No ice creams safe as cash to fight feathered fiends dries up

Nesting season typically begins in April for gulls, with many of the problems stemming from the hatching of young birds which adds to competition for food.

Over the years, a variety of efforts has been made to reduce the numbers of herring gulls in Stonehaven.

Councillor Raymond Christie said: “They can be quite scary to some people.

“They’re getting braver at the seafront – no ice creams or chips are safe.”

In 2014, a Harris hawk named Sky was deployed to tackle the problem.

Handler Kirsty Imlay ran a series of patrols with Sky and the scheme was extended as a result of its success.

Sky did not harm the gulls but disturbed them, in a technique used in places such as Aberdeen

FC’s Pittodrie Stadium and schools and council offices.

In 2017, the nest removal programme was introduced, and the following year 328 eggs were gathered.

The area targeted was streets leading from the Square with food outlets, and where gulls frequently swooped down on people in the search of scraps.

Last year residents and businesses in Stonehaven town centre were desperately urged to support the nest removal scheme as funds stretched at Aberdeenshire Council.

The work cost £6,450 per year, with the local authority putting in £1,500 each year, and locals asked to cover the remainder.

Letters were sent to properties in the town centre asking for support and outlining plans for removing eggs from rooftop nests but, this year, not enough offered financial support.