This paper reports the results of a survey of large gulls breeding in Cumbria in 2009, together with an assessment of recent population trends. The survey found totals of 15,489 apparently occupied nests (AON) in 43 colonies for Lesser Black-backed Gulls Larus fuscus, 4,747 AON in 40 colonies for Herring Gulls L. argentatus and 85 AON in seven colonies for Great Black-backed Gulls L. marinus. A substantial part of the populations for all three species was concentrated in a few large coastal colonies, but there were many smaller colonies, mostly of roof-nesting birds in coastal towns, as well as a number of generally small colonies inland, chiefly in quarries or on islands in lakes. Since the 1998–2002 Seabird 2000 census, coastal colonies for all three species have shown a marked reduction in breeding numbers, but increases at those in urban areas; the declines far outweighed the increases, however. Despite the overall downward trend in the breeding population in this period the number of colonies increased. The factors responsible for these changes include the food supply, disturbance by man, and, to a lesser extent, disease.

Cumbria is an important breeding area for large gulls. In recent decades it has been home to the largest mixed colony of Lesser Black-backed Gulls Larus fuscus and Herring Gulls L. argentatus in Britain, at South Walney near Barrow-in- Furness, one of the largest such colonies in Europe, and the largest recorded for both species in Britain and Ireland in the 1998–2002 Seabird 2000 census (Mitchell et al. 2004). A second mixed colony, at Rockcliffe Marsh near Carlisle, was the fourth largest of both Lesser Black-backed Gulls and Herring Gulls in Britain in 1998–2002, and together these two colonies accounted for 28% of the former and 9% of the latter breeding in Britain and Ireland at the time (rankings and percentages based on the revised counts for Rockcliffe Marsh as outlined in Table 4). In contrast, only limited numbers of Great Black-backed Gulls L. marinus were recorded in Cumbria in 1998–2002.

Although the small number of coastal colonies in Cumbria was surveyed for the 1969–70 Operation Seafarer (Cramp et al. 1974) and 1985–87 Seabird Colony Register censuses (Lloyd et al. 1991), the 1998–2002 census was the first of gulls breeding throughout Cumbria (Mitchell et al. 2004). There have subsequently been marked declines at the South Walney colony (Chadwick & Raven 2004; Mavor et al. 2006) as well as the establishment of new colonies and it seemed timely to survey the whole of Cumbria to assess the current size of the population and how numbers have changed since Seabird 2000. This paper describes the results of such a survey carried out in 2009.

We owe a great debt to the many people who helped with the 2009 survey. In particular we acknowledge the counts from South Walney provided by Mike Douglas of Cumbria Wildlife Trust, from Haweswater by Spike Webb of RSPB, from Hodbarrow and St. Bees by Dave Blackledge and Norman Holton both of RSPB, from Rockcliffe Marsh by Mike Carrier and the North Solway Ringing Group, and from elsewhere by Clive Hartley, Chris Hind, Ken Hindmarch, Andy Langford and Peter Ullrich. We thank also Mike Carrier, Robert Pickett and Peter Ullrich for much useful advice, Roddy Mavor and JNCC, Paul Culley for showing us round MoD Longtown, Paul Campbell at BAe Systems in Barrow, Gary May of HMP Haverigg and June Shields of Sellafield Ltd for information about gulls on their sites and Cumbria Bird Club for their support. For their help with the aerial surveys we thank Chris Jones of Chris Jones Gyroplanes, Andrew Lysser and David Watt.

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