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Original poster

Why are seagulls such a pain?!

239 replies

Fillyfrog · 07/05/2023 22:30

I actually think seagulls are the bane of most seaside resorts. We went to Llandudno in north Wales today, it's such a lovely place and been a favourite for many years. But today the seagulls were so awful, I saw countless people getting their food stolen from them to the point where instead of risking to eat our picnic on the front we ate it in the car! Some of the gulls are absolutely massive, I saw one steal a full ice cream from a toddler in her pram and I feel like it must have hurt, she was beside herself. They seemed worse than any other time I've been there.

Why do they do this? Do they not have enough food to eat? I know tourists must drop litter and food etc and I often think of seagulls like, eating some chips someone's dropped on the floor but when did it evolve to swooping in for people's sandwiches?! I can't imagine living somewhere seasidey with them there all the time 🙈

(light hearted thread)

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ItsBritneyBitchhhh · 08/05/2023 01:18

meatballz · 07/05/2023 23:09

We have loads of them where i live (8k INLAND in dublin). Old people on my road who don't want to pay for their brown bins throw food out for them. So we have savage seagulls eating leftover shepherds pies etc and then foxes scavenging at night for whatever is left

Oh God😂😭

AllOfThemWitches · 08/05/2023 01:19

One stole food from my boyfriend, it was hilarious. But I'm genuinely scared of them. Glad I don't live by the sea.

Tumbleweed101 · 08/05/2023 01:21

When I lived in a seaside town I had to rescue a juvenile one from my workplace. It had wandered in and then got itself stuck and everyone else was too scared to pick it up. They are surprisingly light for their size.

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AllOfThemWitches · 08/05/2023 01:23

Also, isn't all the junk food bad for them? We're not supposed to feed bread, for example, to other birds...

PissedOffNeighbour22 · 08/05/2023 01:33

A seagull hassled me in Llandudno a few years ago for my ice cream so I threw it the wafer (fan shaped). The bloody thing swallowed it whole and got it stuck in its throat. It was awful - choking, retching, struggling to breathe etc. There was no one around and I had no idea what to do to help when suddenly the wafer flew out of its mouth.
It immediately chased the wafer, swallowed it whole and started choking again 🙄

Also in north wales my dad had his pasty nicked by a seagull. It then flew back past and shit on him. Me and my brother were in hysterics - genuinely one of the funniest things I've seen. My dad was so aggrieved about the pasty he didn't even know he was covered in seagull shit.

Exaspa · 08/05/2023 01:50

Thank you so much for that story letter, I have just been howling with laughter and it is now in my vault of stories to cheer me up. We're currently working "up north" but still have a tiny flat in a west country coastal resort where we the gulls have always been noisy, greedy, and plentiful. The thing that really struck me when I was there last week was how few of the little beggars there were compared to what I was used to. Evidently they're all in Brighton or Canada these days...!!

QueenBitch666 · 08/05/2023 02:06

They're seagulls. The clues in the name. If you don't like them stay away from the seaside

QueenBitch666 · 08/05/2023 02:08

And massive respect to my 83 year old mum bollocking an idiot who was chucking stones at them on a beach in Llandudno. Fking idiot 😡

Ladybird69 · 08/05/2023 02:23

In one day I watched a seagull steal and then swallow whole a burger in a roll! Then further on my journey I saw 2 seagull’s fighting over a pigeon and they were literally pulling it apart! 🤮and I live nowhere near the sea.

Schmoana · 08/05/2023 02:36

The only time I’ve ever been attacked by a gull was in Llandudno. Had just left an ice cream stall and my cornet got snatched.

Then a different day sat outside a chippy and they were all calm for a while then a huge one came and they started to get noisier and seemed to be working each other up then they started to swoop the tables, my son lost his fish.

I’m much more wary now. Wonder if Llandudno gulls are particularly more aggressive?

BSB30 · 08/05/2023 02:41

Startyabastard · 07/05/2023 22:54

Not helpful but I think they are hilarious with their grey-pink anaemic looking legs if they haven't got yellow ones.

😂🤣 I find them hilarious too with their sticks and big feet.

I was once being really nice and kind to the seagulls on the beach at Blackpool and threw them some chips. Next thing I know, a whole bloody flock of the damn things start chasing me for the rest of the chips. All you could see was me screaming and running with a flock of birds following me 😂. My husband thought it was hilarious and it was unfortunately caught on video 😩

jakephi · 08/05/2023 02:50

They're ok until they move inland and land on roofs. A school roofs too. Then it's not funny like they're after a chip, if they have babies on a school roof they full on attack kids, scary!

SisterSister23 · 08/05/2023 03:02

Llandudno is the worst for this! I went last year and was genuinely terrified of the seagulls 😂. They were swooping and stealing peoples chips, even ice creams, out of their hands! Very bolshy seagulls there.

Plump82 · 08/05/2023 03:20

QueenBitch666 · 08/05/2023 02:06

They're seagulls. The clues in the name. If you don't like them stay away from the seaside

I live no where near the sea and they're everywhere here.

I've seen one eat a dead pigeon and also had to rescue a very alive pigeon that a massive seagull was dragging away by its neck.
The best on the building next to my work and I've seen the building maintenance man be attacked on a regular basis if he's had to do something on the roof. Last time he had a huge gash on his head, blood everywhere!

Redebs · 08/05/2023 03:23

Sainsbury's petrol station in Kings Lynn has a seagull that stands on the shelf outside the window just looking in at staff serving customers. Nobody feeds it. It just stands and stares in.

In Aberdeen my sister-in-law had to carry an umbrella to get through certain streets without being attacked by gulls. Even then, the great big ones would try tackling people by thudding on the brolly and tipping it.

HelpMeGetThrough · 08/05/2023 03:43

They are arseholes. We are by the sea here and they nest on the dormers and garages It's shagging season at the moment, so they are hammering away at it. Wonderful!!!

Our neighbour had one attempting to build a nest on his garage roof not long ago. All I heard one morning was "you can fuck off" and he blew the half built nest off the roof with his jet wash.

Goodread1 · 08/05/2023 03:56

I used to be scared of seagulls once as they are so big,reminsant of Hitchcock film The Birds,

Now I am well and truly over my fear and I love them being around,

I associate them with the sounds and sights of sea 🌊 which I love have happy memories of and nearby live by,

They are birds with a presence big loud rough brash personality, !

And a squak sounding like they are having chronic laughing fits

We have created this problem by leaving litter lying about,

Seagulls are birds 🐦 who are intelligent enough to take advantage of our careless attitude to food litter ect.

Seagulls have just as much right to be here, and cause of world wide sea litter pollution, and over fishing massive bloody Big fish trawling, 🐟 competition,
Just simply not enough fish out in the sea,for them I am thinking about..

Goodread1 · 08/05/2023 04:01

@Plump82

Obviously a seagull was being territorial protective of their nest cause of baby seagulls there or just laid eggs,

Not rocket science to work out...

Ponderingwindow · 08/05/2023 04:09

Used to live by the coast. I would watch them unzip people’s bags to get to the food inside. It is easier to hunt food from the beach-goers than anywhere else. I would say they have adapted to their environment.

Goodread1 · 08/05/2023 04:13

@PissedOffNeighbour22

Why on 🌎 earth would you give a seagull that type of food 🤔 really, ????

What did 😳 you expect would happen, !!!

Of course seagull was going to choke struggle to eat that, 🙄

Why on earth didn't you 😕 pick up wafer ice cream and put it in the bin or something well away from seagull.???,

jakephi · 08/05/2023 04:23

Goodread1 · 08/05/2023 04:13

@PissedOffNeighbour22

Why on 🌎 earth would you give a seagull that type of food 🤔 really, ????

What did 😳 you expect would happen, !!!

Of course seagull was going to choke struggle to eat that, 🙄

Why on earth didn't you 😕 pick up wafer ice cream and put it in the bin or something well away from seagull.???,

I had a seagul pick a pork chop from my hot BBQ. He couldn't move after for a while, eventually took off. But you can't knock someone with an ice cream, these seagulls are brutal

jakephi · 08/05/2023 04:28

Goodread1 · 08/05/2023 03:56

I used to be scared of seagulls once as they are so big,reminsant of Hitchcock film The Birds,

Now I am well and truly over my fear and I love them being around,

I associate them with the sounds and sights of sea 🌊 which I love have happy memories of and nearby live by,

They are birds with a presence big loud rough brash personality, !

And a squak sounding like they are having chronic laughing fits

We have created this problem by leaving litter lying about,

Seagulls are birds 🐦 who are intelligent enough to take advantage of our careless attitude to food litter ect.

Seagulls have just as much right to be here, and cause of world wide sea litter pollution, and over fishing massive bloody Big fish trawling, 🐟 competition,
Just simply not enough fish out in the sea,for them I am thinking about..

They have adapted, seagulls are very clever now. And humans have taken over their space and created rubbish. But they are vicious. and then having babies the kids aren't safe playing next to them x

jakephi · 08/05/2023 04:43

Seagulls need to be culled. But needs so happen without people knowing stiill. However much people hate gulls they feed and save them knowing they're destroying other ecosystems

Paq · 08/05/2023 04:48

People actually feed the gulls where I live (tourists mainly, not locals). There's a bye-law banning it but stupid fuckers on the beach throw chips and watch them fight it out.

tumpymummy · 08/05/2023 05:01

Rats with wings! Dislike them intensely. We once lost a whole pizza! Left it outside on the table, went in the house to get salad, came out and the whole pizza had gone! Didn't see it go but there was no other explanation!