Just under two weeks ago an injured Herring Gull arrived early one evening having been found with a white material wrapped around the birds legs.
The bird had been rescued from Mont Cuet and was very weak on entry and extremely hungry.
As the finder didn't know what to call the bird we placed a picture on our facebook and after many great names the next morning having made it through his first night we decided on the name 'Steven Seagull'.
Steven Seagull had a ring which is part of a local monitoring project and on further investigation we have found out that Steven is actually a Stephanie Seagull and was born over 4 years ago in Jersey.
Stephanie Seagull is doing well and is now outside in one or our rehabilitation aviaries.
She is eating well and growing stronger by the day and we are hopeful to release her very soon.
Steve Byrne GSPCA Manager said "Steven Seagull who is now Stephanie was very weak and thin having had her legs tangled and we don't know how long she had been struggling for."
"The poor bird arrived late one evening at the GSPCA and we quickly got her into a warm pen where she soon began to eat."
"Herring Gulls are on the red list and we can see large numbers of sick and injured sea birds at this time of year, especially when the weather is bad."
"When Stephanie Seagull arrived she had a ring and we have found out that she was born in Jersey around 4 years ago which means she hasn't long matured into an adult."
"Paul Veron runs a fantastic gull ringing project locally and we work very closely with him when gulls arrive and are released from the GSPCA."
"If you would like to help towards the care of Stephanie Seagull and the many animals in our care, we have the Angel Pen Pal Sponsorship Scheme which is a monthly giving way of helping thousands of animals in Guernsey every year."
To find out more about the Angel Pen Pal Sponsorship Scheme please click here.
If you find a sick or injured animal or bird please remember you can call our 24 hour number on 01481 257261
Herring Gull facts
Herring gulls (Larus argentatus) are large, noisy gulls found throughout the year around the UK coasts and inland around rubbish tips, fields, large reservoirs and lakes, especially during winter.
Herring gulls are ominivorous and can be seen in large numbers scavenging at Mont Cuet each day.
The UK's birds can be split in to three categories of conservation importance - red, amber and green. Herring Gulls are of the Red list which is the highest conservation priority, with species needing urgent action.
Red list criteria
- Globally threatened
- Historical population decline in UK during 1800–1995
- Severe (at least 50%) decline in UK breeding population over last 25 years, or longer-term period (the entire period used for assessments since the first BoCC review, starting in 1969).
- Severe (at least 50%) contraction of UK breeding range over last 25 years, or the longer-term period
Numbers are estimated at 140,000 breeding pairs during the Summer and around 740,000 birds during the Winter.
Adults have light grey backs, white under parts, and black wing tips with white 'mirrors'. Their legs are pink, with webbed feet and they have heavy, slightly hooked bills marked with a red spot.
Young birds are mottled brown and take around 4 years to mature into adult plumage.
They have suffered moderate declines over the past 25 years and over half of their UK breeding population is confined to fewer than ten sites.
Guernsey gulls often winter in Spain and Portugal.
A Guernsey rung gull has been spotted as far south as Gambia.
To find out about the work that Paul Veron does with Guernsey Gulls please click here.
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