MEET DEREK!

The Orphaned Herring Gull from Cadgwith in Cornwall, England 🐥

Derek as a baby gull © Lorraine “Taz” Bradley

Isn’t he just gorgeous? He was born on June 1st, 2017 (mark your calendars!) on a chimney stack but he fell off. Thankfully, Derek was found by a wonderful man called Simon who took him in.

He grew up with his new mum Lorraine & new dad Simon and THREE dogs in a small village near my hometown of Mullion. These canine siblings definitely helped bring him up – check out Chester the Newfoundland on lifeguard duty as Derek trains for his first flight:

As you can see, with a lot of love and patience, Derek’s foster parents raised him as if he was their own… herring gull… and he did eventually get strong enough to fly. You can read the full story in his own words here. I absolutely love his updates and he really makes me want to fly. My mum says cats can’t fly…. I think maybe I need some foster parents… Simon?? Lorraine???!

Even with miles of Cornish cliffs to explore every day, Derek never forgets his family. He visits all the time: playing with sticks, getting a big munch of mackerel (crab goo is one his favourites!) and, having been raised with good manners, always remembering to give himself a good beak clean.

He’s still a baby, now over 6 months old, and if you’re ever down along the coast of the Southwest of England, you just might meet Cadgwith’s beautiful little Herring Gull with the big brown eyes.