Battle to save mother gull washed ashore

A wounded adult yellow-legged gull was rescued in Gozo yesterday, 14 years after being ringed on Filfla islet.

The bird, which was probably shot, was washed ashore at Għar Qawla in Marsalforn and spotted early in the morning by Dunstan Balzan as he was walking his dog.

Mr Balzan immediately phoned BirdLife Malta, which is now in the process of X-raying the injured bird, after which it will be turned over to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority.

The BirdLife volunteer who rushed to Marsalforn established the adult gull was in full breeding plumage.

Ornithologist Joe Sultana said when contacted that the extent of the gull’s injuries had not yet been established and it was difficult to say if it would survive.

Even if it did make it, chances were it would be too late for its chicks.

However, since both parents of any brood of gulls feed their young, it was hoped the other parent would step in, Mr Sultana said.

On examination, the bird was found bearing a BirdLife Malta ring GG 0827.

The records established the bird was 14 years old and had been ringed on the plateau surface on Filfla as a chick on May 22, 1998 by Mr Sultana himself and Charles Gauci. BirdLife ringers have been monitoring the yellow-legged gull population on Filfla since the 1970s with the help of the Armed Forces of Malta, and in recent years, with Mepa’s permission.

Every year the chicks of these gulls are ringed by licensed bird ringers who are winched down on to the plateau surface of Filfla by the AFM.

Since 1982 a total of 1,533 unfledged young have been ringed and 12 of these have been recovered in Sicily, in southern mainland Italy and single birds in Switzerland, Hungary and Libya.

According to BirdLife’s publication The Breeding Birds of Malta, published last year, about 200 pairs of yellow-legged gulls nest on Filfla, while about another 50 pairs nest along the southern cliffs of Malta and Gozo. Most of the chicks hatch in May.