Gulls

2022 has already been hard on the gulls, especially in East Sussex, where confirmed cases of Avian Flu had been detected. 

This year rescues have closed down putting extra strain on the ones that are remaining.

Sadly some of the larger resues are temporarily closed due to restrictions enfored in that area. 

June into July is when the gulls all fledge, these birds take a leap of faith and amongst the screaming with excitement and gangliness of their legs and wings, take flight!

Sadly not all of them are successful in their flight, some merely  glide to the ground, and run around screaming, while others unfortunately manage to damage themselves on their maiden flight and will never fly again.

As a rule of thumb if the juvenille gulls wings cross at the back when standing, they can fly, anything else they require help.

This year, more than ever we need your help.

With closures to larger rescues due to bird flu restrictions and other organisations struggling with space to take these gulls in, rescuers have resorted to taking these birds home until they are ready to fly.

We've already hit our limit, and while it's easy to say yes to taking more in, these birds grow fast and need space to learn to fly, and that's where the problems will occur. 

Our current advice is to put any gulls that can't fly back on the roof they came from.

Usually the parent birds will be close by and you should be able to tell which rooftop they came from. We can offer help and support to help this happen nd hopefully get them back where they belong. 

Most rescues doors are closed for gulls, or require several weeks of isolation away from other birds before they can be taken in. This in itself is a logistical nightmare. 

Picking these birds up and taking them to a vet is not currently the best option. Most vets will only be able to offer euthansia for these poor souls, for the injured ones it ends the suffering of broken wings and internal damage, but healthy ones may end up with the same fate if there is nowhere for them to go. There are lots of groups we can recommend to help get these birds back where they belong, but if you can help with this, it would be a massive help and take the pressure off an already struggling service. If you have any questions, please message us on our facebook page.