The Norwegian City of Sandefjord Officially Reserved a Parking Space for a Seagull Mom

June 8, 2026

Most people would be frustrated to discover they couldn't park in a perfectly good parking space.

But in one Norwegian city, residents are happily giving up a spot for a very special occupant: a seagull mom named Gunhild.

Photo credit: Ellen Kristine Kjærandsen Hagerup

Officials in Sandefjord, Norway, recently placed traffic cones around a parking space outside the Nygård residential community, effectively reserving it for the feathered resident while she incubates her eggs.

The story began last year when the seagull chose the same parking spot as her nesting site. This spring, she returned and settled into the exact same location.

Before any eggs had been laid, workers removed the nest in hopes of preventing the unusual parking lot arrangement. But Gunhild was determined.

The very next day, the nest had been rebuilt and eggs had already been laid.

At that point, the decision was easy.

In a statement shared by the city, officials explained that the seagull is "totally at peace" and noted that the species is listed as vulnerable on Norway's Red List of threatened species.

Credit: Ellen Kristine Kjærandsen Hagerup

The seagull was affectionately named Gunhild after the very first resident to move into Nygård back in 1977.

"Gunhild has granted himself a short-term stay at Nygård," the city joked. "That's why we have put up cones to prevent anyone from driving on Gunhild."

For now, one parking space belongs to a devoted mother doing what mothers everywhere do: keeping her babies safe. And judging by the community's response, nobody seems to mind sharing the space.