Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Seagulls

152 replies

Desperatetime · 01/08/2023 09:40

They appear to be in the news alot lately giving them a bad press are they really as bad as they are made out to be I've been to the seaside but ever witnessed any of what the press says.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
Flymetothetoon · 01/08/2023 11:14

I like them. They have swagger. We have a pair of Greater Black Backed Gulls that have claimed the electric pylon next to my house - they are awesome 😎

Brokendaughter · 01/08/2023 11:14

When my youngest was a baby, I had to take him somewhere in a pushchair.
I was given a warning when passing through the area to keep a full rain cover over it & to make sure he had nothing in his hands.

Seagulls had learned babies in pushchairs often have food & they'll fly straight at you & snap to grab anything they think is edible.

They'd go for anyone who was holding something that looked like food, including things like a burger box that was closed.

If you've ever had a seagull fly into/at you, they are much bigger than you expect & stronger too with sharp beaks that cut/tear.

REP22 · 01/08/2023 11:25

Some councils (Conwy in Wales and a number of Devon seaside ones) have introduced fines for feeding seagulls.

They're bigger than you think, and can be extremely aggressive, with beaks designed to pull apart fish and other prey.

Some are also fugitives from justice:

But, having said that, they are just trying to survive in an increasingly competitive world, where their natural habitat and food sources are being stitched-up by us, so I don't blame them for adapting to what they need. I wouldn't want to be in the business end of their beaks though.

Sneaky Seagull Shoplifts a Snack || ViralHog

Occurred on approximately June 2021 / Paignton, Devon, England"I was sitting in my car outside the supermarket, waiting for my wife who had just nipped in, w...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqwiP8yiVcY

MrsSkylerWhite · 01/08/2023 11:26

We couldn’t use the garden of our last house for months each year as they nested on the roof and attacked anyone/thing that ventured outside.

I still think they’re magnificent creatures though.

CheersToMe · 01/08/2023 11:28

I was sitting on the prom about to enjoy a slice of lemon drizzle cake when a seagull swooped from behind and stole it. Unforgivable.

AutumnCrow · 01/08/2023 11:28

They are gulls. Many different species!

We mostly have herring gulls, common gulls and black-headed gulls round here who are very different in their behaviours.

Interesting fact: a few of our local beach crows have started copying in the in-flight food catching behavior of the black-headed gulls. They attempt to 'blend in' to the melée when visitors throw food into the air.

Herring gulls and bags of rubbish left out in the thinnest black plastic bin bags known to humanity do NOT mix in cities.

Its the human behaviour around gulls that's the problem, not the seabirds.

Flymetothetoon · 01/08/2023 11:32

Also to all the gull haters out there - their numbers are being decimated by Avian Flu so be careful what you wish for. I can't imagine going to the coast and not hearing their callsSad

gogomoto · 01/08/2023 11:34

They have stolen food from INSIDE my kitchen! If you want to lay the garden table you need one ideally two people standing guard, but on one occasion one came inside and stole off the kitchen table (piece of garlic bread. We do live 300m from the beach

KickingEAP · 01/08/2023 11:35

I too thought people were exaggerating until I sat on the seafront at St Ives last month eating a pasty. The bastard made my hand bleed!

gogomoto · 01/08/2023 11:37

The blackheaded gulls are sweet though

KickingEAP · 01/08/2023 11:37

Oh, and one managed to get into our caravan awning at 5am!

Seagulls
Market1 · 01/08/2023 11:38

They have been around longer than we have, and have every right to be there

hahahahahahahahahah · 01/08/2023 11:39

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

Skinandbones · 01/08/2023 11:42

We went to Wales a couple of weeks ago, my dad bought some donuts, on the way back to us, dd30 and dd31 along with dgd3 were attached by seagulls. They actually swooped down to the donuts in her had and tried to take them, they ended up with 4 all attacking. Dh and myself were running over to help and they just flew off. Can't tell you how upset they were, but nobody helped or shouted or anything really, it was cameras out and watch. To say it's always happening at this spot there's no wardens to help. We would never go back there.

Summersunshineplease · 01/08/2023 11:51

Whatajokr · 01/08/2023 10:09

Those of us who live by the coast will tell you they're a PITA. Flying rats made worse by the holiday makers who think it's fun to feed them a chip or two.

I've lost count of the things they've swooped down and stolen out of mine, or my children's, hands. Bloody hurts as well when they crash into you.

It's fucking annoying when people deliberately feed them.
Someone did it once when we having an ice cream and they swooped all over us
His wife /partner asked him why he did that when people are eating next to them

Summersunshineplease · 01/08/2023 11:56

Also when at the park I leave my pushchair on the side and I've caught the birds trying to rip into my changing bag looking for food before

longtompot · 01/08/2023 11:56

I learnt recently they can live for 30 years! I've not encountered them trying to take food, but a few years ago we were sat in our car having a fish n chip supper on a wet and rainy wedding anniversary visit to the beach, with our windows slightly open, and they were watching us, trying to work out how to get at the food.

caffelattetogo · 01/08/2023 11:59

Love them. We live by the coast (so we moved into their habitat) and love the sound of them. They will eat discarded fish and chips because overfishing has taken their main food source. People are the big problem, not gulls.

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 01/08/2023 12:06

Yes one stole ds’s battered sausage at the seaside. Swooped in from behind and got it before he even took a bite.
I’m not a fan.

There was a case a few years ago where one stole someone’s wallet. Which was stupid as even with contactless nobody is going to serve a seagull.

MadCatLady27 · 01/08/2023 12:06

I utterly despise them, we don't live directly by the sea yet the f*s live round here (I suspect someone feeds them) and nest on the house opposite every year and create more of the fs and they don't f*k off so there's an endless stream of them

Have to sleep with the windows fully shut not latched because they continually scream to one another. There will be days when there is non stop screaming

They shit on everything, the cars, the windows, the washing. I had to re wash a brand new towel 3 times the other day to get the stain out. Of course their shits are massive

I'd understand if we lived right next to the sea but we don't so why are they here?! Hence why I suspect they're being fed by someone.

They're absolute pests, and the infuriating thing is you can't do a thing about it as they're protected. Any other pests you can get dealt with , not these bs. Often they'll be sat on a roof screaming and I'll visualise sniping them!

MadCatLady27 · 01/08/2023 12:07

I have no idea what's gone on with the formatting there!

Eloweeese · 01/08/2023 12:17

My favourite birds. Love seeing them over the fields where we live, so graceful. Not like the ridiculous pigeons

Softoprider · 01/08/2023 12:22

There are a lot of things wrong with the world and Seagulls ain't one of them

Coastalcreeksider · 01/08/2023 12:23

I'm right on the coast and I haven't seen any signs that the seagulls around here are particularly aggressive around people eating food. Pretty sure it would be all over Fakebook if there were problems.

I'm a few minutes walk from the sea and although they are around they are not that noticeable unless you put food out.

Have to say I like hearing their cries, it's never that loud where I am and I love seeing them when it's windy where they just hover in the air.