Social media

There was a spirited response of our Facebook page to a question about gulls and people who feed them.

Mogie Gallagher fumed: ‘People should be charged for feeding the gulls. The gulls become confident and come and steal from people’s hands. What happens when they attack a child to get the food out of their hands and seriously injure that child. Rats with wings! They are perfectly able to find food for themselves without people feeding them. It just makes my blood boil.’ Kerry Crawford posted: ‘ Well said Mogie – they are the NEDS of the bird world and should not be encouraged.’

Laura Máirtín recalled: ‘June 2013, 8 weeks pregnant & about to faint with hunger, bought a sandwich and was eating it walking through homebase car park, one bite in and a Seagull flew down and grabbed it out of my hand – felt like the thing actually used its wing to knock me on the head as some kind of tactic to stun me during the process!’

Gordon Cooper posted: ‘My late dad used to feed them fish scraps out in the bungalow scheme in Ganavan, where he lived. A few became dozens.... Lots of neighbours (rightly) complained as the gulls were lining up on their rooftops and creating havoc at an early hour! A polite visit from a Council representative put a stop to my dad’s pastime!’ Vincent Thomas Muir blasted: ‘ They are vermin, beginning, middle and end. Go to the seaside and you won’t see one because they are all in town scavenging from humans. Dumfries is plagued by them and all we hear is that they are protected. Huh!’

Lilian Kermode wrote: ‘ they are a b----y pest ,they should be culled right back and people feeding them should be spot fined, have seen too many people terrorised by them.’

Deborah Gray said: A seagull snatched my ice- cream out of my hand on the North Pier this afternoon. They would not be so bold if people didn’t offer them food.’

John Muir asked: ‘ Why does Oban not have a gull warden..theyve plenty traffic wardens..so a gull warden would do ok for Oban..it would have its pecks.. em perks..you would arrange flights round the bay..if your doing long hours you would get peckish..em you could go for a gander..em meeting local lassies with hiya hen.’

Sarah Walker said: ‘Hate the things.’