The presence of gulls in urban areas has increased in recent years for a number of reasons such as the availability of good nest sites & discarded food. There is also very little disturbance or predation of urban gulls which makes our towns and cities very attractive for nesting and roosting.
Most of the gulls that live near us cause no problems to residents, however, a small number are causing annoyance with noise, droppings and aggressive behaviour during the nesting season.
All gulls are protected by the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981(WCA) and a license is required to kill, destroy the nest or eggs of, or otherwise interfere with any wild bird. The license has been granted only on the basis of protecting public health and safety but not for noise or damage caused to human property by gulls or their droppings.
West Dunbartonshire Council does not provide a pest control service for gulls. It is the responsibility of the property owner to employ a reputable person or company to deal with nests or birds on their property if they wish to. There is no requirement to deal with gulls nesting or roosting on your property.
Gulls start to build their nests in April and the breeding season lasts till the end of July. Gulls prefer to build their nests on undisturbed flat roofs but remember that their natural habitat for nesting is on remote cliffs so they can be found nesting on chimney pots and on pitched roof ridge lines. It is best to prevent gulls building nests in the first place and there are a number of measures which can be used on buildings such a spikes, netting and wires. If you have a nest on your roof then it is best to leave it until the young have fledged and the nest can be removed. The parents will be territorial until the young have gone and will consider the area where the young bird is as their territory. If the young bird falls out of the nest or flies about, then the parent’s territory will change. A professional company will be able to advise on and fit anti nesting devices and may remove eggs or young, IF the adults are aggressive and attacking people. There are no grants available for this work.
There is no legislation which specifically prevents people from feeding gulls; however, it is very undesirable to do this. Attracting gulls encourages them to foul the immediate area, causes disturbance from noise and encourages gulls to nest in areas they would otherwise not colonise. Gulls mainly forage in agricultural areas but will take discarded food in urban areas too. Please dispose of unwanted food responsibly in a wheelie bin or bin with a lid. Avoid leaving bin bags out which contain discarded food. Gulls will travel up to 35 km per day in their search for food and don’t necessarily feed or nest in the same area so cutting off their food source, e.g. from local hot food takeaways, will not necessarily prevent nesting nearby.
The urban gull problem is a complex issue which is here to stay for the immediate future. The Scottish Government has acknowledged this and commissioned research into the problem, a copy of the report can be accessed through the following link:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/05/18113519/0
Should you wish further information or advice regarding seagulls please contact The Public Health & Pollution Team, Environmental Health Section, West Dunbartonshire Council, Council Offices, Rosebery Place, Clydebank, G81 1TG, Telephone 01389 738627 or email: environmental.health@west-dunbarton.gov.uk
Problems with Neighbours Feeding Birds
The Environmental Health Section quite often receive complaints regarding people feeding birds and the associated problems which can occur. The food which is left out can attract vermin as the birds will not remove all the feed.
In addition the droppings from birds are problematic in that droppings on the footpath can be a slipping hazard as well as eroding paint work on any vehicles parked in the area in addition to the fact that the mess of the droppings is unsightly.
The RSPB provide advice on how to feed small to medium sized birds and deter pigeons and seagulls. They can be contacted on 0131 311 5600 or visit http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/helpingbirds/feeding/index.aspx for more information.
