Seagulls menace growing

EXCLUSIVE: Expert says urban gulls numbers tripled

Efforts to exterminate urban seagull colonies could be causing the explosion in numbers.

The Courier can reveal the gull population has tripled since 2000. The spike may be due to misguided efforts to shift them. Gull expert Peter Rock said preventing the seabirds returning to nests may multiply the population.

The revelation comes as our Don’t Be Gullible series shines a light on the menace. We reveal a rocketing level of bird strikes at Dundee airport and tell readers’ horror stories including a kitten snatch and a baby attack.

Pest control measures could be behind an explosion in the number of urban gull colonies in Scotland.

Britain’s leading gull expert Peter Rock, a research associate at Bristol University, revealed there are now twice as many urban gull colonies compared to the year 2000, reflecting a trebling in the real terms gull populations.

He said there is emerging evidence to show preventing gulls from returning to their nests could actually see new colonies multiplying as they are displaced to fresh areas.

“When gulls are trying to get a toehold in a breeding colony for the first time, if they can’t find somewhere to stay, they will often go to a new place that hasn’t been previously colonised,” he said

“Pest control has been contributing to the rise of colonies.

“It’s speculation at this stage, as there’s not enough data, but it is an interesting thought.

“When people take some action, it is possible to keep gulls from nesting on their roofs.

“What happens with those birds in my experience, is around half of the birds will colonise a nearby area.

“But some of them will move away all together.”

There are now a reported 514 urban gull colonies in the UK and Ireland, more than double the 239 recorded in 2000.

Mr Rock, who has been monitoring gulls for over 35 years, said those unable to find roosts in established colonies had been recorded flying up to 32km in order to find a new nesting site, often in areas not currently inhabited by large gull populations.

He added: “I would suggest an accurate figure is that the number of pairs has trebled.”

Fife gull control worker Barry Blyther, who has 20 years’ experience, said it can take up to seven years to fully move a colony of gulls from a particular location.

Mr Blyther uses a mix of different techniques to legally reduce and eradicate the number of gulls but specialises in falconry.

He said: “Some sites we go to, the client asks that nothing is chased or hurt or killed.

“We work for The Open and we were called in to make sure that in the entire food area no gulls touched the ground.

“For the duration of the days we were there, not a single gull touched the ground at any point.

“When we put the birds away, within 15 minutes gulls were everywhere.

“The difference is at The Open we are not in a breeding colony, just a location where there are available food sources.

“We let off lots of different hawk species so the gulls look and think there are lots of them. It’s completely effective.”

Mr Blyther said it can be far more difficult to distrub migratory and breeding patterns in established colonies.

He added: “Other sites, like a factory, then a gull cannot come anywhere near the place.

“What we do isn’t a key to making lots of money. If we turn up at that site to do a demonstration we put one hawk in the air and the gull colony will go into turmoil.

“They go out of their minds and it looks really striking. What we have to remember is birds’ lives are full of predators. It’s a natural part of their day.

“The predator as a standalone won’t work.”

Mr Blyther and his team also remove nests and eggs while the birds of prey fly loose, making the gulls think the hawks are to blame.

It is only by using this intensive approach that the gulls eventually learn to see their base as an unsafe location for colony.

Given the fact some gulls take seven years before reaching breeding age, the team has to go back to each location throughout that period.