Seagulls

We live on the outskirts of London and always have seagulls around I guess they no longer a coastal bird but find food wherever they can.

I go birdwatching and along with the Grebes, geese and ducks are dozens of seagulls. This is a wildlife trust, inland, but as they are wildlife I suppose they think they are entitled.

Luckily no Luckygirl, although we see the odd one flying over most days. My guess is that yours are after the bugs and flies attracted to cow dung, just as we see flocks of them following the tractor and ploughs.

They're a blasted nuisance in towns and cities - there were hoards of them in Bath yesterday, ripping open bin bags and generally c..pping everywhere. Several tourists were bombarded and understandably very annoyed.

Bath is trying to eliminate them through various strategies but I suspect more will just move in. They're pretty fearsome looking up close.....

When I was doing my birdwatching up on the Yorkshire Moors last week a Curlew was diving at us as it had a nest nearby [we had the dog with us that day which probably worried the bird; also someone was flying a radio controlled plane in the area]. The next evening, going out alone hoping to see it, all was quiet [I suppose I didn't appear to be a threat] until some gulls flew past, in which case the decoy bird went into action. I know in 'Watership Down' the gull was a very fearsome character.

Hate the bloomin things !
We are on the coast, but luckily not many screeching herring gulls but several blackheaded gulls. We were in Hastings last week and a poor boy was terrified when a flock of about 20 huge herring gulls bombarded him for his doughnut. Mum had to toss it away to distract them, that made him more upset

They are a blasted nuisance on the coast, too, loopy. They are such lovely looking creatures with their snowy white plumage but, seriously, they are just vermin, no better than rats. In many ways a lot worse because they cr@p everywhere, they are vicious, attacking people for their food - and when the victim is a small child holding an ice-cream, this is dangerous as well as distressing. And they attack pets, often killing them.
Visit somewhere like Brixham on a summer evening and you'll see hundreds of the things pestering people for their fish and chips, and they are very determined - one literally landed on my lap while we were sitting eating fish and chips last year (he was unlucky as I kept the food covered).
It really is time for a serious cull and I for one welcome David Cameron's suggestion this week that there needs to be a 'big conversation' about this huge problem.

Got a pair nesting on our chimney, but something wrong with eggs I think as they have been sitting for ages. I guess they will eventually give up?

There has been a few questions/debates in parliament from MP's regarding the seagull population over the past few years ,sadly some MP's take to sniggering but the fact is they are a problem in many areas .

The latest story of the little dog pecked to death in his garden is a reminder that far from being a pretty, hungry bird they can be vicious when protecting their nests and aggressive when food is about.

They are a protected species but I think that does need to be reviewed as their numbers are causing problems. Sad but true.

The worst thing I ever saw was seagulls picking off tiny ducklings on the River Lyn at Lynmouth. It was years ago yet I can't see a gull without recalling it.
My father called them winged rats (and worse)....

I believe their trying painting the eggs with oil in Bath, nothing so far has worked

Very handsome birds though

loopylou

That would have been horrible to watch , imagine what the poor little dog went through. Adding insult to injury the council told it's owner they couldn't"'t do anything about them!

Your dad is right .

aberdeen.stv.tv/articles/1324819-herring-gull-gets-head-stuck-in-takeaway-container-in-aberdeen/

The Aberdeen scurry is a fearsome bird! There's a malevolent intelligence in the eyes....

So far the seagulls have not created any problems for us - they just fly in en masse when the cattle feed arrives in the morning. But maybe the farmer is not so thrilled - or maybe he does not know, as they do not appear till he has left. I might mention it as he may be under the misguided impression that he is feeding his cattle!