Matters turned once again to seagulls at the meetings of the
West and Suburban Community Councils earlier tonight in Nairn Academy. Liz announced that she had an update on seagulls, she said to Graham Kerr of the westies:
“You know that you were suggesting at a previous meeting giving them contraceptives. The RSPB don’t recommend that because the wider bird population could access it. In Aberdeenshire they have been doing hawks to try and get rid of their seagulls although the RSPB said they had done that at the wrong time of the year. In 2010 we had a report from Dumfriesshire on removing eggs and that’s still ongoing [...] we haven’t had an update on that yet.”
Liz went onto see that she thought there was a big responsibility on people to take responsibility and deliver pigeon proofing and seagull proofing on their own individual properties. Liz also had some Council seagull advice leaflets she added: “It’s just about following the advice and not feeding the seagulls.”
On Seagull proofing Liz also added: “One lady who is on a very low income has just spent £40 seagull proofing her council house in Queenspark.”
Michael then said: “The most effective management of the seagull problem is here in the Academy because they have a concerted enforcement action. That involves hawks; that’s monthly visits; it involves the removal of nests, it involves the popping of eggs and over the years we have almost eradicated seagulls from here. [...] What we need to do for the seagulls with the “town team”, which we are forming – come together, we will then have a policy and a plan and, yes, a lot of the individual building holders will have to step up to the mark including the Council. Unless we do it, a concerted overall town plan. It’s a range of actions, as Liz says, it’s stop feeding them; that’s not one magic...it’s the use of a hawk; it’s protective measures; it’s the removal of eggs. And if we do displace them somewhere than that is the best, we won’t eradicate them totally, we’ll displace them.”
Liz added: “We’re a seaside town, we are going to have seagulls.”
re vehicles in the harbour area anon, you need to speak to your elected representatives.
ReplyDeletewill be a hard job catching the gulls to fit condoms on them
ReplyDeleteHow do you stop the noise of them? Triple glaze your house?? Not for £40!!
ReplyDeleteShe does not have a clue! Nairn academy used a hawk but then stopped. Waste of time and Money! It was not cheap and has not improved the situation!!
That`s another year the powers that be have been too slow & dragged their heels to do anything about the seagull problem! We have been told year after year that they would do something. The only way is to remove the eggs to reduce the numbers, no eggs means no chicks ... simples!! It is not a one off fix, it will take years to reduce the numbers to a decent level, at the end of the day it is an Environmental Health issue!
ReplyDelete@anon 10.08 Micheal Green is of the opinion that it has worked and continues to work
ReplyDelete@ Roderick R The comments you attribute to Liz is a matter of record out there. Here today though it would take us from the subject of seagulls into other polemics therefore we have decided not to publish.
ReplyDeleteThe public information side of things is important.
ReplyDeleteThe public shaming (of those who continue to feed gulls) is equally important.
The low-cost "solutions" as suggested by Liz make absolute sense.
The gulls on the roof of the Academy have been there for donkey's years - with perennial action by Jannies and by pest-control measures - but the biggest impact is probably down to the young people not feeding them in the playground.
There is very little evidence - certainly none that is valid or reliable or repeatable - that suggest the Council could or should waste scarce public pounds.
I'm not a great fan of shooting, But people are allowed to go out and shoot Pheasants; Grey Partridges; Red-legged Partridges; Red Grouse; Black Grouse; Ptarmigan; Ducks & Geese; Common Snipe; Jack Snipe; Woodcocks; Golden Plovers - and even wee Coots.
It is about time that Gulls were added to that list methinks.
Countless times i have seen kids from the Academy throwing food on the floor
ReplyDelete