Seagulls or sometimes called gulls are one of the bird species that always lurk near the coastlines.
Have you ever experienced enjoying your day on the coast when you suddenly hear loud squawks of birds?
These white birds that are quite large, with long wings and thin legs tend to appear out of nowhere.
But why do seagulls suddenly appear?
These birds are natural opportunists and scavengers and will often stay in places where they can hunt for food.
Coastlines are among the best places for them as they can easily get food, such as shrimps, fish, clams, and other shellfish they may find.
Why Are Lots Of Seagulls Circling Inland?
Seagulls tend to flock in areas where they can spot and hunt for food.
Do not be surprised when you see a lot of them even fighting for the perfect food spot sometimes.
These birds are wise enough to think that an area with lots of their kin is a place where they can find something to eat.
In other words, once a flock of seagulls tends to stay in one place, other gulls would also choose to stay in that spot.
This is why you may see lots of gulls circling inland, even flying around in huge numbers.
Why Are Seagulls Circling My House?
Seeing a lot of gulls circling around your house is alarming.
These birds have been reported to attack humans and seeing them near your property is pretty scary.
While you may think that these birds have nothing to do with your house, they may actually have reasons why they are staying.
Here are some of the reasons
Food hunting
One possible reason as to why seagulls are around your house is because they can hunt for food.
If you have given them food before, it is possible that these gulls have learned that your house is a place where they can find something to eat.
Make sure you also keep any food items they can eat hidden or away from sight, such as your garbage, scraps, or even bugs.
This is to avoid having any gulls in your house rummaging through your trash bins and other places where they can look for any food.
Lookouts
Seagulls are not only opportunists, but they are also keen observers and wary of predators.
These birds tend to stay in places where they can see lots of visibility, not only for food, but also to keep an eye for potential threats.
This not only includes other animals and birds that may attack them.
They are also establishing lookouts to keep an eye on those birds that may be tempted to steal their food.
If your house is something they can use to position safely and spot these threats, they will really flock and circle your house.
I go into more detail in my article – Why are seagulls flying around my house?
Why Do Seagulls Flock At Sunset?
Have you ever seen gulls and even other birds flocking in large numbers at sunset?
You probably thought of this scenery as beautiful as well, especially given the amazing beauty of some places when it is sunset.
But what could be the reason why birds gather together at this time of hour?
This bird behavior is called murmuration.
This happens when birds, even seagulls, fly around together at sunset, circling and loudly squawking.
This phenomenon does not only happen with seagulls, even birds such as crows, starlings, and other species do murmurations too.
Seagulls, and birds in general, flock at sunset as they are exchanging information regarding feeding sites, potential predators they need to be wary of, and even in hopes of confusing and scaring other predators away.
They would also flock together at sunset as they are getting ready to go back to their roosting places together, keeping the whole flock warm and safe from threats.
Here’s another similar article you may find interesting – Where do seagulls go at night?
Also have a read of this article too – Do seagulls fly at night?
What Attracts Seagulls To An Area?
Nothing attracts gulls, but food.
Places such as coastlines and cities tend to have lots of food, the reason why you can see a lot of seagulls in these places.
Coastlines are full of food that gulls love to eat, such as clams, seashells, fish, and crustaceans.
On the other hand, some gulls have learned to adapt to the city environment and eat human food.
In short, if you want to keep seagulls away from a particular place, such as your home, it is better not to give them any reason to stay.
Do not let gulls discover that your place has food to keep these birds away.
What Does It Mean When You See a Lot Of Seagulls?
When you see a lot of seagulls in a place, it means that the area is abundant in food.
They will tend to flock in places where they can easily hunt and consume anything.
These birds might also stay in places or in midair to spot predators and keep their whole flock and food territory safe.
If you see seagulls flocking and circling in the air at sunset, then it means that they are exchanging information about food sites, predators, and other necessary information that the whole flock must be aware of.
Ever thought about where seagulls go when it rains?
I have written an article about this too which I’m sure you’ll find interesting
Click the link below to have a read
Where do seagulls go when it rains?
Wrapping Up
Seagulls are opportunists and natural scavengers.
Naturally, they would flock together in places where they can hunt for food, such as in coastlines and cities.
These gulls will suddenly appear in places like this, especially if a whole flock spotted a place where they can see other seagulls as well.
After all, these birds will immediately know that one place has lots of food when they can their kin staying in those places.
