As we enter into the hottest global days our species has ever experienced, it’s difficult not to worry about the fate of breeding birds – and Earth’s ecosystems in general. While it has been hot in Vancouver, we haven’t seen the oppressive heat dome that caused so much havoc last year. Hopefully we will avoid the worst outcomes this year.
Last Friday I got out early to check in with my gulls. All the nests seem to be doing well, and I spotted a handful for new chicks too.
Urban nesting gulls obviously have preferences when choosing a location to raise their family. Undoubtedly there are many factors at play – vicinity to food, exposure to the elements, location of other nearby gull nests – and certainly factors that are invisible to terrestrially-bound primates.
Nesting somewhere difficult for predators to access is vital, so if you want to find gull nests you’re going to need to get above the rooftops. The easiest way to do that is to go walking on bridges.
I got out Sunday morning and checked up on all thirteen gull nests visible from the bridges in Vancouver. I spotted ten new chicks – I suspect there were a few more I was not able to see.
The two chicks at Cambie nest are thriving. Their parents are working hard; I saw them fed twice within ten minutes.
A lucky morning – not long after arriving at the Cambie nest, mom (or dad – it’s generally not possible to determine the sex of a gull visually) arrived to deliver some food for the chicks. I’ll spare you the photos of the process, as it doesn’t sit well with our mammilian sensibilities.
