Herring Gull

Above: Herring Gull
Below: Yellow-legged Gull.

Resident all year round in the UK the Herring Gull is the most common of the larger British gulls. They are more usually restricted to the coast during the summer months but often spend the winter inland at or near to rubbish dumps and landfill sites. They are a very aggressive gull not averse to snatching food from unwary folks and a quite vigorous at defending their chicks from any perceived threat.

Both adults have a white head, neck, breast belly and vent, although in winter the head has some slight grey streaking. The back and upper wings are a pale grey. The wing tips are black with three prominent white spots that are easily visible when the wing is folded. The eye is yellow with a red ring visible if you are close to the bird. The beak is yellow with a bright red spot on the lower mandible. The legs are pink.

Juveniles are pale underneath and speckled brown above. They are tricky to identify and I sometimes think that all large gull juveniles are so alike that it takes an expect to spot the difference. They are probably most similar to juvenile lesser black-backed gulls. The best way to tell these two apart is when in flight. The juvenile herring gull has pale inner primaries whereas the juvenile lesser black-backed gull has all dark primaries.

It summer they can be found anywhere around the coast including towns. They are not at all shy and are easy to approach. Just take care if you are close to where they are nesting as they can get a bit feisty.

In winter there is a greater opportunity to find them inland. In Cheshire they frequent Moore Nature Reserve, as it is close to the Arpley land fill site. Other large inland lakes might be productive: like Gresford Flash in Clwyd. Martin Mere in Lancashire has a few each year amongst the black-headed gulls, and up in the Lake District any body of water is liable to attract a few.