Why are seagulls such a pain?!

[Fillyfrog]

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)

You need to make eye contact with them apparently. Staring out seagulls is the way to protect your food.

Unfortunately the other seagulls will sneak in behind your back as you’re trying to stare out that one.

https://amp.theguardian.com/environment/2019/aug/07/stare-seagulls-out-to-save-your-snacks-researcher-says

The problem with the Tyne Bridge kittiwake colony is mostly that it smells atrocious under the bridge/along the side of the Baltic. Not a reason they shouldn’t be there. But it does stink. Shitting on groups of men on stag dos might be a public service though.

Staring them out is definitely the way to go. They hate it:

Yes it's the same in Devon. I got divebombed by one in Dartmouth a week or so ago. I was hiding a sandwich in a paper bag and taking a bit out - and then right at the end I took the end out and it pounced, although the sandwich was in my mouth before it got to me! My mum and I then moved from the riverside to the park so that she could finish hers in peace.

I remember them circling around menacingly in Jersey as well - we had ice creams but luckily enough for us they were after fish and chips so left us alone.

It is true that tourists feed them - there's no accounting for stupidity.

We have a smaller (inland) type living down our road. Fortunately they don't come down our end of the road but they live on top of a house about 200m away. I think the woman who lives there encourages them; I'd hate to live next door!

I don't think tourists are feeding them to be awkward or cause problems, they may think they are genuinely being kind to the seagulls by feeding them.

Despite the signs everywhere saying to not feed them?!

@PyongyangKipperbang I genuinely have never seen these signs when I've been to the coast. I've not been for about 3 years but I definitely have never seen them.

I don't think people are trying to be annoying though when they feed them, they probably just don't realise.

Yeah!! Seagulls are people too

Don’t be stupid

Rich 🤣

Whatever.

Not just gulls.

Just leaving this here as it says it all

On the beach at Lyme there’s countless signs saying ‘do not feed the seagulls’
but people ignore them and either leave their rubbish on the beach or actively throw food at the seagulls

the seagulls are brazen there - I watched a seagull swoop down and take a lady’s icecream from her hand last weekend.

the signs are there for a reason

@BSB30 unless you are going to remote beaches/ feeding them at random spots along the coast path it’s pretty much guaranteed there are signs everywhere in coastal towns where it is a problem. I’m in south Devon and at the harbours in all 3 Torbay towns there are signs about every 10m, same in Dartmouth, Teignmouth, Dawlish and Salcombe on the front. Not only signs put up by the council but almost every take away/ ice cream hut will have big, clear signs telling you to beware of the seagulls, not to feed them and that any snatched food won’t be replaced.

@ShamefulNameChange1 Hand on heart, I've never seen them. I've seen signs about not letting dogs on the beach and about swimming between the flags due to currents but never a seagull one.

Mostly been to Skegness and Blackpool.

I live in Blackpool and I've never seen a sign not to feed the seagulls. Not in Fleetwood either. In the town centre there are ones saying don't feed the pigeons.
At Blackpool zoo there are signs telling you to beware of the gulls though. They are ruthless at the cafe there 🤣

I swear they’re getting bigger too. I don’t mean fat, I mean BIGGER. Get up close and they are intimidating with those massive beaks and wings ready to pounce.

@WhisperingAutistic there aren't any signs. The only times I've seen people feeding seagulls is when a couple are targeting someone eating lunch, so they throw food to get rid of them but Freak out when they realise that entices about 50 seagulls at once 😭 they do need controlling now they're aweful

@turtool if there aren’t signs, surely the first step in controlling them would to at least trial that before culling them?

They should have done that years ago. It's passed the trial stage now they're dangerous. They nest on school roofs and are now attacking kids so they're stopping kids playing out. These steps should have been placed years ago

@turtool you just said there aren’t any signs. I’m in South Devon and there has been signage and fines for feeding them in certain places for years and lately it has got a lot better. Especially as anyone who tries to feed them gets a mouthful off everyone else on the beach/ harbour side which puts off others. The only places it’s still a real problem are certain cafes with overhanging, low rooftops where seagulls have a better view of you. Paignton zoo and geopark can still be a pain but even the cafes there have very clear signage.

Seems to mostly work where we are

I'm near blackpool and haven't seen any signs yet. Blackpool zoo have advertised for people to dress up to deter seagulls from attacking people at the zoo now

Clever birds! https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/may/24/gulls-choose-what-to-eat-by-watching-humans-study-suggests

They're feathery pterodactyls