Hello, I’m hoping someone who knows about gull behaviour can help me decipher which is the female and which is the male in a herring gull pair, based on their behaviour.
I’ve been observing a gull family - a pair and their juvenile (I’m pretty sure he’s the 2023 offspring). They (or rather one adult, whom I’ll call the female) hold a feeding territory which encompasses a section of sea wall where I often sit, as well as a flat roof which protrudes onto the beach. The sea wall section includes benches where people frequently sit and leave food, so prime feeding territory.
Hello, I'm not a gull expert but I have been feeding a one legged seagull (Hoppy) for 3 years. Each year she comes almost to the day (arriving about 9th Feb) for 6 months and then leaves about 10 August. She has a mate. I have never seen a juvenile with her/them. There is a battle between these and another pair of seagulls who live on a nearby hill. The pair from the hill stand on one leg in Hoppy's "places" almost trying to trick me by pretending to be her! They sometimes succeed and suddenly I cry out "you're a two leg!" Hoppy lands on a small hillock near the back of the house with her mate and when she sees me open the back door she swoops down to the "feeding zone" (always the same) and when I throw her food the male gull actually hovers above her to protect her feeding with his wings outstretched if other gulls are attracted and try to get in on the act. He will also chase other gulls away. She has difficulty on the ground but in the air she is as mobile as any of them. She has a white stump about an inch long. I don't know what happened to the rest of her leg. It is usually trembling. She will allow her male to have some of the food - perhaps one bite in six. I am always hoping they will bring a juvenile one day!