Most of Päijät-Häme’s laughing gulls nest in the harbor of Lahti

The endangered species thrives on the breakwater, near which there are many places to eat.

Laughing gull on the shore of Töölönlahti
Over the decades, laughing gulls have moved to nest on islets from the banks of lush bird waters. Illustration picture.

The nesting of laughing gulls in Päijät-Häme is strongly concentrated in Lahti. The number of laughing gulls has decreased in Finland in recent decades, and the species is classified as endangered.

According to this year’s count, there are about 5,500 pairs of laughing gulls in Päijät-Hämee, two-thirds of which nest on the breakwater of Lahti harbor.

The breakwater in Lahti harbor, built 25 years ago, is located in a good location, sheltered from wild animals and close to eating places such as park lawns. According to Lammi, the laughing gulls of the Lahden colony look for their food within a radius of about 20 kilometers, for example in the fields of Luhtikylä in Orimattila. The species eats, among other things, fish and insects.

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