Sun, sea, sand and... gulls

It might be true that some of the UK's seaside towns have seen better days, but there are still plenty of reasons to keep visiting.

Take Great Yarmouth, on the Norfolk coast, for example. It has sun (sometimes), golden sands, piers, theatres, donkey rides on the beach and... gulls.

Gulls get a bad press, especially in coastal resorts. The birds that drew me to Yarmouth at the weekend were not just 'seagulls', they were Mediterranean gulls.

These are sleek, attractive gulls which can be seen on the beach from autumn to early spring. They don't attack small children, steal bags of crisps or soil washing hung out to dry, they just sit on the beach and look pretty.

In winter, adult 'Med' gulls have snow-white wingtips, the palest grey mantle, a black-ringed, blood-red beak and what looks like smudgy black eyeliner. Younger birds have more brown and black in their plumage.

We approached cautiously. Closer inspection showed that two wore plastic rings on their legs, inscribed with numbers. I knew that meant an expert ringer had caught the birds and fitted the rings, but where and when?

I noted down the details. When I got home, I entered the information (what the birds were, when and where I saw them, what the rings said) into the www.ring.ac website, and waited. The next afternoon, I got my reply.

The gulls had been caught at their breeding sites in Belgium (in 2001 and 2003) and a list of subsequent sightings showed that they come to Great Yarmouth every winter, without fail! It was fascinating to read their life histories and to know that I'd made a small contribution to science.

There must be something about Yarmouth that keeps them coming back for more. Perhaps it's chips and mayo?