Have you noticed how quiet it is in Rye? I don’t mean the absence of cars and people (relatively speaking) in the streets. No, the raucous cries and squabbles of the seagulls are missing. Does anyone know the reason they appear to have deserted us? This morning was our dustbin day and the street cleaner had an easy task.
Where have all the seagulls gone?
Gone from roof tops every one
Dustbin day no more a sight
Of litter causing ugly blight.
We put it down to lack of trippers,
Many fewer fish and chippers
Are we sad to see them go?
Wait till spring and we’ll let you know.
Image Credits: Seana Lanigan , K.Bird .
It’s nothing to do with day trippers, it’s what they do every year, they come ashore to nest.
I worked among the gulls for many years and you get to know their ways, they build their nests in the same place every year, if you prevent them from doing that they will find somewhere else close by.
Once their young are born they will protect them at any cost taking turns to feed them until they fly the nest.
Whether the tourist come back or not remains to be seen, one thing is for certain, the gulls will be back.
Watch your roofs in late winter and you’ll see them start to stand around in their pairs ready for nature to take its course.
lovely