Gulls are misunderstood by many as the nifty thieves of chips on beaches. The common phrase to describe these creatures, seagull, is actually an umbrella term for many gull species. There is really no such thing as a seagull. The gulls you commonly see around the coasts of Britain are usually Herring Gulls, with bright yellow beaks and a loud call.

Our area is a refuge to gulls during the roosting season. There are four species of gulls regularly recorded across Hertfordshire and Middlesex. These are the Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Common Gull and Black-headed Gull.

In the past gulls only wintered in our area, roosting on larger water bodies but Black-headed Gulls are now an established breeding bird and the number of breeding Lesser Black-backed Gulls is increasing.

Gull roosts

Being witness to a gull roost is one of the most memorable of all wildlife spectacles. Gulls need somewhere safe to spend the night. They find night-time refuge on reservoirs and large water-filled gravel pits, spending the hours of darkness floating around on the water where predators are less able to reach them. In the depth of winter, they spend up to 14 hours bobbing about on the water roosting until as the initial glow of dawn appears they will take flight, leaving the roost site to head off to their favoured feeding areas - rubbish tips, arable fields and playing fields which may be over 30 miles from their roost. It's this morning flight which we see as we're leaving home, otherwise known as gull o’clock! And as the sun sets, the gulls return to the roost.

Here come the gulls

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Similar to the Great Black-backed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gulls are darker on the top and white on the belly. The two species can be difficult to tell apart. The key difference is that Lesser Black-backed Gulls are more of a dark grey than black on their backs. This can be seen with a good pair of binoculars. Another difference is size, great black-backed gulls are larger and bulkier than most other gull species.

Herring Gull

Our frequent beach-visitor and chip thief! Herring Gulls are pale grey on their backs and sharply white on their bellies. Look out for the white-spotted black tips on the edges of their wings. Their heads are unmarked and white all over.

Common Gull

The dainty looking cousin to our sturdier gull species, the Common Gull is smaller in size than the three previous gulls. They have a smaller, yellow beak and very similar colouring to the herring gull, with a pale grey top and a white underbelly and head. Common Gulls also have white-spotted black tips on the edges of their wings.

Black-headed Gull

The most common gull in our area. These are slightly more distinctive than our other gulls found locally, in summer bearing a dark brown head and red bills and legs. In winter their heads lose the dark hood, leaving just a small dark spot behind the eye, making them reasonably easy to distinguish from other species.

Gaining their stripes

One of the most interesting things about gull species is how long it can take to develop their adult plumage. Juvenile gulls across species can take up to four years to reach adult colourings, with the winter periods being integral to this development. There are notable differences between the plumages of juvenile gull species, which allows bird watchers and conservationists to note their life stage.

Look up for gull o'clock!

If you normally leave home as it's getting light in January, take a look skyward. Overhead there will be a scattering of gulls making their way purposefully to somewhere unknown to us. If you look up again anytime from 2pm onwards there will be gulls again, heading the other way. This is the ebb and flow of the gull tide – gull o’clock!

If you have enjoyed reading about gulls, consider coming along to our Gulls Galore event at Hilfield Park Reservoir Nature Reserve on 25 January 2025 – click on the link for more information and to book your place.