Seagulls

tabtab13

Active Member
Saw a seagull hit by a motorist this morning at Wherrytown - ok, I'll assume it wasn't deliberate ....

I took it over to Mousehole, but they didn't hold out much hope for it so it was likely it was going to be put to sleep. The woman there said it was quite common and speaking to my wife Nancy afterwards, she said she was quite disgusted to find that two people she knows have the attitude of 'if one's in the road, run it over'. I've also heard other people in the past complain about the noise and/or mess they make when they come in to nest (we get quite a few around where we are).

I think they are wonderful birds, not just to look at, but they are also a big part of living in a seaside town. When I lived away, quite often in the summer when I rang home, I could hear them in the background and it always made me home sick.

What's everyone else think - are you pro-seagulls or anti-seagulls?
 

treeve

Major Contributor
Well I support our local 'seagull' population, though I do know of those who will deliberately aim to kill, as they are 'vermin'. Shows just how much they know as to what vermin is. Ignorance is no excuse, as they are wild life in the real world. OK man has been a perpetrator in their rise, with bad habits and bad official attitudes, but if control is required, and I say if, then control the numbers of young before birth, ie egg control. But as has been proven on many an occasion before, interference by man can have disastrous side effects. The side effect of numbers, can affect struggling numbers of other birds, and other real vermin may rise to take their place. Give them a chance, it is only man's laziness that allows them to flourish.
 

Halfhidden

Untouchable
Administrator
Well, well, well seagulls.
I'm sort of in the middle with this topic because I'm not a seagull fan at all but on the other hand I understand that they have a right to live as we do.
As for running over a seagull for entertainment... well to be honest these individuals probably have little or no respect for anything apart from material things. Pretty sure it is against the law to wilfully harm an animal whether it is wild or domesticated.
I guess the problem is that the press and authorities, business owners in the catering trade and some locals and holidaymakers have demonised the seagull. I've heard of seagull attacking people for food... in fact seen some but honestly this fairly rare. 9 times out of 10 a seagull is stared to death of the human and quite happily move out of our way.
So I guess summing up... yes they are a pest. They Cr*p on my car, rip my shed roof, nest on my chimney and arrive at my BBQ and gate crash it..... Yep I wouldn't have them any other way.
As far as I'm concerned, the Cornish seagull (massive as it is in comparison to others) (more like an Albatross ::11:) Is an important and integral part of life around us.
 

treeve

Major Contributor
Learned behaviour - and they have no appreciation of the finer points of the motor car - wave a pasty in front of a passing herring gull, or the great black back, and you can be sure of it doing a disappearing act.
 

46traveller

Member
Sorry guys but you obviously don't live in St Ives, and have never seen a Gull attack a toddler in a push chair for an ice cream, or a visitor sitting peacefully eating a pasty. Too many of 'em Cull needed.
 

tabtab13

Active Member
Bit of a knee jerk reaction I feel. Locals will know of this 'danger', signs could be put up warning tourists. We need to take responsibility for ourselves and our actions rather than adopt the attitude of 'this is a problem - so let's kill it'. I'm not in favour of culling full stop - and that goes for any species.
 

46traveller

Member
Signs are displayed on posts throughout St Ives stating "Please do not feed the seagulls". As far as my understanding goes seagulls can't read or maybe just choose to ignore the notices, and take it upon themselves to break the Bye-Law and attack anyone having a snack in a lawful manner. I accept full responsibillity for my actions, if anyone or anything (fur or feather) attack me or my grandchildren whilst taking a stroll along the front, then I will react in defence, as the Law states I am entitled to. I take it that you or your family have never been attacked in this manner, and you have never had to take your grandchild to the hospital with a laceration from the assault. Knee jerk reaction, no, just a true statement that until it happens to you and yours, don't presume all seagulls are called Johnathen, and practice flying and feeding out at sea. Every year there are more reports of attacks on people, at the rate they are breeding, maybe it's your turn next to suffer, believe me it's an attitude changer.
 

tabtab13

Active Member
It's the people who break this law that are the problem, not the birds. No, I've never been attacked by one, though have been bitten a few times rescuing them, and yes, they can be pretty vicious.

My parents always made a big point of saying watch out for the gulls when I was young and eating ice creams, chips etc along a sea front. And if they weren't sure, we'd move away and eat somewhere else. It's just common sense.

If people adopt the attitude of 'if I want to eat (or my child wants to eat) an ice cream in a sea side town, then that's my right to do so, where ever it might be' or 'If I don't eat all my sandwich, I'll just drop it on the ground', these 'attacks' will continue.

Common sense and responsibility are all that are needed. Nature will perform her own 'culling' if we were just more sensible when it comes to our food and gulls.
 

treeve

Major Contributor
I have reached the tender age of 69 without having been attacked or threatened by a seagull, yet having had an active outside life and eating the prescribed items of food in perfect safety. I know that youngsters are at the mercy of a voracious seagull, for they cannot project an image of self assurance, and seagulls beaks are made for attack. There is some confusion over their status as protected species, but attitudes must change and they have learned from official attitudes and apathy that food on offer is food for the taking, bearing in mind the numbers at beach locations, it is small wonder that more attacks are not seen.
 

Halfhidden

Untouchable
Administrator
Well I think you all have a point.
I worked in St Ives (Slipway) for many years and have seen gulls attack (sure I mentioned this earlier) and no it's not a pretty sight, yet St Ives is as much as the problem as the gulls themselves.
St Ives retails outlets are (this is a guess here and not a fact) about 75% food and the rest a mix of gift, artist and other shops. For years the council refused to acknowledge the growing population of gulls in St Ives partly fuelled by the open style street bins and the terrible waste collection services they offered the town. Now things are better with two collections a day and the street bins are sealed to prevent the gulls from feeding from them.
So during the laps years the population boomed and now more than ever the gulls are competing against one another for the small amount of food available.
We shouldn't forget that the gull is a scavenger (good one) but if it does not eat it will die.... under the same circumstances I would do the same as the gull's.
There are signs up telling visitors not to feed the gulls... but they are city folk (well not all) and feel sympathetic towards the cute gulls.
The answer is straight forward enough.
Invest in St Ives and put up a few speakers in the town that play seagull under stress calls (works for a while).
Eating in the street should be discouraged. Fishing should be encouraged.
The gull population will decrease if we react to it.
I'm not in favour of a cull when it was our own business practices that created the boom in the first place.

BTW.. My son recently discovered that seagulls really hate laser.... They go made when you shine it on the roof next to them and they simply fly away. It has been so successful up here that most of the seagulls we had have found other places to sit. I'm not saying that they aren't up here any longer... more of they will no longer sit on the roof that the laser light shines on... We've tried red and green so far. Green is more effective in the day and red and green are the same at night.
 

treeve

Major Contributor
Good points - On the protection side of things ..
PROTECTION
All wild birds, their nests and their eggs are protected by law. The level of this protection depends on whether the bird is rare or endangered but even very common birds such as robins and blackbirds are protected. Some birds can be shot for sport but only at certain times of the year. Other birds may be killed because they are pests (for example, magpies or crows) but this can only be done under certain conditions by authorised persons.

Birds which may be killed or taken by authorised persons:

Crow (Carrion) Rook, Magpie, Jackdaw , Jay

Dove (Collared) Pigeon (Feral) Wood Pigeon

Gull (Great Black-Backed) Gull (Herring) Gull (Lesser Black-Backed )

For articles on pest control ...
Pest control - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Seagulls and the Law - seagullappreciationsociety.org.uk

They are losing ground as far as nesting sites are concerned, which is why some of them have been placed on the protected species list.

In all, you have to learn to live with them, much as cliffs and sea are a part of the scenery; the alternative is murderous lunacy ... where will it stop?
 

tabtab13

Active Member
Good points, HH.

Whenever a 'problem' arises with wild life, you can bet that Man created the original problem in the first place.

And instead of accepting the blame ourselves, we shift the blame onto the animal concerned, and more often than not, decide that killing it is the solution.
 

treeve

Major Contributor
The Church of the Latter Day Saints reveres the bird, as they ate the offending crickets that were devouring their crops.
 

treeve

Major Contributor
A Newspaper item (in the Argus)
Seagulls across Sussex are being shot and killed in their dozens.
Bird protection groups have offered a £5,000 reward to catch the gunmen responsible for the deaths of up to 50 gulls in a string of attacks across the county in the last fortnight.
The birds are being cruelly shot down from rooftops but in some cases the maimed birds are not dying instantly but are plummeting from rooftops and then dying slow, painful deaths.
The National Seagull Rescue and Protection (NSRP) campaign has had to be called out to care for many of the injured birds.
In the last week the charity has been called in to care for two birds attacked in Hove and another one Brighton, one in Seaford, plus nine in Eastbourne.
Investigators believe the same people are repeatedly shooting at birds. Residents in the Hazlewood Avenue area of Eastbourne have reporting finding about 40 dead gulls in the last two weeks alone.
All 11 species of seagull found in Britain, including the most commonly seen herring gulls, are protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
Shooting a seagull is a criminal offence which carries a maximum sentence of six months in jail or a £20,000 fine.
Anyone with any information on the shootings should contact NSRP on 07765 114599
 

treeve

Major Contributor
A tip from Cardiff Council ...
By removing nests, the eggs or by replacing eggs which have
been laid. The replacement of eggs with plastic imitations is
possibly themost effective method of control once nests have
been built, as removal may result in another nest being built
and more eggs laid. The birds sit on imitation eggs until it is
too late to lay any more and they are less aggressive as they
have no young to protect or feed.
 

46traveller

Member
A tip from everyone that has been attacked or covered in faeces by seagulls.
If you really want to help,
Find a good recipe.....How d'ya want it, fried or boiled ????
 
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tabtab13

Active Member
And a tip from everyone who either like seagulls or don't find them a problem.
If anyone really does find them such a problem,
Why not move to somewhere where there aren't any?
 

46traveller

Member
Just received mail back from RSPB, they state categorically that my moving won't solve the problem, as seagulls of one sort or another inhabit the whole of the country. Do you have a plan B.
 
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