...or are they?
I'm not the biggest fan of seagulls (or herring gulls as they should really be called). However, I had to laugh when I read this article. Mainly because it is the funniest I have ever read on BBC Sussex (yes, really), and because it has taken up a prominent spot on the Politics page, but also because, love them or hate them, the major explosion of the seagull population and the their growing presence inland is our fault.
Seagulls like to scavenge. We've made that rather easy. Takeaways in particular have numerous bulging bin bags outside that it could be ripped open with a fingernail, let alone the sharp beak of a hungry gull. They will also go for bin bags left out over night for the rubbish collection the following morning, just as foxes and cats do. Rats also like to try their luck at such exciting mounds of rotting food, especially when they have been left out too long. The first issue then is to consider putting rubbish in a sealed bin that the birds, or any other animal, can't get to.
The suggestions in the article, from 'esteemed' MPs no less, are ridiculous. Contraception for seagulls? Seriously?! I also cannot condone stealing their eggs and replacing them with fakes, or letting off fireworks at landfill sites (fireworks have never kept them out of Sussex, and we're the county who should know!)
Now, I've seen seagulls behave in the most menacing of ways. Once on a family holiday in Dorset I saw a small boy walking along Lyme Regis seafront being harassed by a gull for a bag of chips. The poor boy was quite upset by the whole incident and I did feel sorry for him. Until that point in our holiday we had jealously noted how the gulls in Dorset seemed to be a lot more placid than the ones in Sussex.
Indeed, Sussex has witnessed a few particular nasty incidents. One was during the school holidays several years ago when children were feeding ducklings at a park. Some gulls spotted the bread and swooped down to see what they could scrounge. However, they spotted the ducklings and decided they were tastier. Obviously, again, this was somewhat distressing for the children.
Another incident happened to the mother of one of my dad's old work colleagues, who had seagulls nesting on her roof. They become particularly ferocious when they are protecting their young. When she left the house one morning one of the parents flew down and attacked her, ramming it's beak into her head. As she was quite frail she fell to the ground with shock, and had quite a nasty bruise. It was obviously a very unpleasant and scary experience for her.
I also have friends who have had their sandwiches stolen out of their very hands by seagulls, which I promise I didn't find funny...
The first thing to note is that seagulls are not the only birds who will eat other smaller birds that are vulnerable. Crows have also been known to do the same, and yet they have a lot less hate than gulls, even though they can be just as irritating. Further to that, as much as we joke about, seagulls are not really "evil", and therefore don't eat ducklings with the intent of upsetting small children.
As for the nesting on roofs, it is possible to put up protective netting to prevent this from happening. I think elderly people in particular should receive some kind of help from their local authority to be able to do this, although I'm not sure if that's currently the case.
Pigeons, also, will gather around anyone eating a sandwich in the hope of catching a crumb or several. In fact, in Brighton's shopping centre, Churchill Square, the pigeons are more annoying than the seagulls. Only Trafalgar Square in London has a bigger problem with these 'rats with wings.'
The other hilarious statement in the article is that seagulls are driving down property prices in some areas. I seriously doubt that. I think the economy has more to do with that, but I digress... Indeed, Brighton's property prices are on a par with London's i.e. they are eye-wateringly expensive.
In any case, Brighton, and indeed any seaside town, would be a rather strange place without the presence of seagulls. I would feel bereft if I did not hear that familiar squawking on a trip to the seaside.
We live slightly inland but on a river, with an old landfill site and a dump both nearby. The seagulls visit here regularly. They can be immensely irritating. In my old job, at about 3:30pm, it must have been one of their meal times because a massive group of them would swirl around the office making an unbelievable racket. At this point I would always be attempting to concentrate on something complicated, like geo-referencing an archaeological site, or trying to organise an impossible meeting, so the noise would drive me crazy!
Even though I feel something close to vitriol towards seagulls, deep down I have to admit that they have mostly brought me joy. What? Yes, really. Really? Yes, I'm afraid so. I don't want it to be true, but it is!
It's simple things, such as amusing memories like this one: One morning on honeymoon we had breakfast in Bath, sitting outside by the River Avon. I'm a rather slow eater, and a seagull sat on a fence post nearby, watching me eat. You could tell it was trying to choose what it would eat first. The hash brown maybe, but then those mushrooms did look acceptable, and if there's any of that sausage left... As I took the last bite the seagull looked at me with quiet rage. It then turned its head away with disgust, took a bow, and flew away to fight a pigeon over a measly morsel of mouldy bread. This may not be that entertaining story to many people, but to my husband and I it is one of many happy memories that makes us laugh from our honeymoon.
At our flat we opened the curtains every morning to see the sun rising over the town's rooftops. A number of seagulls would be dotted at various vantage points - aerials, street lamps - looking out over town with authority. I hate to say this, I really do, but they're actually quite beautiful, and I have come to accept that they are an essential part of the southern Sussex towns.
I don't exactly agree with their protected status in this country, although if they didn't have it I'm sure a great many people would attack them with glee, but I don't think that culling them is the answer. I really believe we have to look to ourselves first to provide solutions. Clearing up our rubbish is a good start. The added bonus of that is cleaner streets and less rats. That can't be a bad thing.
Also, guarding your lunch is never a bad idea either. My husband works near the sea and his lab's tea room faces out onto a flat roof where one or two seagulls like to hang out, picking on pigeons etc. One summer's day the window was left wide open. One of my husband's colleagues was happily eating a sausage roll when he was called over to check on something. At that moment, seizing his chance, one of the seagulls dashed inside, grabbed the sausage roll and flew off. Not only did this story have us in fits of giggles, but it was also a good reminder never to leave your food unattended!
As for getting the government involved with the 'Seagull Crisis' (you know that's what it will be called, just you wait!) I have to agree with one of the comments (no.32) left on the article, that the MPs should be focusing on "human anti-social behaviour rather than seagulls." Hear hear! Now, get back to work Parliament!
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Photos courtesy of Google Images
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