Well the funny thing is, he is the first gull to be a problem at Sewerby. Until he started coming to the Penguin feeding (in his immature plumage) no gull had ever turned up despite the sea being only a quarter of a mile or so away - or maybe because of that as the gulls had no need for free fish. It is definitely him, although as on another photo another one or two have started coming with him recently. The zoo staff and I have tracked his maturing plumage and we know the places he likes to perch. In addition to trying to steal fish he empties the bins and pecks at the signs.
I can think of other zoos the same distance from the coast that have to work quite hard to stop Herring Gulls eating food intended for zoo stock, whether it's Flamingo pellets, the Penguins' fish, or chicks for the Storks.
Until he started coming to the Penguin feeding (in his immature plumage) no gull had ever turned up despite the sea being only a quarter of a mile or so away. It is definitely him, although as on another photo another one or two have started coming with him recently.
I can think of other zoos the same distance from the coast that have to work quite hard to stop Herring Gulls eating food intended for zoo stock, whether it's Flamingo pellets, the Penguins' fish, or chicks for the Storks.
I can think of other zoos the same distance from the coast that have to work quite hard to stop Herring Gulls eating food intended for zoo stock, whether it's Flamingo pellets, the Penguins' fish, or chicks for the Storks.
Maybe Sewerby has just been lucky so far. Flamingo Land (albeit not by the sea) has a massive congregation of gulls (admittedly mostly Black-headed) at its Penguin feeding.
