We are feeling nostalgic today……
From little fluffy cuties to big feathered beasties in a matter of weeks! We love them at all stages but even we have to admit that the ‘fluffs’ are particularly cute 😍
We feel honoured to be part of their transition from toddlers to teenagers.
These chicks range between a few days to 8 weeks old
Mousehole Wild Bird Hospital plays host to 200-400 young gulls during breeding season, as seen above they come to us from any age from as young as a number of hours to fully fledged.
Where possible if the nest is visible and accessible we encourage people to return them to their nests as gulls are very good parents, and will do a great job at raising these youngsters until they are ready to be in the big wide world by themselves.
Of course this isn’t always possible due to the height of the nest or no nest in sight, or if the chick is injured. That’s where we are here to help, we take in these youngsters and treat their injuries/illnesses and help to raise them up to be the big strapping birds you see out in the wild.
Herring Gulls in particular are on the red list as an endangered species, having lost at least 25% of their population in the last 10 years Herring Gull Bird Facts | Larus Argentatus – The RSPB, taking another big hit in their numbers last year due to Avian Influenza.
So although it may seem like they are around in overwhelming numbers here in Cornwall that’s because a large majority of ther population live here rather than other counties (don’t get us wrong there are plenty in other coastal counties too).
When we get to release these amazing birds we feel like proud parents waving their children off to University, in these cases the University of Life.
If you would like to support our work please have a look at our ‘Support Us’ page here.