First as gulls breed in Scotland
MEDITERRANEAN gulls have been confirmed as having bred in Scotland this year, in what is thought to be a first.
Two pairs successfully hatched chicks at the NatureScot National Nature Reserve at Forvie on the north-east coast in 2023 – although sadly none survived to fledge.
Mediterranean gulls were once a very rare sight in the UK but now breed in increasing numbers, mostly on the south and south-east coasts of England.
Their distribution has been expanding northwards, with several instances of single birds summering in Scottish gull colonies and pairing with both black-headed gull and common gull. However, it is thought that the Forvie gulls may be the first confirmed breeding record for the species for Scotland.
Forvie Nature Reserve officer Daryl Short said: “While we have seen visiting Mediterranean gulls at Forvie before, we were very surprised to see two pairs of two-year-old birds settle in the black-headed gull colony this summer, with each pair successfully hatching chicks.
“Sadly, none of the chicks survived to fledge, which was likely due to food shortage because of the drought at the time. Earthworms are an important part of the diet of small gulls and they would have been hard to find in those conditions.
“Also, with all four parent birds being quite young, they would have been inexperienced breeders, reducing their chances of success in a new environment.
“However, this was still a really exciting development for Forvie and we are looking forward to seeing what happens in 2024.”
The Seabirds Count (2015–21) census reported that the
Mediterranean gull began to colonise Britain in the 1980s, co-inciding with a westward range expansion across Europe from the species’s core Black Sea breeding population.
This year was also a good one for the reserve’s black-headed gulls, with 2428 pairs recorded and a minimum 1353 fledged young, both new site records. Census results have shown that black-headed gulls have declined by 75% in Scotland since the last census, covering 1998-2002.
Eiders also had an excellent season. The breeding tern colonies at Forvie were badly hit by avian flu.