A ‘seagull’ is the common name for pretty much any kind of gull we see but we actually have five different species in this area. There’s the Black-Headed Gull, the Herring Gull, the Common Gull, the Lesser Black-Backed Gull and, the daddy of the all, the Great Black-Backed Gull - the biggest gull in the world.
The Black-Headed gull actually has a chocolate brown head in the summer which is replaced by a dark-brown dot at the side of its head in winter time. It has a red beak and is fairly small, about the same size as the Common Gull - which is a plain looking bird with a yellowish beak and a light grey back.
The Herring Gull, more common here when I was a boy, has a light-grey back, pink legs, and a characteristic red dot on its beak, a target for chicks to peck at and force regurgitation.
The Great Black-Backed Gull is a rarer sight. With a jet black back and upper wings, it’s almost double the size of the others and often solitary. They can live for up to twenty years and due their size and power they are quite capable of hunting adults birds like puffins and grebes.
So, are they evil? Of course not. They just seem that way to us. Where as we mass produce chickens for butchering in private, gulls despense with the farm, the abattoir and the shop and will simply snatch a live duck chick from the river. Not so good if it happens to be in front of mum and the kids having a picnic, but they are most likely unaware that they’re offending anyone. Apart from maybe the duck family concerned.
They in turn are preyed upon by bigger bullies like giant skuas. The lesser black backed gull is on the amber list of endangered birds but the UK has about 40% of the European population. Herring gulls, really on the decline, are on the red list.
Will they attack people? Sometimes, and, in fact, these encounters are on the increase. You’re especially at risk if your eating a chippy or holding something tempting. They can sometimes strike you with their feet and cause injury. Apparently the best defense is to raise your arms in the hope of protecting your head.
Able to drink fresh water and sea water, the majority of gulls stick to their staples - fish, insects, crustaceans, worms, seeds, berries, small mammals, eggs, chicks, and our rubbish. Still protected by law, ‘seagulls’ have been long-time residents on Clydeside. Their squawks and aerial antics are likely to be part of our tapestry for the foreseeable future.
