It was just getting dark and there was a commotion outside in the garden. The herring gull family on the house roof behind us found their way into our garden. We think it was because the larger chick had just fledged and the other chicks tried to follow, but unable to actually fly - but having the benefit of height, the gulls managed to make it to our garden. One, that could fly was on our neighbours roof the two smaller ones on the ground peeping and adults nearby agitated.
We knew we could not leave them because foxes visit our garden each night and they would easily take the chicks. Sharon and I both have experience in handling birds, so we decided to catch them (we did contact the local gull and bird rescue but no one was available until the following morning). Luckily the gulls had moved into the passageway down the side of our bungalow and so with one of us each end and Sharon was able to catch them using a towel to wrap their wings close to their body, one at a time. We managed to get them into a cardboard box and the cat carrier.
At that moment the adults took flight calling and dived bombed a fox heading towards our garden and successfully chased it away. Interestingly, at no time did the gulls try to attack us. We do put out a big bowl of water on our garden wall during hot sunny weather so the adults have got used to us being close.
We then transferred them into a larger box and put them in the green house over night.
Following morning we decided that as the parents were still around we would try putting them up onto our roof through the skylight.
Once on the roof they were joined by their older sibling.
That was Thursday 20th
The Chicks are now on our flat roof and being visited and fed by the adults. We have put a container of water on the roof which they are using.
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