Let us know when you contact one of the sea life centres. I'd love to hear how it gets on. I'm just waiting for the SSPCA to ring me about my 2 chicks. I know the adult was put to sleep yesterday but it was for the best.
PS I'm not sure about the legalities of keeping a sea bird in your home. It may be worth looking at that.
great well done, no doubt it will be ripping open binbags and attacking smaller birds within weeks :rolleyes:
Nice nurturing instinct you've got, commend you on that, but seagulls are vermin. I would be less worried about 'dwindling numbers' of seagulls and more worried about dwindling numbers of the baby swans and ducklings they kill for food.
Thats nature when they kill , if they kill, because I've never heard of it. they don't do it for fun. they do it to survive.
By the way most if not all gulls in the UK are of amber status. That means their natural habitat is disappearing as are their numbers. I wonder whose fault that is?
We had a nest of blackbirds years back, which was unfortunately attacked by magpies, they killed 3 of the 5 babies, but we managed to get hold of the other two and we put them in our unused rabbit run. The parents found them and came down and fed them as they normally would. The magpie couldnt get them any more because he couldnt get through the bars, and the babies were safe because they were too big to fit out.
We kept them in there for 3 weeks, until they had lost all their baby feathers, they got very tame and we could handle them. One day when they were making attempts to flap their wings inside the rabbit run, we put them both up on the fence, and after a few shaky attempts they flew away.
We saw them from time to time as they came back to the garden.
I'd do the same thing again if I had to. The RSPB werent interested and told us to let nature take its course but we couldnt bear that.
We had a nest of blackbirds years back, which was unfortunately attacked by magpies, they killed 3 of the 5 babies, but we managed to get hold of the other two and we put them in our unused rabbit run. The parents found them and came down and fed them as they normally would. The magpie couldnt get them any more because he couldnt get through the bars, and the babies were safe because they were too big to fit out.
We kept them in there for 3 weeks, until they had lost all their baby feathers, they got very tame and we could handle them. One day when they were making attempts to flap their wings inside the rabbit run, we put them both up on the fence, and after a few shaky attempts they flew away.
We saw them from time to time as they came back to the garden.
I'd do the same thing again if I had to. The RSPB werent interested and told us to let nature take its course but we couldnt bear that.
Yeah Magpies get a bad press because of this but it probably had its own young to feed. It took me years to accept that its just nature. in saying that you did the right thing I would have done it too.
LOL. No it isn't him. Does anybody know in Aberdeen if the seagull still does this.
I keep on promising to video my Sam because he's funny too. He sits right in between the cats to eat his supper. He doesn't peck them and they don't attack him. They're probably too scared because he is a big chap.
Ok Ive got in touch with wildlife sanctuary again today, again they said they had no room for a seagull, they gave me the name of a local woman who resuces wild birds but she keeps them all in a caravan! the RSBP sanction this because I suspect they cannont care for all wild birds themselves, but I cannot see the difference between me keeping him here and him going to a caravan with lots of other birds, especialy one of those small caravans, ok he might get to interact with other birds but he also might get bullied.
I got in touch with DEFRA, which is some kind of department of enviroment place and they licence birds, although seagulls are protected species I am doing nothing wrong in raising him and dont need a licence, the only time you need a licence for seagulls is if you wish to remove a nest from your roof and it has eggs or young in, then you have to give it to a special body who will resite the nest.
What I have been told is when all his flight feathers are through and he has no baby fluff at all then he will just take off, he will forage for food himself but he will come back here and ask for food from us, but he wont want to stay here and will fly around and look after himself when he can. Also if he is a she there is a chance he/she will come here to lay eggs in the box I am using for him at the moment, he hops in and out of that when he wants.
I also put a big bowl of water out for him every day which he jumps in and has a good old wash.
I realise a lot of people will condem me for keeping the bird here and hand raising it but I couldnt see what choice I had, and so far he is doing well, eating on his own and growing at an alarming rate. Some one said they are vermin, maybe so, but as far as vermin are concerned I would have done the same for a baby rat or mouse.
Ok Ive got in touch with wildlife sanctuary again today, again they said they had no room for a seagull, they gave me the name of a local woman who resuces wild birds but she keeps them all in a caravan! the RSBP sanction this because I suspect they cannont care for all wild birds themselves, but I cannot see the difference between me keeping him here and him going to a caravan with lots of other birds, especialy one of those small caravans, ok he might get to interact with other birds but he also might get bullied.
I got in touch with DEFRA, which is some kind of department of enviroment place and they licence birds, although seagulls are protected species I am doing nothing wrong in raising him and dont need a licence, the only time you need a licence for seagulls is if you wish to remove a nest from your roof and it has eggs or young in, then you have to give it to a special body who will resite the nest.
What I have been told is when all his flight feathers are through and he has no baby fluff at all then he will just take off, he will forage for food himself but he will come back here and ask for food from us, but he wont want to stay here and will fly around and look after himself when he can. Also if he is a she there is a chance he/she will come here to lay eggs in the box I am using for him at the moment, he hops in and out of that when he wants.
I also put a big bowl of water out for him every day which he jumps in and has a good old wash.
I realise a lot of people will condem me for keeping the bird here and hand raising it but I couldnt see what choice I had, and so far he is doing well, eating on his own and growing at an alarming rate. Some one said they are vermin, maybe so, but as far as vermin are concerned I would have done the same for a baby rat or mouse.
Years ago, one of our neighbours rescued an entire nest of baby jackdaws which had fallen down their chimney (they fitted a cowl afterwards!) Their teenage sons looked after the chicks and they became hand tame. Eventually they were released, but they came down to visit our neighbours every day for several years
Thats nature when they kill , if they kill, because I've never heard of it. they don't do it for fun. they do it to survive.
By the way most if not all gulls in the UK are of amber status. That means their natural habitat is disappearing as are their numbers. I wonder whose fault that is?
just because you've never heard of it doesn't mean it doesn't happen.
It happens a lot here and we get tourists upset and crying because they take baby ducklings and cygnets right out of the water.
You can't tell me they do it to survive. The sea is full of fish. We have signs (as do most towns in the west country) saying 'DO NOT FEED THE SEAGULLS' even though tourists think it's funny to give these fishing birds chips and pasties :rolleyes:
Same goes for ripping open binbags - you're telling me they did that before humans built houses and had bins?
don't think so.
They are a pest and a nuisance and I'll be glad if/when they're extinct.
Just want to reiterate I am not attacking the OP, I commend your nurturing instinct, and yes I probably would have done the same thing in rescuing the chick, however I would have put it in a box, taken it to the vets, explained the situation and left.
You're raising vermin and it should give you a clue nobody but nobody is interested in taking it off your hands - they are disgusting birds *shivers*
Birds like seagulls are successful because they adapt. They are not disgusting birds, but they are survivors in the true sense. Ultimately that means they encroach/impact the lives of humans. See also rats, urban foxes etc. They don't set out to cause us problems. They are dumb animals to that extent.
To wish a creature "extinct" because of this is bizarre though. Perhaps you wish man to be extinct too, given we cause far more problems than gulls. In fact, by and large we are offering gulls a feast with all the litter we leave about. And then complain when they try to take it when in fact our littering is tantamount to inviting them in for lunch.
As for tourists upset about gulls taking chicks. FFS, they are wild animals and ITS WHAT WILD ANIMALS DO! To survive. Did you watch Springwatch? Did you not pick up on that fact, that if the gulls don't get the chicks, the pike probably will. Or weasles. Or stoats. Or any number of raptors. This is why ducks etc have large families because most won't survive till adulthood as they'll be predated. Its just nature.
I know jon - but ducks are iddly widdly fluffy babies and their children get upset when they see it happening :rolleyes:. 20 years ago when my colleague was a teenager the gulls used to go out to the cliffs to roost, now they make a nuisance of themselves in the town - nesting on rooftops, pooing over everything, dive bombing you in the street (we have about 20 injuries a year here when a gull divebombs someone in the street to take the food they are holding), and attacking you to defend their nest - this never used to happen. Horrid birds.
I know jon - but ducks are iddly widdly fluffy babies and their children get upset when they see it happening :rolleyes:. 20 years ago when my colleague was a teenager the gulls used to go out to the cliffs to roost, now they make a nuisance of themselves in the town - nesting on rooftops, pooing over everything, dive bombing you in the street (we have about 20 injuries a year here when a gull divebombs someone in the street to take the food they are holding), and attacking you to defend their nest - this never used to happen. Horrid birds.
It never used to happen because the gulls weren't interested. Now there is litter everywhere as councils struggle to take waste away or change to fortnightly collections. Cause and effect.
I've seen tourists feeding the gulls chips when the have fish and chips on sea quays. Then they get cross when the same birds fancy some more? Again, the birds act in the way they do becuase somewhere along the line they've been given tacit encouragement by the actions of human beings. This is why you see signs saying "do not feed the gulls". But people still do. Its not the birds at fault. Its the ignorance of people.
the ignorance of people caused birds to go round ripping open rubbish bags?
You could put it like that - there was a time when we put rubbish in solid dustbins with lids that birds and other creatures like rats couldn't open. If we went back to doing that, this wouldn't be an issue.
the ignorance of people caused birds to go round ripping open rubbish bags?
Absolutely, yes! Think about it. A bird sees a black floppy object they know is full fo tasty morsels. Its not a bin bag to them. Its a fast food outlet! Likewise foxes. If someone is thick enough to think a bit of thin black plastic is going to deter a wild animal who can smell food inside, they are mad.
Go to North America and see if you can do the same there. You can't in some parts. Well you can, but you may have a bear or two to contend with if you do!!! That's why they use dumpsters and why we here SHOULD use proper bins.
Hi my friend rescued a young sea gull a few years ago. It stayed in the shed and devoured tins of sardines and pilchards and left after a couple of weeks when it was better . She's rescued lots of different birds over the years. Some have left quickly and others have stayed around. It was a lovely thing to do to rescue the seagull, and now it's growing up the natural instincts will kick in and it will probably leave of it's own accord.
The bloke who lives across the road from me is just the same as you sheddy and believes all seagulls should be shot at birth, lots of people complain about the seasgulls but they chose to live by the sea, the birds belong here, hence the name seagulls!!
I didnt know they swooped and took baby ducklings, I didnt think they ate other birds, but if they do then that is nature just like a lion eating a zebra or what ever, I do know that crows will eat the baby seagulls when ever they can and no one moans about that. As for the bin bags, yes it is a bloody nucience, the council here have provided everyone with lockable brown bins in which to put food stuff and big bins that you have to press buttons to open for all other rubbish, I guess when your hungry you will go through bins, even homeless people with no money do that yet you wouldnt want them to be killed off would you.
Wild birds can be hand reared and then clear off on their own once they are able and will adapt very nicely, maybe its because its a seagull I rescued that puts some people off, if it were a sparrow or duckling there wouldnt be so much of a problem, but a bird is a bird full stop.
I personaly would think it horrible if all seagulls became extinct, just like the dodo and other animal species, the seaside is not the same with out seagulls, and its already been said, tourist come here and will hold up chips and food for the gulls to come and take out of their hands and find it funny, so its no wonder they will do it to all people as they have been think its an ok thing to do.
The bloke who lives across the road from me is just the same as you sheddy and believes all seagulls should be shot at birth, lots of people complain about the seasgulls but they chose to live by the sea, the birds belong here, hence the name seagulls!!
I didnt know they swooped and took baby ducklings, I didnt think they ate other birds, but if they do then that is nature just like a lion eating a zebra or what ever, I do know that crows will eat the baby seagulls when ever they can and no one moans about that. As for the bin bags, yes it is a bloody nucience, the council here have provided everyone with lockable brown bins in which to put food stuff and big bins that you have to press buttons to open for all other rubbish, I guess when your hungry you will go through bins, even homeless people with no money do that yet you wouldnt want them to be killed off would you.
Wild birds can be hand reared and then clear off on their own once they are able and will adapt very nicely, maybe its because its a seagull I rescued that puts some people off, if it were a sparrow or duckling there wouldnt be so much of a problem, but a bird is a bird full stop.
I personaly would think it horrible if all seagulls became extinct, just like the dodo and other animal species, the seaside is not the same with out seagulls, and its already been said, tourist come here and will hold up chips and food for the gulls to come and take out of their hands and find it funny, so its no wonder they will do it to all people as they have been think its an ok thing to do.
Ah, don't worry fluffydice, you did what you did with the best intention at heart and THAT'S what counts.
My parents live by the sea. Their nextdoor neighbours' roof is home to a Mr and Mrs Seagull. They are there often, and are like a double act - we call them George and Mildred as they stand there looking about, nodding their heads and cawwing to each other. Some people take pleasure in all of nature's creatures about them. Others don't. That is there loss.
Anyone complaining about seagulls by the sea is a bit derranged by the way. What do they expect?!!
The 2 chicks I saved on Saturday are doing well. Thought you might like to know fluffy.
thats so good to hear. I was told its very rare for seagulls to survive if they are raised by humans but I think thats untrue. They are hardy things and can look after themselves after just a few weeks.
This is Sam who goes to my neighbours window mainly for grub. He does come to mine but its usually 4.30am when theres nothing in his orange bowl over the road. he taps on the window to wake me up. LOL. he eats everything from kebab to fish to cat food.
Theres one of those cheeky seagulls round here, some call him sammy but most call him Steven (as in Steven Seagull the actor) Not that his surname is spelt like that.
He wanders up and down the balconys outside peoples doors and taps on the door with his beak, most will have a biscuit or piece of fish waiting for him. Here he is doing the rounds.
Aw I like Steven. He's a herring gull. Our Sam is a lesser black backed gull. You can tell by the colours of their legs. Herring gulls are pink and LBBG are yellow.
Comments
PS I'm not sure about the legalities of keeping a sea bird in your home. It may be worth looking at that.
Ann
Thats nature when they kill , if they kill, because I've never heard of it. they don't do it for fun. they do it to survive.
By the way most if not all gulls in the UK are of amber status. That means their natural habitat is disappearing as are their numbers. I wonder whose fault that is?
We kept them in there for 3 weeks, until they had lost all their baby feathers, they got very tame and we could handle them. One day when they were making attempts to flap their wings inside the rabbit run, we put them both up on the fence, and after a few shaky attempts they flew away.
We saw them from time to time as they came back to the garden.
I'd do the same thing again if I had to. The RSPB werent interested and told us to let nature take its course but we couldnt bear that.
Yeah Magpies get a bad press because of this but it probably had its own young to feed. It took me years to accept that its just nature. in saying that you did the right thing
Is this him?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kqy9hxhUxK0
I keep on promising to video my Sam because he's funny too. He sits right in between the cats to eat his supper. He doesn't peck them and they don't attack him. They're probably too scared because he is a big chap.
I got in touch with DEFRA, which is some kind of department of enviroment place and they licence birds, although seagulls are protected species I am doing nothing wrong in raising him and dont need a licence, the only time you need a licence for seagulls is if you wish to remove a nest from your roof and it has eggs or young in, then you have to give it to a special body who will resite the nest.
What I have been told is when all his flight feathers are through and he has no baby fluff at all then he will just take off, he will forage for food himself but he will come back here and ask for food from us, but he wont want to stay here and will fly around and look after himself when he can. Also if he is a she there is a chance he/she will come here to lay eggs in the box I am using for him at the moment, he hops in and out of that when he wants.
I also put a big bowl of water out for him every day which he jumps in and has a good old wash.
I realise a lot of people will condem me for keeping the bird here and hand raising it but I couldnt see what choice I had, and so far he is doing well, eating on his own and growing at an alarming rate. Some one said they are vermin, maybe so, but as far as vermin are concerned I would have done the same for a baby rat or mouse.
well done fluffy. i think you done good.
Well done for rescuing the seagull chick, btw
just because you've never heard of it doesn't mean it doesn't happen.
It happens a lot here and we get tourists upset and crying because they take baby ducklings and cygnets right out of the water.
You can't tell me they do it to survive. The sea is full of fish. We have signs (as do most towns in the west country) saying 'DO NOT FEED THE SEAGULLS' even though tourists think it's funny to give these fishing birds chips and pasties :rolleyes:
Same goes for ripping open binbags - you're telling me they did that before humans built houses and had bins?
don't think so.
They are a pest and a nuisance and I'll be glad if/when they're extinct.
You're raising vermin and it should give you a clue nobody but nobody is interested in taking it off your hands - they are disgusting birds *shivers*
To wish a creature "extinct" because of this is bizarre though. Perhaps you wish man to be extinct too, given we cause far more problems than gulls. In fact, by and large we are offering gulls a feast with all the litter we leave about. And then complain when they try to take it when in fact our littering is tantamount to inviting them in for lunch.
As for tourists upset about gulls taking chicks. FFS, they are wild animals and ITS WHAT WILD ANIMALS DO! To survive. Did you watch Springwatch? Did you not pick up on that fact, that if the gulls don't get the chicks, the pike probably will. Or weasles. Or stoats. Or any number of raptors. This is why ducks etc have large families because most won't survive till adulthood as they'll be predated. Its just nature.
It never used to happen because the gulls weren't interested. Now there is litter everywhere as councils struggle to take waste away or change to fortnightly collections. Cause and effect.
I've seen tourists feeding the gulls chips when the have fish and chips on sea quays. Then they get cross when the same birds fancy some more? Again, the birds act in the way they do becuase somewhere along the line they've been given tacit encouragement by the actions of human beings. This is why you see signs saying "do not feed the gulls". But people still do. Its not the birds at fault. Its the ignorance of people.
You could put it like that - there was a time when we put rubbish in solid dustbins with lids that birds and other creatures like rats couldn't open. If we went back to doing that, this wouldn't be an issue.
Absolutely, yes! Think about it. A bird sees a black floppy object they know is full fo tasty morsels. Its not a bin bag to them. Its a fast food outlet! Likewise foxes. If someone is thick enough to think a bit of thin black plastic is going to deter a wild animal who can smell food inside, they are mad.
Go to North America and see if you can do the same there. You can't in some parts. Well you can, but you may have a bear or two to contend with if you do!!! That's why they use dumpsters and why we here SHOULD use proper bins.
I didnt know they swooped and took baby ducklings, I didnt think they ate other birds, but if they do then that is nature just like a lion eating a zebra or what ever, I do know that crows will eat the baby seagulls when ever they can and no one moans about that. As for the bin bags, yes it is a bloody nucience, the council here have provided everyone with lockable brown bins in which to put food stuff and big bins that you have to press buttons to open for all other rubbish, I guess when your hungry you will go through bins, even homeless people with no money do that yet you wouldnt want them to be killed off would you.
Wild birds can be hand reared and then clear off on their own once they are able and will adapt very nicely, maybe its because its a seagull I rescued that puts some people off, if it were a sparrow or duckling there wouldnt be so much of a problem, but a bird is a bird full stop.
I personaly would think it horrible if all seagulls became extinct, just like the dodo and other animal species, the seaside is not the same with out seagulls, and its already been said, tourist come here and will hold up chips and food for the gulls to come and take out of their hands and find it funny, so its no wonder they will do it to all people as they have been think its an ok thing to do.
Ah, don't worry fluffydice, you did what you did with the best intention at heart and THAT'S what counts.
My parents live by the sea. Their nextdoor neighbours' roof is home to a Mr and Mrs Seagull. They are there often, and are like a double act - we call them George and Mildred as they stand there looking about, nodding their heads and cawwing to each other. Some people take pleasure in all of nature's creatures about them. Others don't. That is there loss.
Anyone complaining about seagulls by the sea is a bit derranged by the way. What do they expect?!!
thats so good to hear. I was told its very rare for seagulls to survive if they are raised by humans but I think thats untrue. They are hardy things and can look after themselves after just a few weeks.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b356/Cosworthlady1/ABCD0008-1.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b356/Cosworthlady1/ABCD0009.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b356/Cosworthlady1/ABCD0010.jpg
Oh and the cats called Archie. he used to live with me but he moved over the road because I made him stay in at night LOL.
He wanders up and down the balconys outside peoples doors and taps on the door with his beak, most will have a biscuit or piece of fish waiting for him. Here he is doing the rounds.