Seagulls: an endangered species?

Tuesday 16 December 2014

We’ve all been told not to feed the Island’s seagulls but who’s going to feed the birds when they can’t tuck in to Guernsey’s leftovers anymore?

Conservationists fear the local gulls will starve when Guernsey gets rid of the Channel Island's last remaining landfill at Chouet on the northern tip of the island.

For the last six years they have colour-ringed almost 10,000 adult gulls and their chicks swooping in on the landfill to get an idea of their migration and survival rates and many of Jersey's gulls have been heading over there during the breeding season.

Birds on the Edge's Glyn Young said: "At the moment a lot of herring gulls and an internationally important population of lesser black-backeds may almost be surviving thanks to the rubbish the gulls are feeding on – when this goes we could face a serious crisis as our gulls probably aren’t getting much food at sea now."

There are three species living in Jersey – the herring, the greater and the lesser black-backed gulls. They've been spotted flying south to The Gambia, Mauretania and Morrocco and as far north as Sweden and Norway.

Herring Gull numbers have been declining here and all around the world. A law was introduced in the Island back in 2000 to protect them and their nests, eggs and chicks.