Gull Nest Survey, Jul 23rd

July 24, 2026 - 4 mins read

Series: Nesting Gulls 2026

Recently, I found myself contemplating a question: how long has it been since I’ve gone a day without a screen?

I can’t answer that easily. I suspect almost all of us would have to go back to before we all had cellphones. Even before that screens were still ubiquitous. Televisions and computers were everywhere.

At this point in history, it’s difficult to imagine the world without them. There’s that old adage about never being more than six feet away from a rat. I suspect that debunked claim now holds true for screens.

A screen was originally something to divide or conceal. Think of a folding screen used for privacy. A screen can also be a filter. It could be a screen on your window to keep out insects, or the process of screening prospective employees for a position.

It’s difficult to deny that our screens can act as a portal to community and connection (or a shimmering digital illusion of it?), but we need to keep in mind those older resonances of the word: how do the screens continue to divide, conceal, and filter?

That aside, let’s move on to the nests.

Cambie Nest

One of the three fledglings from Cambie Nest sitting in the curious way many young do. I call this the old man stage of their development. Their juvenile feathers have grown in, but they still retain awkward patches of their down around their heads.

Cambie Nest

A second fledgling. I spotted these chicks on June 25th, making them approximately a month old now.

Cambie Nest

A photo capturing all three of the fledglings, a parent, and the original nest location.

Brick Nest

As expected, the chicks have arrived at Brick Nest! Three little ones only a handful of days old.

Brick Nest chicks

A closer photo of the chicks.

Chimney Nest

Sorry to break the bad news, but our small buddy at Chimney Nest has vanished. Possibly knocked off while jostling at feeding time. Sadly, it is a mystery with no answer.

Chimney Nest

The two remaining chicks at Chimney Nest.

Grassy Nest

Last week I could only find two chicks at this nest, but this week I spotted all three once again.

Culinary Nest

I could only find one fledgling at Culinary Nest – there is a significant amount of balcony that is not visible, so it’s entirely possible the second was exploring that. You can see this is one of the oldest fledglings in the survey.

Corner Nest

The two chicks are growing quickly – the chick on the left looks to be slightly older.

Lumen Nest (new)

Coming off the Granville Street Bridge, I was surprised to spot a chick far off on a rooftop. I’d seen an adult gull around the place on a somewhat regular basis, but as the roof is covered in anti-bird netting I didn’t expect a nest there. I was wrong! There is at least one chick present. I’ve called this Lumen Nest, as that’s the name of the apartment complex.

Silver Seas Nest

I briefly spotted these two chicks dashing across the rooftop last survey. This week I got a slightly better photo of them begging their parent for food.

Clipper Nests

The two Clipper Nests confused me this week. So far this season I’ve only counted two chicks at Clipper Nest #1, and was never able to spot any chicks at Clipper Nest #2, despite seeing the adult present and off the nest.

On this survey I spotted three chicks on the rooftop, and only one parent present near Clipper Nest #1. Were there three chicks there after all? Or is one of the chicks from Clipper Nest #2?

Burrard Nest #1

One of the harder nests to photograph – but here we can see three chicks at Burrard Nest #1.

Pyramid Nest

One of the two chicks at Pyramid Nest.

Pyramid Nest

…and the other.

Crossfit Nest

I arrived at Crossfit Nest just after a parent delivered some food. Of course, these fledglings are never satiated and constantly harass their parents for food.