Gulls of Ireland

Ireland is a small Island on the edge of the North Atlantic Ocean, and seagulls make up a large portion of our resident seabirds. Seagulls normally chose rocky outcrops, cliffs and uninhabited islands to build their nests. However, they have adapted to urban environments and they will often build their nests where we live and work.

Conveniently for the gulls, multi storey office rooftops are rarely visited by people. Seagulls see a similarity between these buildings and the rocky cliffs along our shores. While we are going about our business inside the buildings, the sea gulls are building their nests and raising their young chicks.

This activity is not just confined to just coastal counties. Gulls are scavangers and will travel long distances for food, including counties with no access to the sea.

The gallery below features all of our resident seagulls  and also some gulls that migrate here or are blown off course by storms or strong winds.

Please note that some gulls have different plumage when they are breeding, Occasionally,  some gulls of the same species look different to one another! This is because it can take several years for some gulls to attain full adult plumage.