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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to ask my neighbor to stop feeding the sodding seagulls.

46 replies

donemekmelarf · 28/05/2015 13:14

My neighbor insists on throwing lumps of bread on her garage roof. Sometimes we see whole cakes thrown up there as well don't think her family like her baking much

We are on the flight path to her house and every single day I am having to clean seagull shart off the garden chairs, the patio, washing on the line has to be re-washed and the kids toys are always pebble dashed with the stuff.

Put the uneaten food In The Bin! fgs (you know who you are)

thanks.

OP posts:
WorraLiberty · 28/05/2015 13:16

Next time she's wearing a coat, secretly put some chips in the hood.

Original poster
donemekmelarf · 28/05/2015 13:17

worral Grin

OP posts:
jollygoose · 28/05/2015 13:21

I have the same problem, our neighbour has made pets of hers and hand feeds them then leaves out a large tray of cat food for them. Our front drive is plastered with shit and the car needs a daily wipe I could slap her.

Original poster
donemekmelarf · 28/05/2015 13:25

It's all very well getting all Brian May/lovey dovey with the seagull population, but what these people don't realize is that what the seagulls don't eat (and drop), the rats will.
So not only is there seagull mess over everything by leaving huge chunks of food lying around, it's also encouraging rats.

OP posts:
Penfold007 · 28/05/2015 13:28

Speak to the environmental health department at your council. They can formally tell her to stop.

19lottie82 · 28/05/2015 13:40

you can get a CD which plays tracks of seagulls being killed, or something similar.

Anyway, they HATE it and will be away within seconds if you play it. Food or no food.

SquinkiesRule · 28/05/2015 13:44

Our neighbor feeds them too, Dh caught her doing it. They are a complete pest nesting on roofs and going after anyone in the road they think is too close to the nest. And Pooping across my windows and washing.

5Foot5 · 28/05/2015 13:51

There was a similar thread here a week or two ago and one very enterprising mumsnetter said she had hired a hawk to chase away the problem birds.

Like thw sound of that CD lottie

BTW YADNBU. I HATE seagulls. Quite apart from the mess they are nasty, vicious bastards. News story recently where seagulls in the South somewhere killed a chihuahua in its own garden.

FrChewieLouie · 28/05/2015 13:52

There's a woman here who has an ASBO for this. Doesn't seem to have stopped her though...

Original poster
donemekmelarf · 28/05/2015 13:54

I think it's laziness more than anything.
It's easier to chuck food out in your garden or on a roof than dispose of it properly.

OP posts:
NKfell · 28/05/2015 14:02

I think you should definitely ask her politely... Not sure if it'll do any good though.

My next door neighbour insists on feeding sodding ravens.

Original poster
donemekmelarf · 28/05/2015 14:08

Like most people, I have Fatballs and birdseed in a birdfeeder, and I put birdseed on a bird table out for the birds.
And sometimes the occasional big bird comes along, but it's mainly small garden birds that are encourage.
But the amount of 'human' food this woman puts out encourages whole flocks of seagulls to the garden.

OP posts:
Cherryblossomsinspring · 28/05/2015 16:22

Tell neighbour you saw rats on her roof at the food!

RubyMay82 · 28/05/2015 16:39

I thought it was against the law to feed seagulls?
Seagulls are fine...at the actual seaside,
Not in town.
We have a hawk that flies round every so often here to scare them off.

Original poster
donemekmelarf · 28/05/2015 17:59

I thought it was against the law to feed seagulls?

That I never knew.

OP posts:
geezer75 · 15/02/2018 17:14

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

meredintofpandiculation · 15/02/2018 17:43

Have you actually asked her not to yet? It'd be a bit unfair to get the Council involved if you haven't spoken to her about it.

My next door neighbour insists on feeding sodding ravens. You're SO lucky if you have ravens. Although their protected status means there numbers have recovered from the low point.

Chocolatesaveslives · 15/02/2018 17:45

Bread (not to mention cakes) is actually really bad for birds. You could either try using that angle when speaking to your nwighbour or just report them to environmental health as she's encouraging vermin.

itsmeimcathyivecomehome · 15/02/2018 17:46

Seagulls are not nice birds.

Apart from the noise and the shit and the evil yellow eyes, I know this because they systematically butchered and dismembered every one of the poor baby pigeons that had the misfortune to be hatched in a plant pot on our balcony😭😭😭

I was 8 months' pregnant at the time. DP was mopping up bits of pigeon and hormonal tears for days. Ugh.

Happtcat · 24/06/2018 15:22

I noticed it when some neighbour threw food down for a Crow that it attracted a shit load of gulls too. They jumped on neighbours cars pecking at the windows and covered the cars in bird poo. They would sit on the house Roofs squawking for food so really unless you want to be hated by all your neighbours don't feed them. If you live rural and have no nearby neighbour for them to poop on their cars you would be fine to feed them but they will then nest on your house and become a pest by breeding there! They will attack you if they have baby birds in the nest too! If you must feed them perhaps at the park away from your house!

Oldraver · 24/06/2018 15:48

@geezer75

You're allowed to say cunts...no need for coyness

seafret · 24/06/2018 15:52

Seagulls are "not nice" birds because they eat pigeons?! They are not nice or nasty, they just doing what comes naturally! Do you hate the cute Little Owls on Springwatch because they ate the blackbird chick? Its just nature.

Totally out of order to feed them in a back garden though. especaily as it encourages people to hate the brids rather then the stupid human who feeds them :(

Happtcat · 25/06/2018 09:51

I love all birds. I spend my days picking up injures birds Inc gulls and pigeons and geese any animal in short! But when living in proximity to other people who are having their cars dive bombed and pooed on it isn't fair on those people. It makes for unfriendly neighbours to feed gulls in your garden. Down the parks yes but in a garden of a city nope.

wink1970 · 25/06/2018 09:59

Feel for you, OP. You could try a CD but it will deter the nice birds in your garden as well.

I'd go for the casual "wow, the SIZE of those rats on your roof...." approach, noting that it didn't work for our stupid neighbour who feeds the foxes and just shrugged at the idea of rodents.