Herring Gull © Harry Mole 2017

I don’t know who was more surprised when I opened the window of the loft bedroom today, me or the herring gull (Larus argentatus) fledgling. I love herring gulls,

they’re magnificent beasts with adults weighing in at 1.5kg. I don’t really understand why they’re so unpopular in town. Interestingly, they didn’t start nesting on roof tops until 1940s – which is hard to believe if you look out the first floor window of my house.