Sick seagull found in Saint John same day ill birds found in Moncton

A Hampton man is trying to figure out what's wrong with a seagull he found injured in Saint John.

Matt Oulton says he was pulling into a movie theatre early Monday afternoon when he saw the bird in the parking lot.

At first he thought the seagull was dead.

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"And when we got over there he wasn't dead at all he was just laying on his back but just seemed completely incapable of moving by himself," said Oulton. "We tried to get him upright but he just had no motor skills like in his legs." 

Oulton moved the gull over to a grassy area, and then went to watch a movie.

When he came out of the theatre, he saw that the gull hadn't moved.

He said he ran a couple of errands and then decided to take the bird home because there were cats around and he didn't feel the bird would be safe. 

Oulton put the gull in a box outside his home with some hay, water and food.

Other gulls sick

He said he then learned about three seagulls who were rescued Monday after they were found convulsing at Moncton's Magic Mountain water park.

Those juvenile herring gulls are now recovering at the Atlantic Wildlife Institute in Sackville, N.B.

The Institute's Pam Novak said whatever they ingested seems to have gone through their systems and she hopes there is no permanent damage.

"We still don't know what that is," Novak said. "I still don't know if we'll ever know what that is unless … this starts showing up in other areas and it's a continual thing then maybe all those pieces of the puzzle will help us determine what's going on."

Similar reaction

Oulton says he was struck by the similarities between the birds in Moncton and the gull he found.

"I was surprised because they're so far away from each other but definitely the symptoms seem the same so I have a hard time understanding what could cause something like that in so many birds."

Despite its ordeal, Oulton's seagull seems to be doing OK.

"He seems to be more alert [Tuesday] but again he hasn't moved from the position he was left in," said Oulton.

"He's just sitting there quietly and he can move his head no problem. The rest of him he just doesn't seem like he has a lot of control over." 

The Atlantic Wildlife Institute said it was going to look into Oulton's case.

Novak said if anyone finds a bird in distress, it's best to give the institute a call. They have locations around the province where injured animals can be dropped off.