Are Large, Noisy Seagulls Driving You Mad?

There are many types of gull that call Scotland home including common species such as Herring Gulls, Black-Headed Gulls and Common Gulls. They are not a problem when they live on the coast and spend lots of time at sea but many have moved to our villages, town and cities where food is plentiful. There are many stories about cheeky seagulls stealing chips, sandwiches and any other food they can get hold of from people enjoying their food outside.

Seagull Problems

Pest controllers in Scotland, especially in coastal towns like Edinburgh, North Berwick and Dunbar are seeing an increase in calls about seagulls causing problems at homes and businesses.

Noise

The most common complaint is the noise they make especially if there appears to be a whole flock of seagulls hanging out on your roof. During Spring, this issue can increase if a seagull decides to nest on your chimney. You will find you are woken up most mornings with their loud squawking.

Cafe and bar owners with outdoor spaces do not want customers put off by noisy gulls.

Smell

Seagulls will eat anything and everything they find which makes their droppings smell horrible. They can also discard half-eaten food which will start to smell if not binned quickly. Nobody wants their home, balcony, car or business premises covered in stinky bird droppings. The high acidity in their dropping can also damage your vehicle's paintwork.

Mess

The mess of bird droppings and old nests is also not attractive on any building. Both can be costly to get cleaned and if not cleaned, the mess can be off-putting to your customers.

Attack!

Normally, gulls will not attack humans, however, there have been reported cases of people being attacked by nesting gulls when they try to leave or enter their property. This is why you don't want a gull nesting near your home or business.

The only other time it might seem like they are attacking you is if they are after some food that you are carrying.

Seagull Prevention Techniques

If a seagull does nest on your home, it is protected by law so you can't do anything about it until it has left the nest. Therefore, it is always better to consider bird deterrent techniques. It is likely that a gull will return to its nesting site the following year, so you need to prepare in winter before it returns in spring.

Prevention options include fitting bird netting, wires and spikes. None of these will harm any birds, but they will make it difficult for them to reach their preferred nesting or resting places. A local pest controller will be able to advise the best methods for your particular situation and building.

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