Chips Seagulls

A short detour via Bram Ladage's chip shop on Binnenwegplein almost always means an encounter with herring gulls. Shoppers sit at the chip shop all day long, eating chips, surrounded by foraging city birds such as herring gulls and city pigeons. Herring gulls boldly approach the chip eaters, stop right in front of their feet and look up intently. After this begging behaviour, the bird is either chased away or fed chips.

Although adult herring gulls have white and light grey plumage according to the bird book, these gulls are ash grey – sometimes almost black – or have a striking orange-red glow. We know why this is thanks to R-K6, the herring gull with a red ring on its right leg bearing the inscription K6. This adult female has been a chip gull at Bram Ladage since at least the end of July 2011. She was caught and ringed on her nest in the harbour area near the Europoort ore transhipment company. After the breeding season, she heads to the city for a fatty snack, with traces of iron ore still on her head.