My grandma told me over the phone today that a seagull got stuck in the atrium of her apartment building, and wants me to come over to help free it. It is 4 stories down and has been stuck there for 2-3 days. The soonest I can get over is tomorrow morning (I’m on PST). I am unsure if it can fly or not, but she thinks it is a juvenile of some sort (apologies, I don’t have photos). She doesn’t have keys to access the atrium, but the guy who does gave it some water/food a little while ago. I plan to go over tomorrow with some thick gloves and a stick to hopefully corall it, then walk it up/down the stairs to the roof/street. Is there a better way to go about doing this? I considered bringing a net of some sort to make the capture process potentially easier, but I hesistate as I don’t want to hurt the bird. Apologies for my relative lack of info on its exact status, I will try to give an update tomorrow, but for now I would greatly appreciate any advice on what to do as I’d like to free the bird ASAP.
Thank you!
Would you have animal protection or bird rehab people you could call on for more help? (I would call the SPCA here)
I agree with @DianaStuder . Maybe you could try luring the gull into a cage with fish?
Yes, is their a wildlife rehabber near you?
I would see if there’s a wildlife rehabber for your area. Your state wildlife folks may be able to connect you to one (though maybe not on the weekend). YOu can also capture birds if needed by throwing a light blanket over them to restrain/keep them calmer and then place in a closed container for transport.
I am unsure, but given I am in a rather large city I bet there is. Given how long the bird has been stuck there, I think I am going to go today myself with a blanket as @cthawley suggested, and reach out to a wildlife rehabber if that doesn’t pan out.
I would call a rehabber first. If you don’t feel comfortable catching it, leave it to a rehabber.
I don’t recommend that you use a large net because you will have to untangle it.
I have caught a ring-billed gull with thin winter gloves. It gave me a little snip with its bill but, nothing bad. I almost didn’t feel it.
Grab it carefully from behind over its wings and body. You will be surprised how light it is. Hold it firmly but, don’t squeeze to hard.
Keep your head away so it can’t peck your face or wear protection just in case.
If you have a pet carrier or big box (copy paper box with lid), you can put it in that. Have a friend help you with that. Poke holes in the box BEFORE you put the bird in it.
If you can catch it and put it in a box, you should still take it to a rehabber for examination. Cover the box with blanket in your car while you drive it to a rehabber to help keep it calm.
Be warned that it may poop on you.
Wash your hands after handling it.
Dry cat food is a much better lure for gulls. Sometimes, just shaking a small bag with dry cat food will attract them.
Update:
The gull was pretty worse for wear when I got to it, didn’t even try to eat or drink anything I gave it. It looked to have broken/injured it’s feet potentially and maybe the wings. Evidently also had a pretty bad neck injury. I ended up just scooping it into a box and taking it to some police officers who happened to be nearby due to a parade that was happening. They called animal control who agreed to take the animal into their care. I realistically don’t think it will make it, but am hoping for the best.
Should also note that the only wildlife rehabbers in the area were on the opposite ends of town, and by contrast animal control was only ~15 min away on call, hence me contacting them instead.
Thank you for caring and taking action.
You lessened a fellow creature’s suffering. It may recover, but even if it needs to be euthanized , that is kinder than leaving it to suffer alone.
It was my pleasure to help it 
Here’s to hoping it turns out ok
The local rehabbers where I live take in a lot of birds. They have very fragile bones as you can imagine. They need to be light for flight. So, often when a bird is brought in, it can’t be saved. But, there are many cases where they can be treated and released successfully. I have had the pleasure (delight…joy) of releasing a couple of birds. There’s nothing like watching that bird fly out of a box. I have released a ring-billed gull and a Virginia rail.
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