I had to visit the mall the other day, and was a bit surprised when an angry sea gull swooped down on me. It wasn't too threatening. So I looked around to see why it was mad at me. I had to rub my eyes when I saw this: Shopping mall seagull ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden ) A sea gull in a maple! Now I have seen that too.
You shell have to be careful, I think that the gull was perhaps hungry and saw you as a potential meal. But what an odd place for a gull to nest. I've never seen that.
I had no idea gulls would nest in a tree! Amazing, and thanks for taking a picture of this to share. I wonder if the mall is a source of food--you know, dropped chips, bits of bread from sandwiches? Here we have "Wal-Mart birds" that are grackles. The food litter in a Wal-Mart parking lot provides them free meals. Not terribly nutritious, but grackles will eat most anything and thrive.
I've seen seagulls on rooftops, on flat roofs at the same mall, in window sills and on rock face shelves, but this tree gull is the first. There's probably good access to junk food around the mall, and since the gulls are opportunists I can't say I blame them for nesting near the food source.
Well that's certainly a first for me. I didn't know gulls would nest in trees even if there was lots of food available. Smart bird!!
Thanks, Cheryl. Dooley, around here they usually nest on cliff sides near the sea. The busiest ones we call bird mountains since there's a nest on every likely place and several unlikely ones. They also make their nests on small islets with no other animal life. In town they make their nests on the window sills of buildings facing the sea. Factory buildings with flat roofs are also very popular.
A surprise for me too, I thought that they would prefer the sand and beach bush for nests. I have to shoo gulls from the carpark where I shop so I can walk, they are pretty persistent if the are rubbish bins around...all pushing for the position of 'rubbish bin controller'
They scavenge around every little shop and mall here too, and cause quite a ruckus when they feel like it. Some people hate them, but I sort of like to have them around. I've lived by the sea for most of my life and when the gulls are quiet I miss the sound of them.
