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Where are the Common Gulls? (1 Viewer)

halftwo

halftwo

Wird Batcher
This winter, in my part of the world at least, there is an almost complete absence of Common Gulls.

Usually by autumn numbers pick up and they become one of the most likely seen gull until spring.

This year I'm seeing none most days and the occasional one flying over.

Is this the same where you are?

Has there been a population crash that I'm unaware of?

H
 
Certainly far fewer around here than there used to be - I suspect short-stopping (wintering further northeast in Europe, not bothering to cross the North Sea) more than actual population decline, but don't know for sure. The general decline in soil invertebrates can't be helping them, though.
 
We don't usually get many here in the south west corner of Cumbria but there was a flotilla of about twenty riding out the bad weather yesterday in the Walney Channel between Walney Island and the mainland.
 
Numbers seem normal here is east Norfolk for autumn but Jan/Feb gull roosts are normally the best time for big numbers here so will have a better idea of any change from normal winters then.
 
My impression is that numbers in Leics and Rutland, particularly at Rutland Water, are about the same as usual in winter. Nothing quantitative though, so I might try a roost count in the next day or two.

Steve
 
I think that the current seabird census will reveal quite a big decline in UK breeding common gulls. Certainly the bits that I counted were down.
 
Thanks guys, it might be as I suspected, then.

I've just been over to Holmfirth, my old stomping ground - and there were a few Commons amongst the Black-headeds there - yet here, very similar habitats, there are none.
 
Its a comparison between a current recording rate of common gulls with a historical one. So the number of 'complete lists' with common gull on this year has been broadly similar to that of whatever the historical period was. What it doesn't show is any decline in numbers though - a site with 1000 birds last year and 10 birds this year would register as 'birds present' in both years.
 
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