Each day I took photos and other footage, intending to eventually compile a video of the whole story, quite literally from the egg to the first flight of the young birds. I eventually did get around to making the video which shows the family's progress in a mere three minutes and 27 seconds and is included at the end of this article.
It was fascinating to watch the mother and father seagulls taking turns on the nest, keeping the eggs warm. They changed places in perfect synchronization, ensuring the eggs were not exposed for more than a second. Sometimes, however, father was a little slow in arriving to take his shift, and the mother bird would get a tad upset, yelling at the top of her voice to get his attention. When this happened you could see she was mad when he finally turned up, as she appeared to glare at him before flapping off in a temper to get something to eat or drink.
It only seemed a short while, however, before the eggs were hatched and I caught the first glimpse of a fluffy, gray baby gull, peeking out from the nest. Then I saw a second baby and noted how proud the new mother was of her brood.
Regrettably soon after the babies were hatched the weather got warmer and drier. The plant on which the nest was resting died and the nest disintegrated. The mother was obviously frantic, running this way and that and yelling for her husband to return. I could only imagine that the babies had fallen from the roof, but finally I spotted first one, then the other fluffy chick on the flat roof below.
The mother was, however, still clearly upset and unsure what to do, but eventually the chicks settled down in the overhang of the roof, underneath their previous home. In the event, with the weather getting so much warmer, this shady spot was probably far more ideal. As the chicks grew and became more adventurous, they often climbed up onto the roof again.
It was fascinating to watch the mother and father seagulls taking turns feeding their young and while at first they appeared to live on bits of bread and fish or other regurgitated goodness knows what, eventually the growing youngsters needed something a bit more substantial in the way of a meal.
While at first I was horrified at the gruesome sight, the parents began to kill other birds, including pigeons and swallows, bringing the blooded and feathered remains to the roof to feed their growing family. Not a pleasant thing to watch, but nature does provide for its young.
I read up in Wikipedia that seagulls are known to even prey on live whales, pecking out pieces of flesh to feed their brood. At least there were no whales involved in this instance!
Once the two youngsters were on a more solid diet, they grew very quickly and eventually flying lessons were the order of the day. Their first playful attempts are included in the video below and while you can't hear it, dad was cheering on the adventurous youngsters from the highest chimney above.
Unfortunately, however, just as they started to get the hang of the whole flying experience, one of the young seagulls disappeared, possibly having taken a tumble into the street below. However the remaining young gull prospered and eventually managed to fly.
A few months later, it was still a regular sight to see the juvenile gull return to the roof where he had been born, still sporting his gray coloring. I read it can take up to five years for seagulls to achieve their full, adult plumage.
Many of us discount birds like seagulls, pigeons or sparrows as pests, trying to steal our food and dropping "gifts" just where you don't want them, but my opinion of seagulls has been thoroughly changed. I now have a full respect for these and other birds, their love of their young and the way they feed, nurture and educate their young.
I have since moved away from that apartment, but often wonder if the family returned there again to have yet another little brood of fluffy gray chicks.
Enjoy a photographic and video journey with my little seagull family below.
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