Tag Archives: Lesser black-backed gull

184a/365 The Big Yin lives!

03 Wednesday Jul 2019

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190703 LBB gull chick

The best news! The biggest of the three Lesser black-backed gull chicks is still alive. It must’ve fallen off the roof. I had searched the back of the house with my bins and found nothing and couldn’t hear anything, but now it’s on the roof of the lean-to attached to the back of the house. It’s moving around just fine and a parent has been down to feed it. I suspect it may have fallen into the front garden (a miracle it survived the tumble), the home owners have found it, and moved it around the back and on to the roof so it could be seen by its parents. Fingers crossed!

184/365 Sad news

03 Wednesday Jul 2019

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I am the bearer of sad tidings today. All three of the Lesser black-backed gull chicks, who were living amongst the chimney pots across the back lane, have perished. I think one died a week or so ago, probably because it was the runt of the brood and was out-competed for food by its two older siblings. I’m not sure what happened to the other two – one was definitely much larger and more dominant than the other, so perhaps the smaller of the remaining two also died from starvation. I noticed the third chick had disappeared late yesterday afternoon, when I spotted a couple of the local Jackdaws inspecting the nest site – I don’t think they would’ve killed the chick, as it was bigger than them, and they seemed merely to be picking through the nest materials.

190703 jackdaws

The female Lesser black-backed soon chased them off and has spent quite a bit of time sitting on the chimney pots, peering at the nest as if looking for the chick(s). She has also been staying nearby, as if she expects them to reappear and she’s been calling for them, which has been very sad to hear.

190703 lesser black-backed gull (2)

There have been many other gulls in the area, some of whom have been taking an interest in the nest. Several times I’ve heard lots of screeching and watched while the parents chased off the interlopers. I presume that, while the parents were out looking for food, either those gulls or some other predator has carried off the remaining two chicks. ‘Tis the sad reality of the natural world.

190703 lesser black-backed gull (1)

170/365 Growing fast

19 Wednesday Jun 2019

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It’s time for an update on the Lesser black-backed gulls who are rearing their brood among the chimney pots on a house in the next street to mine.

190619 lesser black-backed gull chicks (1)

First off, though I thought initially that there were only two, there are, in fact, three chicks, though one is significantly bigger than the other two and much more aggressive when it comes to demanding food from its parents.

190619 lesser black-backed gull chicks (2)

I was a little worried that all the recent rain might have caused them problems as the parents seem to leave them on their own a lot but they all look reasonably healthy so far (they’re at least two weeks old now).

190619 lesser black-backed gull

It must take a lot of effort from the parents to keep their hunger satisfied – if it ever is. I spotted one of the parents with a long bit of fish – young eel? – hanging out of its mouth the other day. I bet that soon got gobbled up when it was later regurgitated. Another progress report soon!

190619 lesser black-backed gull chicks (3)

156/365 The eggs have hatched!

05 Wednesday Jun 2019

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Hearty congratulations to Mr and Mrs Lesser black-backed gull, who are now the proud parents of two chicks – at least, I can only see two – there may be more. You might remember that I posted about them nest-building back on 26 April and then again, on 10 May, to say I’d noticed they were now sitting full-time on the nest. Fingers crossed that the chicks flourish and don’t fall out from amongst the chimney pots. I will post another update in a week or so.

190605 LBB chicks

130/365 Nesting update

10 Friday May 2019

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While I’ve been away in Kent, the Lesser black-backed gulls that are nesting on a rooftop behind my flat have been busy and one of them is now sitting continuously on the nest, which I assume means they have eggs.

190510 LBB nesting (2)

I’ve just been reading that their average clutch is 3-4 eggs, and both female and male take turns at sitting on the nest. The incubation period takes around 30 days so, if the eggs are viable and they continue with their parental duties, we should expect to sit some chicks poking their heads up in early June. Fingers crossed!

190510 LBB nesting (1)

It’s a bit hard to see the sitting bird so I cropped in on this shot to make it clearer

116/365 Among the chimney pots

26 Friday Apr 2019

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So this is what all yesterday’s gull screeching was about!
Mr Lesser black-backed gull was letting the neighbourhood know he had arrived and this was his territory so look out any other gull couples who thought they’d try to muscle in. And today Mr LBB and his mate were getting down to the serious business of nest building amongst the chimney pots across the back lane from my flat – or, at least, Ms LBB was – he just stood watching her do all the work. I do hope the nest goes ahead – what a thrill it would be to watch from my bedroom window as they raise their chicks!

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115/365 The gulls are back in town

25 Thursday Apr 2019

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The Lesser black-backed gulls mostly disappear during the winter months – I’m not sure where they go – but, come the Spring, they return, and they’re very good at making their presence felt. They often wake me very early in the morning, sometimes by jumping about on my roof, other times with their screeching calls. I’m hoping you can imagine the noise by looking at this series of photos.

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102/365 November in Portugal

12 Friday Apr 2019

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I have been out wandering today but, rather than sharing some photos from that, I want, instead, to share this information I’ve received about a ringed bird I reported. The bird is a Lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus), which I spotted at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park on 1 April and reported through the European Colour-ring Birding website.

190412 Lesser black-backed gull ringed

It’s a common enough bird, of course, and, as you can see from the list of sightings below, it seems to spend most of its time flying back and forth between Flat Holm Island and Cosmeston, except in November 2017, when it obviously fancied some time in warmer climes. I can’t help but wonder whether that was a one-off trip or whether it just hasn’t been spotted and reported on its other European sojourns.

08/07/12          FLAT HOLM ISLAND, Cardiff
02/09/12          Cosmeston Park, Cardiff (23 km, NNW, 56 days)
13/10/12          Cosmeston Park, Cardiff (23 km, NNW, 97 days)
12/06/14          Cosmeston Park, Cardiff (23 km, NNW, 1 yr 339days)
24/08/14          Cosmeston Park, Cardiff (23 km, NNW, 2 yrs 47days)
14/09/14          Cosmeston Park, Cardiff (23 km, NNW, 2 yrs 68days)
14/09/14          Cosmeston Park, Cardiff (23 km, NNW, 2 yrs 68days)
26/07/15          Cosmeston Park, Cardiff (23 km, NNW, 3 yrs 18days)
06/09/15          Cosmeston Park, Cardiff (23 km, NNW, 3 yrs 60days)
03/04/16          FLAT HOLM ISLAND, Cardiff (3 yrs 270days)
24/04/16          Cosmeston Park, Cardiff (23 km, NNW, 3 yrs 291days)
29/04/16          Cosmeston Park, Cardiff (23 km, NNW, 3 yrs 296days)
04/05/16          Cosmeston Park, Cardiff (23 km, NNW, 3 yrs 301days)
02/07/16          Cosmeston Park, Cardiff (23 km, NNW, 3 yrs 360days)
21/08/16          Cosmeston Park, Cardiff (23 km, NNW, 4 yrs 44days)
13/05/17          FLAT HOLM ISLAND, Cardiff (4 yrs 309days)
14/05/17          Cosmeston Park, Cardiff (23 km, NNW, 4 yrs 310days)
04/11/17          Costa da Caparica, Setúbal, Portugal (1493 km, SSW, 5 yrs)
07/07/18          FLAT HOLM ISLAND, Cardiff (5 yrs 364days)
01/04/19          Cosmeston Park, Cardiff (23 km, NNW, 6 yrs 267days)

The heronsew, the ducklings & the chicks

27 Wednesday Jun 2018

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The blue-sky heat was relieved ever so slightly on day 27 of #30DaysWild by a nice breeze, so I strolled along to Cosmeston Lakes Country Park for a mooch around. I had a lovely time, though after a couple of hours chasing butterflies in the glaring heat, I felt rather envious of the water birds enjoying the cooling water of the lakes.

180627 grey heron (3)

This young Grey heron – apparently called a heronsew, from the French heronceau – has not yet learnt to fear humans and was very close to the boardwalk by the cafe.

180627 mallard ducklings (1)180627 mallard ducklings (2)

As I was watching it, Mum Mallard brought her brood of five well-grown ducklings out for a swim. They looked a bit like gawky teenagers and have already been taught to approach humans in the hope of some food.

Then, on the walk home, I spotted a bundle of fluff moving around on a rooftop. By the time I got the camera out, it had sat back down with its sibling and, though I was on the other side of the street, mother (or father) Lesser black-backed gull flew past screeching at me, before landing on the chimney to keep an eye on its chicks. I’ve heard of these gulls nesting on factories and taller buildings but not on a house in an urban area.

November on the Ely embankment

30 Thursday Nov 2017

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171130 9th Ely embankment

The 9th of November was a ‘5 Turnstone, 2 Rock pipit, 1 Grey wagtail’ kind of day at Cardiff Bay, with a cool wind blowing through huge banks of clouds and the odd rain shower. That didn’t deter the birds browsing along the embankment edge though.

On the 15th, a beautifully marked Song thrush was feasting on berries in the small front garden of one of the apartments that sits on the edge of the embankment (see Berries and Birds a few days ago), and, as well as 2 Rock pipits and 6 Turnstones, there were 3 Redshank grazing along the water’s edge – a nice treat. Also, a Lesser black-backed gull was looking exceedingly pleased with itself for finding a huge dead fish and vociferously defending its prize with loud screeching.


171130 15th LBB and fish

On the 17th – a ‘3 turnstone’ day – the star of the show was a lovely little Linnet. I’d seen a family party of parents and two fledglings grazing amongst the rocks here back in August so perhaps this bird was one of those.

My last November wander by the Ely was on the 25th, when 3 Turnstones, 2 Linnets (nice to see them again), 2 Pied and 2 Grey wagtails, and 1 Redshank were joined by a Dunnock and a small flock of Long-tailed tits passing through the shrubs edging the walkway. Also, something freaked out a group of Coots and, rather than ‘run’ rapidly across the top of the water as they usually do, they actually flew. I’d never seen coots fly before.

171130 25th Long-tailed tit171130 25th Flying coots