The herring gulls have now finished the business of rearing for another year and have largely moved off their nesting sites. The surviving young now hang about in small colonies of ‘teenagers’ with their grey speckled plumage, surviving as they can and gradually learning the skills of adulthood. It will be four years before their eyes turn yellow, their plumage turns white & grey and they can start the business of reproducing for themselves. Our friend (Sid) still comes visiting but his partner has gone – we won’t see her again until the cycle begins all over again next year – and a ‘child’ of Sid’s whom he still tolerates (son of Sid – no one could accuse us of being original) still pops along now and again. He’ll be acquiring a partner and nesting himself next year. You can read more about herring gulls here.
The kittiwakes haven’t quite packed up and gone yet but it won’t be long. They don’t interact with we humans as the herring gulls do but we will miss their Mr Punch-alike calling.
There are a few lesser black backed gulls resident on the cliffs too. If the weather gets too cold and wild they may temporarily move somewhere more temperate but they’ll be back.