GULL SURVIVAL

At the end of last week I heard the distress calls of a gull chick that had fallen or fluttered from a chimney pot nest across the road and was standing on the pavement. This happens all the time in this town and they don't often last long. I didn't know where it went but realised yesterday that it had found its way into the gated alleyway across the road and was wandering up and down among the clumps of weeds along the sides and sheltering under the cars that are parked there. This morning I watched and saw that one of its parents is still feeding it and the chick is quite big and strong and was flexing its wings and doing little practice take-off runs along the alley so it might survive. However, there are at least two cats that prowl the alley and a couple of weeks ago I saw a magpie viciously murder a young blackbird along there, so there are still many hazards for it to face. Even then, an awful lot of the young birds get hit by cars after they fledge. Nevertheless, nature makes allowances for natural wastage and the chick still has at least one sibling still up on the nest, let alone all the others on surrounding rooftops. Photos read clockwise from top left.