Seagull Update

4.45am I looked out of the back window to the most glorious golden dawn. The light streamed through the windows and woke me up. I was glad it did. I hung my head out of the back window and watched my beautiful rooftop foes flying in big circles round and round the garden in the early morning light. Their big white bellies caught the golden light and they glowed like angel birds as they swooped round.

The most dangerous time is when the chicks are out on the roof, exposed. Picking these times times to take the dogs for a walk means taking your life in your hands.

We were chased this evening by a very angry gull, which swooped repeatedly at us as we walked away from the house. You'd think it would realise we were going away from its nest, and therefore decreasing the danger to its chicks, but then, seagulls are not very bright.

By the time we were returning, dusk was setting in, and I hoped the birds would have settled down for the night. No such luck. Quite a long way off, the sentinal on the chimney stack spotted us and came charging over, swooping low, divebombing me. I had a hat on (of course!) but no weapon, unless I could have thrown a collie at it...

We slunk along by the wall, under overhanging trees and shrubbery, but it wouldn't leave us alone: I could see the whites of its eyes it got that close. (OK OK, birds don't have whites in their eyes - it's a figure of speech - all right?)

There's an exposed stretch between the last overhanging tree and our barn, and I just didn't have the nerve to cross this open ground without something to protect me, so I phoned the house and asked my other half to come outside with a Big Stick please. He soon emerged with a long-handled hoe, and before he came into view I saw the seagull turn its attention to him as he went out into the back garden.

Safely escorted back indoors I heaved a sigh of relief. Fortunately we don't have to go outside again tonight.

The chicks are getting pretty big now. If you go up the top end of the garden and shelter under a tree you can watch them, stretching their fluffy wings and trying to figure out what being a seagull is all about.