Gull chick rescue program operates in A Guarda, Spain

Agustín Ferreira, working with the Asociación Naturalista Baixo Miño (Anabam), runs a seasonal rescue centre for gull chicks that fall from nests on rooftops in A Guarda, Galicia. He transports the chicks to a protected area called “Lugar Vello”, where they receive food and water three times a day with minimal human contact to encourage natural development. In the current season the centre has taken in 28 chicks; five died from their condition, while the rest are progressing toward independence and will be released back to the coast by mid‑August. The operation is supported by local donations, including fish waste supplied each Saturday by the Pescadería Emilio y Amparo in the Praza de Abastos.

The programme aims to give the young gulls a chance to mature without becoming habituated to humans, after which they return to their natural habitat along the Atlantic shoreline.