Seaside Heermann's Gulls

Heermann’s Gulls are a native migratory gull species. You’ve probably seen these medium-sized gulls with their unmistakable red bills around town. Each spring, most Heermann’s Gulls fly south to tiny islands in the Gulf of California to breed. 95% of Heermann’s Gulls nest on Isla Rasa, a tiny island which measures less than a quarter square mile. Their restricted nesting area makes them vulnerable to climate change and overfishing. They have experienced near total nesting failure on Isla Rasa in recent years due to a lack of food in the area.

Over 20 years ago, a small group of Heermann’s Gulls decided to stay in Seaside to breed, founding the only breeding colony of Heermann’s Gulls in the USA. Read the original North American Birds report by Roberson et al. HERE. The colony has survived and grown, but it has not been an easy road for them. During this time, they’ve had to cope with multiple threats and near constant loss of nesting sites. The artificial islands they nested on in Roberts Lake disintegrated. On more than one rooftop, netting was illegally erected over their nests. One building they nested on, the old McDonald’s on Canyon Del Rey Blvd, burned down catastrophically during nesting season. They’ve suffered flooding during late season rains and raccoon predation. In 2019, Monterey Audubon deployed a floating nesting island for the gulls in Roberts Lake. We are hoping to entice them to nest there with the use of social attraction – decoys and sounds that will hopefully convince them that it’s a great place to raise a family. In the meantime, rooftops in Seaside remain essential for the continued survival of the colony.

If you think that a Heermann’s Gull pair wants to nest on your roof, we hope you'll consider allowing them to do it. While the mess can be annoying, it is only for a short stretch of time - time that is critical for these birds to raise their family! Nesting begins in May and is usually completed by July. The Monterey Audubon Society can help with cleanup after the chicks have fledged (flown on their own).

If you observe juvenile birds in the road, please usher them to the sidewalks or a quiet parking lot. Some juvenile birds hop off the rooftops before they are fully able to fly. If you are worried the bird is in immediate danger or observe an injured bird, please call the SPCA for Monterey County at (831) 264-5427. If they are unavailable, please call Monterey Audubon staff person Amanda Preece at (208) 520-8794.

These gulls are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and you may only take action to deter the birds before they have laid eggs. If you find a nest with eggs in it on your roof you may not remove them or harass the parent birds unless you have a permit from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

They mate for life and, whenever possible, they return to the same nesting site year after year to raise their families.
Both parents help to raise and care for their chicks. They continue to feed them for a time even after they’ve flown from the nest!
It takes 4 years for a Heermann’s Gull to reach adulthood. They are long-lived birds, often surviving into their teens or even twenties!

Where can I see them?

During the nesting season, the Seaside Heermann's Gull colony nests on rooftops along Broadway Avenue in Seaside. You will see adults foraging along the sandy beach at Seaside Beach, a part of Monterey State Beach, and flying back to their rooftop home.

During the fall and winter, you will see way more Heermann's Gulls in the region. These are the Isla Rasa birds that migrate north for winter! You will see many hundreds of them at Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, in the coves around Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey, and hanging out at the jetties up in Moss Landing.

January 2023 - Our favorite Heermann’s Gull champions, Joanna and Byron Chin, gave a 45-minute presentation on this special species and the dramatic saga of the intrepid Heermann’s Gulls that nest in Seaside, California. Hosted by the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory and the Peninsula Open Space Trust. View the presentation by clicking below.

Securing the Future of The United States’ Only Breeding Population of Heermann’s Gulls

By MAS President, Blake Matheson (c. 2018)

The entire world population of Heermann’s Gull was once thought to breed on just a few islands in the Gulf of California, mainly at Isla Raza, a remote islet some 100 or so miles north of Loreto, east of the Baja Peninsula. For untold generations, alongside hundreds of thousands of Elegant Terns, the gulls have raised their young on this remote haven, largely free of terrestrial predators, surrounded by an abundance of prey. After breeding, they disperse northward to Alta California and the U.S. West Coast, to spend the autumn and winter foraging in the cool, nutrient rich, California Current.

An adult Heermann’s Gull preening on the shores of Monterey Bay, wearing its handsome winter plumage. Photo (C) Blake Matheson

In recent years, however, the birds have faced unprecedented challenges. Extensive fishing in their natal waters, introduced chick-eating predators like rats, soaring ocean surface temperatures, and rising sea-levels have combined to pose a truly existential threat to the colony, and the very survival of Larus heermanni, itself. The 2016 breeding season saw a near total failure of breeding efforts.

Roberts Lake, with its narrow fringe of reeds, is a wetland oasis surrounded by concrete and commerce, and has provided an unexpected opportunity for Heermann’s Gulls

But, even more than most birds, gulls are adaptable. In the 1990s a group of Heermann’s Gulls near Monterey Bay, a traditional favorite foraging and overwintering region for the birds, began utilizing tiny artificial islands in the middle of Roberts Lake, a 5-acre lagoon in the town of Seaside. The birds were there not just to roost or forage. Without precedent, instead of returning back to Baja to breed, they decided to stay near Monterey Bay and nest. And, for at least a decade, successive pairs fledged youngsters, until the sandy islands eroded away.

The tiny Monterey population searched for sites in the immediate area of Roberts Lake and began attempting to nest on hotels, restaurants and commercial buildings. In many cases, their selections were disastrous. The McDonalds they chose burned down in a catastrophic fire. At a commercial building and garage, deterrent netting was placed over active gull nests, which prevented parent gulls from incubating their eggs, causing a total failure of their breeding effort.

A juvenile Heermann’s Gull near Monterey, just a couple months after fledging. Photo (C) Blake Matheson

Dismayed and frustrated, Monterey Audubon launched an ambitious project to restore a nesting place for the Heermann’s Gulls in the center of Roberts Lake. With the acquiescence of the City of Seaside, we will construct, install and maintain a nesting platform for the birds in the same lake their pioneering ancestors first chose. And, with luck, persistence, and most importantly, the support of donors like you, we will ensure that regardless of what happens at Isla Rasa, Larus heermanni will have the chance to breed in safety on the Shores of Monterey Bay.

Please support this project today!

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Follow the Seaside Heermann’s Gulls on Facebook for updates on their nesting and island activities!

https://www.montereyherald.com/2018/11/01/audubon-society-seeks-to-place-bird-habitat-raft-on-roberts-lake-in-seaside/