The Winter Gull Survey collected information about our wintering gull populations, through the coordinated effort of volunteer surveyors across the UK.
Please note: this project is now complete. Thank you to everyone who took part.
In winter, gulls flock together to roost communally on lakes, reservoirs and estuaries, in groups that can reach the thousands.
The Winter Gull Survey (WinGS) ran over the winters of 2023/24 and 2024/25 to collect updated information on the numbers and distributions of these wintering gulls in the UK, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. Surveys also ran in autumn 2024 in order to monitor gulls at post-breeding aggregations and capture seasonal peaks of species on passage from breeding to wintering locations.
WinGS volunteers visited gull roost sites, counting six key species: Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull and Great Black-backed Gull. These gulls are all of conservation concern, and their breeding populations are either Amber- or Red-listed in the UK.
More detailed information about wintering populations and which roost sites they rely on will help us protect them and develop more effective conservation strategies.
- Learn more about the history of the project and about volunteer data collection.
Project timeline
- Oct 2023 Volunteer sign-up for winter counts (2023/24)
- Jan 2024 Survey visit(s) for winter counts
- Mar 2024 Data submission
- Apr 2024 Volunteer sign-up for autumn counts (2024)
- Autumn 2024 Survey visit(s) for autumn counts
- Sept 2024 Sign-ups for winter counts (2024/25)
- Jan 2025 Survey visit(s) for winter counts
- Mar 2025 Data submission
- 2026 Report and papers published
