Why killing gulls is not the answer

You may have recently seen calls for gulls living in urban areas to be killed. In this blog, Kirsty Nutt outlines why we think this is wrong and what we think should happen instead.

Gulls are like marmite with people that dislike them struggling to understand how people could feel differently about these noisy and sometimes nuisance neighbours.

In contrast to how I feel about yeasty brown spreads, I love gulls. I love watching them pattering their feet on playing fields and grass verges to encourage worms out of the ground by mimicking rain. I love that they are adaptable enough to survive from making the most out of us human’s filthy ways including dropped carry out and landfill. I love how fiercely protective they are as parents. And I love how deeply ingrained they are in the culture of our coastal towns, villages and cities.

A seagull mural from Aberdeen's Nuart Festival by Kirsty Nutt

Sadly, many of their best qualities (eg protective parenting, adaptability) are what brings them into conflict with people in urban areas. And it’s easy to understand why people might not like them – being confronted by a protective parent gull or a hungry gull can be a frightening experience.

But these sandwich-stealing villains, that are often thought to be nothing more than a nuisance, have a tragic tale to tell. A tale which provides a stark warning about the poor state of our marine environment.

Numbers of Herring Gulls (the species most often encountered in our towns and cities) in Scotland have declined by 44% at natural sites between the latest full census (Seabirds Count) and the previous one (Seabird 2000). That’s nearly half their population lost in 25 years. And sadly, theirs is a tale that is repeated for so many of Scotland’s seabirds with 70% of species in decline.

Of course, it can be irritating to find droppings on your car or be woken by them squabbling or calling in the early hours and it can be genuinely frightening to be closely confronted by one flying at your head (dive-bombing). But then imagine what it would feel like to one day find not just the food in your house gone but no food in local shops or supermarkets either or discover that someone had bulldozed your house or allowed human-eating aliens into your neighbourhood.

This sounds far-fetched but it is the reality for many of Scotland’s seabirds as they struggle to find enough food, safe places to nest and, on our islands, are all too often impacted by invasive non-native species like rats. Given the plentiful nesting space and feeding opportunities of our towns and cities - as well as a lack of ground predators on our roofs - it's no surprise that so many are drawn into urban environments. 

Herring Gull by Grahame Madge (rspb-images.com)

However we feel about gulls, they really are in trouble and need our help. Fortunately, there are positive ways we can address what's driving gulls to urban areas and try to solve any conflicts for human and bird alike.

Here are a few tips to help you co-exist with urban gulls.

• Never feed them. Gulls can become accustomed to being fed by humans, so if you feed them once they’re liable to approach more people.
• Don’t litter – especially if it’s edible. Dispose of your leftovers in a bin, or if the bin is full keep hold of any rubbish until you find another one. Even better if you want to join a local litter pick.
• Let your local council know when bins are overflowing and encourage them to install gull-proof bins.
• Put covers over cars or anything else you wouldn’t want droppings to land on.
• Being dive-bombed by gulls can be very frightening. Hold a stick, an umbrella or bag over your head to deter them and try to avoid getting close to young birds when they are on the ground.
• Active nests are legally protected. But if there is an unavoidable reason not to have a nest on or near your property, further advice can be sought from NatureScot and nests can, in some circumstances, be removed under licence.
• Finally, you could write to your local MSPs to encourage them to support seabird recovery measures so that gulls can find safe nesting places and food along our coasts once more. You can find out who they are at www.parliament.scot/msps or www.theyworkforyou.com.

If gulls moving into our urban areas is a problem, then killing is not the answer. Lethal control should only be considered in exceptional circumstances. Instead, and more effective in the long term, the answer is to remove temptation in the form of food and easy nesting opportunities, and ensure that they have their own healthy, thriving habitats.

Addressing the threats they and other seabirds face and learning to coexist might not be as easy but it is in our power to do. And at a time when nature is facing more challenges than ever before, helping out a little is the least we can do, for all our sakes. 

Header image: A Herring Gull sits in a nest with a harbour and the colourful houses of Tobermory behind. Image by Ben Andrew (rspb-images)