Seagull survives being wedged in car's grille for several miles on motorway after 'being hit at high speed'

By OLIVIA ALLHUSEN, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 00:32, 15 August 2026 | Updated: 00:35, 15 August 2026 A seagull survived a motorway journey of several miles while stuck in the grille of a car after being hit at 'high speed'.  The shocked driver had no idea the bird was wedged into his vehicle until after he'd parked up. The man received a message from a pal alerting him to the animal's plight, so returned to his car. And he was astounded to find the seagull poking out from beneath his number plate. Realising he must have hit the animal on the A1(M) on the way to Darlington, County Durham, he got in touch with Darlington Bird Rescue, who came to their aid. Despite travelling on the front of the car for several miles, the rescue clinic said the bird's injuries were minimal, though the animal will need some rest and painkillers over the coming days. In a social media post, Darlington Bird Rescue said: 'Well, this was an unexpected call, especially on a day when we are closed, but we couldn't not help. 'This poor guy was hit today at high speed on the motorway as a driver came to the [railway] station in Darlington from Aycliffe.  A seagull survived a motorway journey of several miles while stuck in the grille of a car The shocked driver had no idea the bird was wedged into his vehicle until after he'd parked up The man received a message from a pal altering him to the animal's plight, so returned to his car 'He didn't realise that this fella was in his grill until he got a message reporting it. 'The gull had himself wedged pretty darn good. 'Miraculously, he has no breaks. His wings are fine, his legs are fine, his back is sore, but there are no palpable abnormalities in the tissues or bone. 'He has no big scrapes, no big wounds, just a few leg scrapes and a lot of damaged feathers. 'The only spot of blood? A broken feather growing in that had bled. That could even happen with an aggressive preen. 'He will have a lot of monitoring, some painkillers, and all the food he could wish for to make up for his lucky escape.' It comes after one bird had a lucky escape after colliding with a car last year – surviving unscathed despite spending 24 hours trapped inside the vehicle's radiator grill. The pheasant was plucked to safety after a mechanic dismantled the Ford's undertray to reach the trapped bird. The game bird hitched a ride after the car's owner spotted it on the road and braked. Fearing the bird had become another roadkill victim, the unnamed driver got out fearing the worst. But when she saw no sign of the bird she drove on, assuming the pheasant has flown away. Hours later, a colleague noticed the feathered stowaway in the silver car's front grill. After failing to free it herself, the driver took her vehicle to a local garage in Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire, where staff were left stunned by the unusual passenger. Lucy McDonagh, 44, filmed the rescue as her husband and garage owner James Collett, 59, carefully removed the bird.  Ms McDonagh, from Northleach, Gloucestershire, said: 'She (the customer) couldn't get it out herself and it was hissing at her. 'The staff popped the car on the MOT ramp and slowly dismantled the engine under tray to reach the pheasant. 'It took about 15 minutes to get to it. 'Somehow, it was absolutely fine - not a feather out of place!'