my local fishmonger. I've provided them with a bowl of water and they drink from it occasionally. There was a large leaf in it yesterday, it was removed this morning and was lying next to the bowl, which I found interesting.

They spend a few hours a day here, arriving at dawn and leaving when it gets dark. They fly off occasionally for an hour or two. The female seems to spend more time here.

The female sits on the nest occasionally. Does anyone know how long it will be before she starts laying? I've been able to find that pigeons take about 10 days to lay their first egg, so I'd guess at about a couple of weeks.

If eggs do materialise I'll see if I can set up a webcam and put it on-line.

My balcony must be the equivalent of Claridges for a pair of gulls - plenty of protection from the wind, plenty of food, and the wall and house keep the sun off for most of the day.

Gulls are rather unpopular with some people here, and there has been talk of culling them. I've always liked them though, they add character to the place.

[Gaza]

Hi Leon

Welcome to the forum, and good for you !
I also like watching Herring Gulls. We also have been fortunate enough to observe a pair of Herring Gulls return to our neighbours roof for the last four years, to have young.
The adults come to our garden for food and water, and sometimes the youngsters come with them. ( in past years )
The female is now on her nest. So we are hoping to see some young soon.

[aeshna5]

Sounds like a fascinating insight into the private lives of these birds. Not everyone would be so welcoming as they can be noisy + aggressive when they have young to protect. I enjoy them though + they are a declining species.

[leon_heller]

Thanks for the comments.

It'll be interesting to see how aggressive they will be towards me if they do have chicks.

[Gaza]

Hi Leon

As I said earlier, This pair have been with us for four seasons, now.

The first year. The male used to be aggressive, and would dive at us, when we were in the garden. I cant remember what year it changed. But last year, we had no aggression from them, and once the youngsters were able to fly. They would come down to feed. Almost out of our hands. The parents, would sit nearby and observe.

Looking forward to this years young.

[leon_heller]

It'll be nice if they come back year after year. They will probably outlive me; they often reach 30 or more, apparently.

They spend a lot of time looking in at me through the window, they are there now. I've just fed them, and they will probably be flying off soon to wherever they spend the night.

I feel quite privileged to have them.

I had a couple of pairs of House Martins nesting under the eaves where I lived once. They came back for a couple of years but then the nests disintegrated in the winter and I didn't see them again.

[astarsdad]

Hi,

Try feeding them chips. I amuse all the kids when we are near the seaside by throwing chips into the air and having flocks of seagulls soaring and diving for them. I also use this tecnique when my brother wants to photograph gulls to good effect.

Terry

[leon_heller]

They like crisps as well:

BBC NEWS | UK | Seagull shoplifter steals crisps

The female has been sitting on the nest for most of the morning.

[Tobyh]

Leon,

Welcome to WAB from a fellow St Leonards On Sea man.

I thought this was going to be a "how do I get rid of them" thread so was refreshing to see your take on this. It'll be interesting to see how they get on, sounds like they picked a great spot. You do know they get quite aggressive when they have chicks though I assume? Nothing serious but may be worth bearing in mind.

*edit* should really read the entire thread first...I guess the message about aggression when chicks are out has got through
Good luck!

TobyH

[leon_heller]

Thanks.

The female is now spending a lot of time on the nest, with the male at the other end of the balcony. They've added some grass to it.

They drink a lot of water, I put down a full bowl this morning and it had gone by mid-day. I've just put down some more.