Although there is anecdotal evidence of gulls on Orford Ness over a long period of time, the first written record found of Lesser Black-backed gulls (Larus fuscus) breeding on Orford Ness was in 1968 with one hundred pairs recorded within the then military enclosure. There are no records of Herring Gull before 1994.

By 2001 the colony had increased up to a staggering 22,500 pairs of Lesser Black-backed gulls together with 5700 pairs of Herring Gulls (Larus argentatus). This figure made Orford Ness an extremely important site, being one of the largest Lesser Black-backed/Herring Gull mixed colonies in the UK, and indeed Europe. However in 2001, the colony started to decline (5500 Lesser Black-backed, 2900 Herring Gulls).

The reasons for the decline are not fully understood, however, suggestions include increased predation by Red Fox and the loss of a major food source – the free-range pig units in the area suffered from an outbreak of swine fever meaning fewer pigs and thus less feeding.

Lesser Black-backed Gull
©National Trust

In 2002 the decline more or less stabilised (6000 Lesser Black-backed, 2000 Herring Gull) although there was a marked increase in fox predation but mainly to Herring Gull and their pulli. In 2003 there has been a slight recovery due to decreased predation.

During the breeding season the main colony resides in the northern end of Orford Ness in lower (southern) Lantern Marsh. A further colony is based on the southern 1-2km of the spit the birds are nesting on habitats of mixed grassland vegetation and open and vegetated shingle.

Herring Gull
©National Trust

The feeding behaviour of the Orford Ness gulls is quite unusual, in that they have three distinct options for feeding. Firstly, they fly out to the main shipping lanes, or alternatively follow local fishing trawlers, and feed on fish and other marine life brought up to the surface by the propellers of the ships and boats. Secondly, they scavenge on refuse tips in and around major towns and at a local chicken processing factory and thirdly, they fly to the mainland where there is major concentration of free range pig farms where they scavenge on scattered pig feed. However the last option has declined recently after a reduction in pig units following outbreaks of Swine Fever and Foot and Mouth Disease.

The abundance of the food and the options available to the gull population on the Ness is also likely to be a main contributing factor to the low level of predation carried out by the gulls on other species on the site. A number of research projects  are being conducted on gulls.