Feeding Seagulls

[Big Jim]

I never used to be a fan of Seagulls, the mess, and the dive bombing this time of year. We have had a few nest a few houses down from us for the past 4 maybe 5 years. I tried putting spikes on my room in the roof window roof to stop them walking across and also a fake owl. Nothing worked, and again this time of year walking into my house, I get fed up of being dive bombed and splatted on.

Anyway, I was in Cornwall a few years ago and thought it was so sad that the Seagulls were squaking at me for some of my fish and chips, it didn't seem right that they were being tamed in this fashion.

However, I always put food out for the birds in my garden and it seems the seagulls are also having some of my feed. This seems to be doing the trick with regards to their anti-social behaviour. i.e. no more dive-bombing and if anything they're becoming friendly and amusing like birds.

Is it wrong to feed Seagulls if the results are living in harmony with them?

I mean the fact they've moved inland to our chimneys means they are now moving closer to humans.

I'm a bit unsure about the whole thing. But am certainly happy that I'm not being attacked and squaked at daily anymore.

 

[VAL1850]

There was this post a couple of weeks ago

Is it wrong to love seagulls so much as to have one as a pet?

 

[TheJasperCo]

Could have been worse:

 

[NickBHAFC18]

Could have been worse:

HAHAHAHA, watch out Brighton beach.

 

[clippedgull]

Is it wrong to feed Seagulls if the results are living in harmony with them?

Not at all!

All our leftovers are recycled by our Seagull Friends, usually over roofs and cars.

They are interesting creatures close up and all have a different personality.

Feed the Birds!

 

[Oddsocks]

I suppose it's a similar quandry to urban Foxes. Athough people don't generally pro-actively feed foxes, they do get fed by food in our bins and our pets sometimes! They are becoming tamer and braver and more of a nuisance. They are also a worry if you have small children. (Whilst I don't agree with Fox hunting per se, there is good reason for culling animals that otherwise don't have any natural predators)

My view is that Gulls, Foxes etc are wild animals and should fend for themselves. There should be a respectful distance between Humans and Animals. Natural selection and all that....

On the other hand we feed garden Birds because we like to see them in our gardens and are too small and still too timid to be a nuisance to us, our children and pets. So it's easy to be hypercritical.

 

[Peteinblack]

Love The Seagulls, HATE seagulls.

Here in Bath (at least 20 miles inland from the sea), 'urban gulls' have taken over the city.

Every chimney, roof-top and lamp-post has a Gull on it; the noisy bastards screech, scream and squawk from 4.am until mid-night, so that tourists and residents alike complain that they can't get a decent night's sleep.

And in the summer, when they're breeding, they become really aggressive, dive-bombing people and pets alike.

And cars and pavements are coated in stinking Seagull shit.

Seriously, a lot of people living and/or working in Bath want these winged vermin culled; I would happily shoot them.

As they have 2-3 chicks each year, and no natural predators, their numbers are out of control.

Urban Gulls are the chavs of the British bird population.

I absoltely hate them.

 

[bn1&bn3 Albion]

In Australia we fed magpies who lived in the back garden, being dive bombed was been replaced with being woken up with them squawking at the back door..

 

[ifuhatepalacestandup]

if you wouldent feed rats dont feed seagulls (vermin )

 

[Gullys Cats]

Could have been worse:

 

[Tubby Mondays]

I was always a big fan of seagulls, and often marvelled at how big some of them were close up.

However this all changed last saturday afternoon when one shit all down my arm! It flipping stank of rotten eggs as well!

Its not the first time its happened to me but it was the worst, so zero tolerance now; shoot the things!

Or send them to Kent where they think that sort of behaviour is acceptable!

 

[Oddsocks]

Have you seen that seagull at the Amex? That's what happens when you feed the bastards - It's huge! It's the size of a person and goes up to kids bold as brass!!!

 

[father_and_son]

Feed birds...yes. Feed seagulls... no. You might as well say, "should I feed the rats outside my house?". They're up there with pigeons as the most vermin of the birds and shouldn't be encouraged (IMHO).

 

[brakespear]

Lived in Cornwall for some years and go back on holiday every year and the seagulls there are a real problem thanks to people feeding them chips etc. They tend to dive bomb people to get them to drop food and will also peck at children's hands to get them to drop stuff on the ground.

 

[grummitts gloves]

Loved it when 2 or 3 of them flew over the Amex pitch when a match was on. Seemed appropriate to have them there.

 

[glasfryn]

they don't come into our garden until the cats have been bought in,we have a dark blue car so......................and I think the reason for them coming inland is to find food and in Brighton also because the council blocked up their nesting sites on the cliffs then reopened them later when it was to late



I am sure one of the councilors has a dry cleaning business.......

 

[glasfryn]

Loved it when 2 or 3 of them flew over the Amex pitch when a match was on. Seemed appropriate to have them there.

and thats how it all started one day while we were playing the palarse at the mecca that was the Goldstone

 

[seagully]

I saw 2 seagulls taking on a large bird of prey (possibly a buzzard) yesterday. Not sure whether they were protecting a nesting site or just fancied a scrap but it was interesting to watch. I imagined the bird of prey was an eagle which made it all the more pleasurable...

 

[Big Jim]

I was always a big fan of seagulls, and often marvelled at how big some of them were close up.

However this all changed last saturday afternoon when one shit all down my arm! It flipping stank of rotten eggs as well!

Its not the first time its happened to me but it was the worst, so zero tolerance now; shoot the things!

Or send them to Kent where they think that sort of behaviour is acceptable!

hahah you've just reminded me, it happended to my brother whilst we were on holiday on the isle of skye. it shat and created a pool of white in the middle of his head. The funny (but gross) thing was that there was a worm (like a thread worm) in the middle of it wiggling about. I told my brother it was good luck, but I don't think he believed me.

 

[Albumen]

I find them such a strange thing to hate. Harmless beautiful creatures that eat our rubbish. Sexy wombles if you like.