Earlier this month, a resident of East Sussex, England, looked out their upstairs window and noticed a tiny, rain-soaked animal splayed on the rooftop.
The wayward bird was a herring gull chick, only about 48 hours old, who’d accidentally fallen from his
nest up above.
“[H]e was wet, bedraggled and clearly struggling to stand or move properly,” East Sussex Wildlife Rescue & Ambulance Service (WRAS) founding director Trevor Weeks told The Dodo. “He appeared weak and vulnerable, and it was obvious he needed help.”
The concerned resident contacted East Sussex WRAS, who sent rescuers Abbie Marsden and Thea Taylor to the scene.
By the time Marsden and Taylor arrived, the chick had fallen further down the roof, onto a flat area. Residents welcomed the rescuers inside the house, where they poked a rescue pole out the upstairs window, carefully scooped the bird into a net and transferred him to the safety of a warm carrier.
Rescuers took the chick to the WRAS casualty center, where experts placed him in an incubator to combat hypothermia. Once warmed up, the chick received fluids, and his spark began to return.
“Within just a few hours, he had dried out and was looking fluffy again,” Weeks said. “Our care team staff were delighted to see him standing much more firmly and starting to walk around. It was a lovely transformation from the wet, weak chick our rescuers had collected.”
Today, the chick remains at the rescue, where he lives with other orphaned gull chicks of similar age. Once he’s old enough, he’ll move to an outdoor pen and eventually return to his home in the wild.
According to Weeks, it’s very common for gull chicks in England to accidentally fall from their nests and land in unfamiliar places. The animal advocate encourages anyone who sees a gull chick in need to do what these residents did — call an expert.
“If you are at all concerned about a young bird, please contact your local wildlife rescue for advice before intervening unless in immediate danger,” Weeks said. “If you are not sure who to contact, your local veterinary practice will often know the wildlife rescue contacts in your area or [you can] search ‘Gull Rescue’ online.”
If everyone does their part, gull chicks like this one won’t have to worry; they’ll always end up back on their feet.
