Patient Update: Herring Gulls

In June 2025, two tiny Herring Gulls arrived at our centre from Brooks. Herring Gulls are one of the most widespread gull species in North America, easily recognized by their grey backs, white heads, and loud, laughing calls that echo along shorelines. Still in their downy stage, these hatchlings had likely been orphaned and were in urgent need of care. Intake exams revealed no serious injuries, only mild dehydration and empty bellies. With food, water, and the steady hands of our care team, their path toward release could begin.

Herring Gull chicks may look like little puffballs, but their mottled grey-and-brown down is perfect camouflage. On shorelines, this speckled pattern helps them blend into rocks and grasses, keeping them hidden from predators until they’re strong enough to fly.

For orphaned chicks, the goal is always the same: raise them to independence and return them to the wild. It is a long process, requiring patience and consistency. These gulls, so young when they came in, would need months of round-the-clock attention before they were ready to survive on their own.

The exact fate of their parents remains unknown, but the dangers faced by gulls and other shorebirds are easy to name. Discarded fishing line and plastic debris can entangle wings or legs, leaving birds unable to fly, forage, or escape predators. Ingesting litter is just as deadly, as birds mistake small bits of plastic for food and slowly starve with stomachs full of indigestible material. Pesticides and oil spills poison the waters they depend on, while algae blooms triggered by nutrient runoff can strip oxygen from aquatic ecosystems, collapsing entire food webs.

Habitat loss is another growing threat. As shorelines are developed into beaches, marinas, and urban waterfronts, the natural spaces birds need for nesting, resting, and feeding are erased or fragmented. Even well-meaning human recreation, like dogs running off-leash, boats skimming too close to shore, or beachgoers disturbing resting flocks, can force birds to waste precious energy they need to survive migration and raise their young.

As Herring Gull chicks grow, they are moved into an outdoor flight pen. This larger space gives them room to stretch their wings, practice flying, and begin gaining the independence they will need to thrive once released back into the wild.

During their earliest weeks, the chicks were housed indoors where they could be closely monitored. Yet young birds grow quickly. Within a month, they had outgrown their space and were moved to an outdoor enclosure. Here, they began the important work of testing their wings, practicing flight, and stepping away from human dependence. Every beat of their wings brought them closer to life as wild birds once more.

By mid-August, strong and capable of flight, the pair were ready. With the help of one of our drivers, they were returned to Brooks and released near the very place where their story began.

Their story is a reminder that while we can step in to help when wildlife is orphaned or injured, prevention begins with us. Shorelines and wetlands are delicate places, shaped by every action we take. When visiting these habitats, simple choices like disposing of fishing gear properly, packing out garbage, and keeping pets leashed can make the difference between hazard and haven for gulls and all the species that depend on these waters.

For assistance with injured wildlife, please contact the Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Society at 403-214-1312.

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As their flight skills and foraging behaviours improved, these young Herring Gulls grew closer to release. Every day brought them one step nearer to returning to the wild where they belong.