Yesterday I found one of these annoying babies in my garden, squeaking and squawking. Baby robins and small song birds fall out the nest and can choose to fly or die - but when it's a "seagull" and that's a 9ft wall, and there are other walls and trellis surrounding the garden? It didn't seem to manage, so with the very bulky padded oven gloves, I caught it - finally - after a chase round the pots and recycling bins - and hefted it onto my neighbours wall, topped with trellis. It flew into my neighbours garden and sat awkwardly on the fig plant.
Last night I found two of them, roosting in my flower bed, lurking next to the rose. I'd been alerted by the annoying squeaking and the whirling of adult gulls overhead. It wasn't particularly late but I thought they could get themselves out. I fell asleep to the sound of them pecking the cover over the drain and squealing at each other. Not restful! They and I woke at 5.30am - they left the flower bed to poo in the garden and eat the petunias! Me, to eat branflakes and find the ladder.
If this didn't work I would phone the RSPCA - mainly because dead and rotting seagull didn't strike me as an attractive garden feature and because I have a little compassion for them! Another annoying wander around the garden, cornering the big, bulky yipping thing and pinning it's wings gently. Climbing a stepladder early in the morning hampered by herring gull is fun! Rather ungently I chucked it over the wall into the unkempt patch of weeds and grasses at the back of what was the bank. And watched from the bathroom window as it poked it's head above the parapet and waddled around.
A hour later and I've just hefted it's friend/sibling over the wall, pecking and petrified. All is quiet and I am aware that I could have left them but I know from rescuing a similiarly trapped baby rook that a 9ft wall is a big tall intimidating ask - he/she sat in the garden for 3 days before I gave in and helped baby onto my neighbours flat roof. An interesting start to my 2nd furlough day!
