Grandfather, 78, left bloodied after savage attack by seagull

Savaged by a seagull: Grandfather, 78, is left bloodied and bruised after attack by angry bird when he tries to lift one of its chicks out of his garden

Kenny Esson, 78, was attacked by two birds who took a ‘chunk’ out of his head
He narrowly avoided the ‘whole side of his head’ being pecked in by the gulls
The grandfather now takes a dog into the garden with him for protection
Luckily the wound cleared up and he avoided stitches and hospital treatment

A grandfather was mauled by an angry seagull parent after he tried to rescue one of its young.

Kenny Esson was surprised by the bird swooping down and pecking a ‘chunk’ out of his forehead, leaving him bleeding and bruised.

The 78-year-old was trying to rescue a lost chick in his garden in Ferryhill, Aberdeen.

He was putting the baby gull over the fence when two birds saw him as a threat and launched their attack.

Kenny Esson, 78, was savaged by a seagull by his house in Aberdeen. Pictured: Kenny after the attack, which left him bloodied and bruised

The retired bus driver told the Scottish Sun: ‘The mum or the dad came swooping down on me and drew blood with their sharp beak.

‘I couldn’t believe it. It wasn’t that sore but there was a lot of blood.’

The grandfather said the attack was nearly a lot worse, as he managed to duck, which meant one of the gulls missed his face.

Kenny now goes into his garden accompanied by his granddaughter’s Staffordshire bull terrier, which he says scares the birds away

He said if the two birds had connected ‘the whole side’ of his face would have been ‘gone’.

Do not drop litter or food scraps. This means they won’t get used to people feeding them
Do not attract gulls to your garden by feeding them. Their natural diet is based on shellfish and other small sea creatures
Do not touch gull chicks unless they appear seriously injured

Source: Aberdeen City Council and the RSPB

Luckily the wound cleared up and he didn’t need any stitches.

Kenny now goes into his garden accompanied by his granddaughter’s Staffordshire bull terrier, which he says scares the birds away.

He said the gulls, which have been nesting on a school roof, are ‘everywhere’ in Aberdeen.

The resilient grandad said he’d been attacked by the birds before but this was the first time they’d drawn blood.

It is not uncommon for baby gulls to fall down from their nests, according to the RSPCA.

If the chick is alone but looks well fed, it likely it still being looked after by its parents as feeding only happens a few times each day.

The animal charity advises to only help the chicks if they are very small and in danger but only if it’s safe and possible to do so.

They warn that protective parent gulls may swoop in to protect their young during nesting season, typically from April to July.

If the gull is seriously ill or injured, it can be taken to a vet or wildlife rehabilitation centre.

The grandfather said the attack was nearly a lot worse, as he managed to duck, which meant one of the gulls missed his face