The fucking seagulls have seized my garden and won't let me in it

[ShriekyBastards]

Stupid twatting seagulls have had babies that are wandering aimlessly around my garden and I get divebombed by the parents if I dare step foot out there. Two days of gorgeous sunshine and I can't let DS play out there because they wouldn't stop flying at our heads and I genuinely think they would attack us if I hadn't gone back inside ran away screaming. Can't even let the dog out for a wee and have to put him on lead, and drag DS down the road every time he needs to go. They woke DS (who usually sleeps 7-7) up at 4am this morning, so we're all knackered and grumpy but seriously. Why are they protected?! Stupid sky rats

One of next doors pets this morning waiting for it's breakfast..

went to a local fish & chips at seaside whilst waiting we watched seagull pickup a closed polystyrene box used for take away from rubbish bin & than pick at the catch until it sprang open so it could eat contents - yep they are aggressive & very intelligent

I am slightly biased at the moment as one of them decided to do a fly-by bombing run all over my balcony and doors the other day and it took me about 2 hours to scrape it all off.

Oooh that's a good idea! OP- try playing the noises of birds of prey loudly and see what happens!

@Washinglinewench29 - Could you make a trail of food to lead outside the garden then shut the gate and hope they stay where they are.

I read this and was thinking "does she not realise they're birds? They can fly over the gate". Except then I realised you probably meant the baby gulls, who can't fly

My neighbours had water guns and umbrellas, they caught the babies and put them over the fence. It was very amusing to watch 😂

As other pp say - a good large umbrella - or 3.

@countdowntofriday

No help, but today my fb memory was of this time 4 years ago where the seagulls dive bombed a random dog who took shelter in our kitchen after being chased up the driveway! Why on earth are flying rats protected?

Because as a whole, Shytehawks are endangered.

It just doesn't feel like that when the fuckers are having a go at you.

I assume due to less dropped food in the streets, the seagulls are getting truly vicious in Belfast. Twice last week , walking to work i saw one ripping into a still alive pigeon. Blood and feathers everywhere and this is is a busy main street. Those beaks, I wouldn't get too near.

All these suggestions of fake birds of prey, bird of prey recordings as a deterrent are surprising, the herring gulls in my town chase off any birds of prey. And I'm talking about buzzards, not iddy diddy kestrels. They even have a particular call they make when driving off the buzzards, so if I'm in the garden and hear it, I look up and try to spot the poor buzzard. #TeamBuzzard

I loathe the gulls, and wish they would bugger off back to the coast where they belong. My cat triumphantly brought home two chick corpses which I suspect were gulls, I think she found them rather than catching them herself, but I made her come in and leave them in the garden, where to my infinite relief some magpies spotted them and were delighted at an easy lunch

Don't ever buy an ice cream in Lyme Regis and attempt to eat it on the beach. My dd lost her raspberry ripple cone to a dive bombing seagull. I was laughing at her shocked face when the bastard came back and took my salted caramel, I was left with just the tip of the cone. Perhaps they don't like chocolate ice cream as dh and ds survived unscathed.

www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43632914

Do not feed them!

I'm team nuke-the-seagulls. One of the bastards nicked my sandwich while I was sitting on the sea front (I am "seagull aware" - food was in closed tupperware box, to be taken out one bit at a time as required - the fucker still swooped down and nicked a bite).

At least it's a few years since they last nested on my bedroom roof. Whoever said they're very intelligent is absolutely spot on. They make a better job of home ed (seagull style) than I do, and this includes teaching the chicks to pick up things and drop them - using a small stone to stand in for prey. Lessons appear to start at dawn (another respect in which their home schooling is going better than mine...) and involves a lot of repetition, thus a lot of thumping noises.

I'm afraid that human beings have made our own beds when it comes to antisocial seagull behaviour.

Seagulls pass their knowledge on to their young and have learned that humans are a food source for them, (because too many people feed them chips on the seafronts, and because humans are filthy and leave rubbish all over the place, for example).

We need to look to our own behaviour before blaming the gulls.

This notwithstanding, I do sympathise with the OP. They will go when the babies fledge. Give it a couple of weeks.

Love the Brighton gull video and pepperoni hotel story!

To the posters asking why they're protected, this if from the RSPB

"Although numbers of roof-nesting gulls, especially lesser black-backed gulls, are still increasing, the overall population of herring gulls is plummeting, making them a red list species. The lesser black-backed gull population has also declined in recent years"

A combination of over fishing and easy access to food in built-up areas are some reasons why gulls have taken to nesting on roofs. It's not their fault that humans have made life difficult for them and they've found a solution. So, much as I sympathise that they can be a nuisance, try and cut them some slack and work around them for a little while longer. The juveniles will be gone soon.

@SquirtleSquad

Sympathies OP my neighbours have 2 "pet" seagulls who live on their flat roof extension and they feed 3 times a day (they cook them sausages mostly). The seagulls come when they call them and they sit on their garden table with them when they eat in the garden.

They're the biggest loudest seagulls I've seen in my life and my kids are terrified of them!

I hope mine doesn't suddenly decide it wants me to cook sausages for it, that's a step too far and the crusts and ends from my bread is just as good. Although I am waiting for the request of a nice battered cod from the chippy one of these days 😂

There is a seagull that lives in Brighton that owes me an ice-cream. Thieving flying scumbag.

Matcatlady that just made me really laugh, they looked embarrassed 😂😂

I was terrorised by seagulls and their falling fledglings in my last home!

Big umbrella and goggles, run out and move the chick somewhere else.

Flat roof as well, perfect for nesting and you’re not allowed to interfere with the nest if chicks in it.

Once they’ve left the nest bird spikes or mirrored stickers will do the trick to pretend them coming back next year.

Awwwww. Try and get a picture of the babies. Misses the point of the thread

They nested in the carpark of DHs work a few years ago. Everytime someone tried to get to their car they got dived bombed, a couple of people actually ended up with cuts to their head. It was a cash in transit workplace so everyone started to wear their helmets to go to their cars.

@Airplanes

Sea gulls are tough as shit. I watched one eat a pigeon whole once

I saw one eat a (dead) rabbit the other day.

“Mummy, what’s that seagull eating?” 😐

You gotta do this OP www.google.co.uk/search?q=indiana+jones+seagull+scene+gif&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwiJhvicxMrqAhUF8hoKHQq2ABkQ2-cCegQIABAC&oq=indiana+jones+seagull+scene+gif&gs_lcp=ChJtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1pbWcQA1C-MFi5NmCvOWgAcAB4AIABVogBxwKSAQE0mAEAoAEB&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-img&ei=S3wMX8m0OoXka4rsgsgB&bih=553&biw=375&client=safari&prmd=vin&hl=en-gb#imgrc=ypXF4y2FLyAM0M