Bold Gull strikes

[hissingsid]

Can you believe it !!!! a seagull has had the temerity to pinch an MHK 's bothers sandwich, matter to be raised in Tynwald with a lot of other unimportant crap that the MHK's have dreamt up to convince us they are working.........even my cat is laughing...only in the Isle of Man.

[hissingsid]

Should be brother not bother .....

[andrew]

I've got a friend who was unable to hang their washing outside or use their garden for 2 months due to a Seagull having laid her eggs in a nest on their flat roof and being over-protective of them.

Everytime they went out into the garden, the mother and presumably father would swoop down around them until they left the garden.

Once the babies were born, they said the noise from them was horrendous.

They spoke to the local commissioners and DEFA who basically said there was nothing that could be done!

Finally the birds left the roof, and the nest was promptly removed and some netting strung over the flat roof so that birds can no longer get onto it and lay any new nests.

[notwell]

They're a menace and need culling.  Far too many of them.

They are ruining the Arboretum in St Johns.

[Neil Down]

Round 2...ding ding

[TheTeapot]

Glad to see my MHK contributing well to the issues of the day. What a great use of my vote. 

[hagar the horrible]

Approx. 32 x 16 miles and surrounded by sea, I have lived all my life on the IOM and more than fifty of those years within 50 yards of the high water mark and accept as many others do that seagulls shit a lot and their chicks make a lot of noise as they have been doing for thousands of years, if you don't like it, 'boat in the morning'

[2bees]

I like the idea of a gold bull striking, much funnier.

[G-Man]

MHKs with their finger on the pulse of Manx issues.

[war baby]

There are far more sea gulls now than there were.  They are becoming a major pest.  A monster with a three feet wingspan swooped on me to try and pinch my sandwich in the Shoprite car park!  

A pair scream around my garden every day, making it hard to go outside.  Cull needed now.

[Albert Tatlock]

Pah. Seagulls are nothing to complain about. Wait till a Foxdale Pterodactyl shits on you.

[hagar the horrible]

5 minutes ago, war baby said:

There are far more sea gulls now than there were.  They are becoming a major pest.  A monster with a three feet wingspan swooped on me to try and pinch my sandwich in the Shoprite car park!  

A pair scream around my garden every day, making it hard to go outside.  Cull needed now.

There are far fewer seagulls around since the decline of the fishing industry, fact.

[war baby]

Not in my garden.

[Roger Mexico]

The reason why this has come up is because there's a sort of 'ghost Tynwald' which enables members to ask written questions and get replies and these have just been published.  Moorhouse didn't actually ask about his brother's baguette - this comes from the 3FM interview.  What he actually to know was:  What research has been carried out on the behaviour of large sea birds in urban areas and their impact on the population; and what action will be taken?  Which got the reply:

Quote

 

Urban seabirds on the Isle of Man are mostly herring gulls, a native species typical of the Manx coastline. Recent gull research on the Isle of Man has looked at the gull population, as part of the seabird census which occurs about every 15 years. There is one this year* and a report is expected in the autumn. The last census was in 1999, as part of the Manx Bird Alas and the wider Seabird 2000 project. The 1999 results showed that herring gulls declined significantly in numbers on the Isle of Man since the 1985-6 census, from about 9000 nests to 7126 nests. In 1969 there were approximately 10,000 breeding pairs counted but there were thought to be nearer 12000 in total. This substantial population decline most likely reflects changes in fishing discards and waste management. Separate counts for urban areas are not recorded in these reports, but rooftop nesting has been known since the 1920s, but has become more prevalent in recent decades, as elsewhere in the British Isles and neighbouring coastlines.

Seabird behaviour studies have not been undertaken by the Manx Government but there has been academic research on gull behaviour elsewhere. Nevertheless, the Department is aware of issues of gulls swooping on people, where they perceive a risk to their young, which become mobile fairly early in life. For this reason a general licence has been issued under the Wildlife Act, for the purpose of public safety, which allows nest removal, resolving that problem, though gull-proofing is strongly recommended as a follow-up, to reduce the likelihood of a repeated issue.

There are also occasional incidents of food being stolen from people eating in the street. This is a different issue. A typical scenario is an approach by gulls from behind the person, so an open position is more at risk then one against a wall and gulls which are seen are less likely to attack than those having the safety of an unseen approach. Any kind of cover or aerial obstruction lessens the chances of attack greatly to the perceived risk to gulls in flight. Warning signs are recommended in problem areas and such sites should be kept clean and free of food on the street. If there is a public safety risk then the same general licence will apply and if scaring or the provision of obstructions is not effective or practical, then lethal control is allowable if this is otherwise legal and practical.

A continuing issue for some households is the feeding of gulls in problem areas. This encourages naturally piratical behaviour and may be considered unneighbourly where there is a problem with gulls. Other issues arising occasionally are noise and damage to soft roofing materials

In summary, the overall herring gull population is in decline on the Isle of Man but there are some problems arising from individual gulls and nest sites. Some of the issues can be designed out with appropriate architecture in new buildings and aerial obstructions, and with gull-proofing on current properties, but some issues are likely to persist, hence the provision of a licence. Some of the issues can be greatly reduced by appropriate human behaviour, not encouraging gulls in busy areas, use of enclosed, robust waste bins and keeping the streets clean and free of food. A communal, neighbourly attitude to such matters can do much to ease the issues and allow the enjoyment of this native species.

Notes

*2017 – Manx survey towards British Isles ‘Seabirds Count’, funded 50% DEFA, 50% private sector, undertaken by Manx BirdLife.

1. Urban nesting became relatively common and widespread in Britain from the 1960s/70s onwards, though prevalent in Bristol from the 1940s. Urban gulls can have high nesting success (towns are warmer, there is often plenty of food and few predators).

2. General licence for public safety https://www.gov.im/media/59849/licence-g517- public-health-or-public-safety.pdf

3. DEFA pest control officers do not undertake general bird control work, but there are private companies on the IoM who will advise on appropriate products and techniques in any specific case.

4. Nuisance matters, such as noise, are not legally licensable issues for the destruction of birds under the Wildlife Act.

5. The DEFA role is to consider licence applications under the Wildlife Act. Responsibility for management lies with the landowner. Birds are generally protected.

6. Further reading

http://www.meeuwenindestad.be/_files/rock-urban-gulls.pdf Review, with particular notes on long history in Bristol. http://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/259062.pdf Scottish review of urban gulls & their management.

 

Which is all very interesting.  Of course declining seagull numbers might because of a decline in their traditional seafood diet, which might make them keener on raiding in urban areas.  And the building of the incinerator will have removed another, more recently acquired, source of food with the closing of the old domestic waste tips.  It will be interesting to see what figures this year's census comes up with.

[woolley]

2 minutes ago, Roger Mexico said:

 It will be interesting to see what figures this year's census comes up with.

I doubt that the seagulls will fill in the census forms. They can be pretty anarchic.