Seagulls

[CharlieB1962]

I see quite a number of seagulls in my home town of Chesterfield, which is approximately 80 miles from the nearest coast. Do they travel from the sea or will they have given up the sealife and taken up residence inland?

[Trillipse]

you might find that they're attracted by the decaying matter in landfill sites. seems often to be the case... nice...

[burnhal]

Gulls tend to go wherever they find food- and as the first answer says, landfill sites are ideal! So are park lakes, ploughed fields, macdonalds car parks- loads of discarded food there! The two most common gulls- the black-headed and the herring gull- are the ones you see most often inland- both are more common than the Common Gull! They will both breed quite happily by inland marsh/lakes so no need for them to ever see the sea. Outside the breeding season they will go wherever the hunt for food takes them.

[kev100]

Gull colonies nest on moorland not just on cliffs, there is a colony of black headed gulls, and also a colony of great black backed gulls just a few miles north of skipton.