'Baby seagull' nests in converted lunchbox in Llandudno shopping centre car park
A seagull chick has set up home in a converted lunchbox in a north Wales shopping centre car park.The fledgling is nesting in a plastic takeaway container in the middle of Mostyn Champneys retail park in Llandudno.It has won over the hearts of shoppers and staff who have placed watering bowls around the chick and placed a piece of cardboard around the lunchbox.The nest has also been cordoned off to keep the birds safe - and shoppers from a sometimes protective mum.
Wilkos worker Kelly Edge is smitten by the the chick and has been watching the mother nurturing it for six weeks while it was still in its shell.
She said: "I could go on talking about the story of the baby seagull all day."Initially, the mother seagull arrived roughly eight weeks ago and lay there doing pretty much nothing, we all kept checking on it but there was no movement - in fact, we kept asking why it was there, calling the bird stupid."My son then told me one Saturday afternoon that there had been an egg laid so we kind of had to eat our words."The egg then sat there with the mother seagull for four weeks, which was a bit of a comedy show as everyone passing by was being swooped by what we believe was the father seagull."At one point we had to shout over to customers ensuring they stayed away for their own safety."
Kelly has been looking after the chick, making sure it has enough water but she is unsure who has been providing the fledgling with home comforts. "I did tend to the chick late last week by refilling its bowl with fresh water but it ended in a slight disaster as the mother flew over me and poo'ed all over me, down my face and all over my clean work clothes."
"After the egg hatched, the chick remained on the step for the first week which left it in a safe position, but most recently finding its feet, it has stepped off the step therefore leaving it in more danger of passing cars."We have seen some near misses, but each day we come in, there is something extra added to ensure the safety of the chick.
"We arrived into work this morning and someone has 'cordoned off' a section for the chick, giving it its own private living quarters."It's understood it was cordoned off overnight on Monday after the store closed.All species of gulls are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. This makes it illegal to intentionally or recklessly injure or kill any gull or damage or destroy an active nest or its contents.
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