Our dirty habits that tempt the seagulls to move in
Am I the only person who is sick and tired of the continuing arguments regarding “aggressive” seagulls? The cause of the problem lies with us, humans!
To understand the problem we need to understand birds. The physiology of birds requires them to feed on a regular basis. Small birds, such as the wren, have to spend up to 90% of their day on feeding just to survive, larger birds less so, but three square meals a day just doesn’t do it for birds. Therefore easy meals are most welcome to birds and we humans are only too happy to provide it.
Yes, there are people who enjoy feeding the birds, and spend a considerable amount of money in doing so, creating businesses, jobs and boosting the economy.
But there are also those who provide food for birds purely by their dirty, unsociable habits such as discarding their unwanted leftovers in the street.
We also have the holiday makers, adults and children, who think it quite amusing to feed the seagull with the odd chip, but then create holy hell when another swoops down and snatches their entire dinner from their hand.
Culling is not an option! We could shoot every seagull in Llandudno, but our dirty habits will only encourage more to move in from nearby areas to take their place; easy meals are the attraction for them.
Wise up people! Seagulls become a nuisance in towns like Llandudno and Rhyl because of human activities. If we stop the littering, if we stop feeding the gulls, if we clean up our act and stop providing them the easy meals, the gulls will look elsewhere for food.
As for our AM, Darren Millar, I think his recent calls for investigations into UFOs show he is on another planet already. He says “Everyone expects to see some gulls by the seaside”. Wow, could that be why they’re called seagulls Mr Millar?
He also goes on to say that the current population of gulls is far too large when all the research shows that gulls, like many bird species, are in decline.
I would have thought any politician would get their facts right before commenting on any subject, but perhaps he is trying to be popular and protect his vote! Guess what Mr Millar, you just lost mine!
Martin James Deganwy
Whenever wild animals or birds trouble us humans, there follows the inevitable cries of ‘cull them’.
Every summer millions of people flock to the coast where many gulls live. Despite warning notices, some visitors insist on feeding them, while others seem to find it impossible to place their leftovers in a bin.
The holiday period coincides with the birds’ breeding season and, being fierce defenders of their offspring, the birds will occasionally be aggressive - for a few weeks a year - to those they consider too close to their nests or young.
The fact is, there are simple, inexpensive and non-lethal methods that can be used to deter birds from nesting on flat roofs or chimneys, or from rummaging in our rubbish - we have free factsheets available on deterring gulls and a number of other species.
Otherwise we should show tolerance through the breeding season, not least because they are just being good parents, and six of the seven gull species are in decline. Numbers of coastal gull species are dropping partly because we humans are stealing their fish. It would be a shame if we slaughtered them because they steal a few of our chips!
John Bryant Wildlife Consultant