Seagulls?, Do they now migrate? Options

[regor]

Between 5 and 6 o'clock this evening there were large numbers (many hundreds)of seagull like birds travelling south/south east over eastern Newbury.

I assume them to be Seagulls although somebody thought that they might be Terns.

I did not realise that Seagulls migrated, I've certainly never seen them flock in those sorts of numbers before, (and I originated from the south coast and saw gulls every day).

Any ornithological twitchers out there able to wise me up?

[JeffG]

I've often seen seagulls in Newbury - usually when it's stormy on the coast. However, this sounds like something different.

This time of year you often see (and hear) skeins of geese and similar birds returning home at dusk from foraging in the freshly-harvested fields to places like (I assume) Thatcham lakes.

Maybe these were similar, smaller, freshwater birds doing the same thing.

[Guest_Bill1_*]

The geese have been migrating in for days now and are joined of an evening on the lakes beyond Newbury Racecourse by thousands of gulls and some terns. Seeing them arrive at dusk is quite spectacular.

[spartacus]

Was it passing seagulls that have made a mess of the road surface in Chesterfield Road? Page 5 of the NWN shows an almighty amount of seagull-poop spread across the surface and splashed onto an irate commuters vehicle.....

Yet again according to the NWN report, the Council is responsible for this mess. What is their policy on animal control over the public highway?

[JeffG]

What is their policy on animal control over the public highway?

I suppose they could designate a no-fly zone. Enforcement might be a problem, though.

[regor]

If anyone is interested I did get a pretty authoritative answer from a gamekeeper in Northern Ireland.

She said.

"Slurring on farms is the reason behind the seagull flocks. 15 October is the last day of the year on which it is legal for slurry to be spread on farmland. Consequently many farmers are laying slurry in the week ending 15 October. Slurried fields provide rich pickings for gulls, decaying meat proteins, worms, invertebrates of all sorts mixed in with cereals and other vegetable and animal matter.

Gulls remember where and when they found slurry last year and return on the due date bringing their younger offspring with them. In coastal areas the newly slurried fields are white with gulls for several days."