How to deal with bloody gulls?!

[Seagullhell]

Posting in AIBU shamelessly for traffic, sorry, but getting rather desperate for some help!

We moved to our new house earlier this year. Our bedroom is in the extension with a flat roof, upon which, we quickly found out, are nesting seagulls. And OMG, the NOISE 😭

It annoys me a fair amount, but I'm generally capable of going back to sleep after being woken. But it's starting to make my DH ill. He's always been a light sleeper, so when they start up at 4/5am stomping around (it actually sounds like they're dropping rocks), he can't get back to sleep. He works in a high pressure job and has a long commute half the week. It's reached the point where he's called in sick - in nearly 20 years I've known him to do this once, maybe twice.

Since this all started we've discovered he has a B12 deficiency, and he's waiting for an appointment to delve into and hopes to get injections prescribed which we hope will help with the lightness of his sleep generally. But what else can we do?!

He tried sleeping on the sofa - can't sleep. The other rooms are occupied or face a busy main road. He's tried earplugs, but can't sleep in them. He's taking B12 tablets until his docs appointment along with magnesium to help, but they don't seem to do anything.

We've got to the point where we can't help but wonder about just kicking the bloody nest off the roof. We know this is illegal, so we won't, but it's hard watching him reach breaking point and not feeling a bit murderous.

We need tips to get him through the summer where the babies will have flown the nest and we can engage professionals to do something to hopefully prevent them from coming back.

Can anyone suggest any other supplements, aids, remedies etc to help him get better quality sleep until that point?

(Also any suggestions about things that will actually work to get rid of the bastard gulls highly appreciated too!)

unfortunately we moved in and took all the gulls food from the sea. That’s why they are here.
you can put spikes all over your chimney to stop them nesting there, that’s what my neighbours do.
I feed our gulls. I also wear Loop Ear Plugs

Also they are particularly noisy right now because of the babies but they will calm down in September October

Is there insulation between your ceiling and roof ? Can more be added?
Of not can you add a false ceiling in your bedroom and insulate between the real and false ceiling?

I know it's a lot of work but it works.
We had to do this at work during covid, there is a big portacabin that was used as a office to help keep staff apart but it has a plastic roof and we are right next to a river .
The gulls and Canada geese sounded like they were attempting to try out for the hob nail boot tap dancing squad !
Hard board , plaster board and loft insulation improved things a huge amount.

I've known people take a powerful hose to the roof to wash off any attempt at nest building. Obviously it depends how high up you are/how accessible it is. Too late for this season but next.

Why... Why would you feed gulls?

What is the noise that is waking your husband that sounds like “dropping rocks”
That doesn’t sound like nesting gulls, we have them nesting on our roof and you can hear them calling out but no banging?
They do however stomp their feet on our conservatory roof and that is very loud, apparently they are trying to mimic rain to tempt worms to the surface.
Are you sure it’s not that instead of the babies?

Could he try a snoozeband? They’re a soft band that go around the head rather than in the ears and you can play stuff through them. White noise might help?

You have my sympathies OP. I couldn’t stand this. What about one of those fake hawks that deters birds?

Don’t live in Cornwall do you OP? They are a bloody nightmare where I am. I got floored by one a couple of weeks ago. It’s endless here, 24 hours a day. Bastards!

Bloke across the road must have had enough yesterday. His roof is now nest free. Brave bugger!!

I stayed at a hotel recently that had a big bird of prey statue to frighten them away.

So there's not much you can do if they have chick's. Obviously next year, kee0 an eye out and dont let them build a nest againm
What sort of ear plugs has yours husband tried? I dislike most but have managed to get on with Loop which have a special sleep pair. He just needs to experiment until he finds one's that work

That doesn’t work here. Neighbour put one up and the gull sat next to it. He tried spikes next, they just picked them off.

Do you have pets...maybe cats?

Another idea…you could find someone local with a bird of prey and get them to come and exercise if around where you live. A local council hires someone to do this to frighten away gulls and pigeons!

I live a few doors down from a shop and they use a seagull deterrent kite that swings over there roof, they said it works.

To avoid this happening again suggest putting a pitch on that flat roof with plenty of insulation.
For now it sounds like a waiting game till they’ve gone

and vitb12 rich foods Suggest b12 mouth spray as the dosage is high and easily absorbed. Don’t forget to up folic acid too.

Nothing to be done this year (they should be quietening soon), at least, not legally.

Please don’t use spikes, cats often walk across flat roofs at night. But there are plenty of other things you can do to stop them nesting next year.

They do make a bloody racket, you have my sympathy. Your husband will just have to get used to the ear plugs…or start necking the night nurse!

They are a nightmare, we have a pair that nest on a neighbours roof(row of terraces). The parents shout, babies scream and they frequently end up in the car park where the parents attack you as you go to your car. They actually got my husband last year as he was walking to the car and we now have umbrellas by the door to use as protection

Or
Another long term solution

Building in London we included as part of the maintenance spec a hawk and falcon service

Perhaps hire one out a few times after the babies have gone and they won’t come back.

You could hire the real thing. We hired a hawk to get rid of nesting pigeons. Might work for seagulls?

You can pay for B12 shots privately if he doesn’t want to wait. My surgery stopped doing them during Covid and the tablets don’t work for me. I get one every 4 weeks. That said, if he’s really low he may need to have a loading dose (weekly for a month) which I was told can only be done by the GP. It’s worth looking into if he’s desperate.

I have a white noise machine which really helps with road noise, I've not tried it on stumpy gulls. They normally play lots of different types of sounds, so you might find one that's an effective mask for the gull sounds.

You feed them? Why?

The b12 shots are only given if the problem is absorption related

My b12 was severely low ( after GPs cocked up and spent 20years not bothering to treat me ) but I was given the tablets not the injections for that very reason

The gulls here drive me nuts with the constant noise which is through the night too. They are a protected species and I don't know why.

20 years! Crikey that was certainly an oversight on their part. Glad you finally got what you needed.

When my GP stopped the injections during Covid there was no discussion, just everyone was put ok tablets. My levels tanked but they wouldn’t restart them. So getting them done privately is my only option. Lots of people in my area have had the same problem.