Nope, not the crappy eighties band. At this time of year for a few weeks I've noticed huge flocks of seagulls heading north in the early evenings. Anyone know if this is a migration, or are they just heading to a roosting site?
They will be heading from the local landfill site to their roost for the night.
Quote from: fishtales on January 20, 2011, 08:53:36 AM
They will be heading from the local landfill site to their roost for the night.
Aye, Aberdeen if full of gulls. :lol:
Not sure about landfill unless they've been feeding at the same place for well over thirty years! I guess it's possible. don't know were they begin or end the flight (obviously), but they pass over the western side of East Kilbride, over Cambuslang, then Mount Vernon way and then continue north.
Perhaps they are heading for Loch Ba. :lol:
There is probably a chip shop in Easterhouse that opens early to cater for the schoolkids :)
Alex
They're no seagulls, they're camouflaged special forces cormorants heading back to the Clyde estuary after a stockie bashing sortie :wink: :) .
Quote from: River Chatter on January 20, 2011, 09:04:34 AM
Not sure about landfill unless they've been feeding at the same place for well over thirty years! I guess it's possible. don't know were they begin or end the flight (obviously), but they pass over the western side of East Kilbride, over Cambuslang, then Mount Vernon way and then continue north.
Sounds like 3 land fill sites to me :worms
Quote from: River Chatter on January 20, 2011, 09:04:34 AM
Not sure about landfill unless they've been feeding at the same place for well over thirty years! I guess it's possible. don't know were they begin or end the flight (obviously), but they pass over the western side of East Kilbride, over Cambuslang, then Mount Vernon way and then continue north.
There are two possibles. Drumclog, between Strathaven and Darvel, or Rigmuir on the East side of Torrance house.
The only plausible explanation so far is Alex's chipper in Easterhouse :lol:
This is very depressing guys. As a wean watching these gulls fly over my house - must have been upwards of 1000 over about an hour sometimes - I had visions of a mass exodus to Scandanavia of some other far away destination. Ever the romantic. :roll:
When I was a kid, during winter you would get large flocks of seagulls over Kilsyth and there were no landfill sites around. Don't know whether it was the abundance of shallow marshland type ponds in the area that attracted them :? .
There is a North/South migration that happens around this time of year - although usually later in March. Gulls overwinter and then spread out to find nesting sites, usually returning to the same breeding sites year after year. Juveniles now in their first adult year will also be prospecting for possible colonies to join.
You could be seeing the build up of the southern overwintering population building up in the area. There are certainly a number of large roof roosts in E/K, Hamilton and Cambuslang (biggest is Rolls Royce in E/K, but a fwe others approaching their numbers). By end March most large movements will have stopped and the birds will be starting to build their nests.
Interesting Ptinid. Do the gulls travel south at this time of year or north? The ones I've seen are travel northwards.
QuoteBut you're right - they're sh!te and unlistenable now, and will be going on eBay as soon as it's safe for me to sell my own stuff!
I did like this one though... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKFjD28qPwQ&feature=related
I tried to find a live version that was watchable, but couldn't handle the hairdos and the dodgy singing. Still like the song though.
Alex
Quote from: River Chatter on March 03, 2011, 11:36:31 PM
Interesting Ptinid. Do the gulls travel south at this time of year or north? The ones I've seen are travel northwards.
Pretty much both. At this time of year, it's just birds trying to find their nests. As I recall, there is a West/East split, but buggered if I can remember (or find my notes) which way round it is!
BTW, nesting now started - deep joy!