The conversations started with a question about why there were seagulls in Wanaka which is so far inland.
That led to the observation that so far inland is relative because no where in New Zealand is very far from the sea when compared with most other countries.
That led to the recollection of a conversation with someone who lived in the top corner of Victoria who mentioned they got seagulls there too.
That led to the next question, to which none of us had an answer: how far can seagulls fly?
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Homepaddock 
“how far can seagulls fly?”
As far as the nearest rubbish dump.
For them thats just like a Caltex station with “really clean restrooms”, fuel, food, shelter, rest and probably a bit of recreation.
They could probably plot their way across Australia on rubbish stopoffs.
JC
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WE always go on about the negative impact mankind has on the God’s other creatures that share the planet with us.
Well seagulls are one of a number of species that have done very well out of human civilization and the reason why you see them so far inland is a result of this.
In a “pristine” New Zealand, you wouldn’t!
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Quite often see the black-backed gulls transiting 60-80Km inland over the Ruahines near the Manawatu Gorge from one coast to the other, especially when the weather is bad on one coast.
Greyish pied stilts are always around (nesting?) in the local paddocks miles from the sea. And flying/screeching at all hours of the night.
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If interested, Buller’s Birds of NZ has a section…
http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-BulBird-t1-g1-t2-body-d23.html
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They can’t fly from Raglan in the west or Tauranga in the east as far as Cambridge. Maybe our rubbish dumps aren’t up (or down) to their standards.
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Given that in NZ, you are never more than 156 kilometres from a coast, we could probably suggest that it is at least 157 kms? 🙂
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We had seagulls in southern Manitoba. The nearest ocean is about a full 24 hour drive away. Seagulls would always follow the cultivator looking for worms….
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So seagulls don’t live in the area they are hatched in?
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