by Sr. Noeleen Mooney, MMM                                  Ireland                     22.08.2026

Living as we do in the port town of Drogheda, seagulls have always been a part of our world. They used to liv by the sea at Mornington, Bettystown and other resorts along the east coast.

Over recent years, changes have crept in. We live in a site that has high buildings, beside the parish church which has a large high roof. For the past number of years, the seagulls have adopted these heights to provide themselves with new breeding grounds. They have built their nests high uo – some using the same safe location each year. The eggs were laid, the parents took turn to incubate, the chicks hatched, and the parents kept close guard over them until they fledged. Then they took themselves off to new pastures, or should I say hopefully back to the coast.

That was until this year, which has been different. Even though the seagull chicks have all hatched and fledged, there is a great reluctance to move. Loud seagull screams are heard during the night, at various times. Maybe they are just having high-pitched discussions about their future.

A worrying development is that some of the newly fledged seagulls are being attacked by one of the parents. Some have been killed. Others wounded.

Why? Is it frustration at a lack of food to provide for their families? Is it a realisation that this kind of environment is not at all suitable for seagulls?

I have never seen so many seagull feathers scattered around the grounds and I wonder why. Maybe the present long dry spell is a big factor in their restlessness. Maybe it is a sober reminder to us that our world is changing in unexpected ways – and the seagulls are sharing this prophetic message with us. I hope we can listen and learn from them.