Dumfries & Galloway Council

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Monday, 20 May 2013

Home Page > Law and Licensing > Environmental Standards > Animal Welfare > Gulls

Gulls

The Council has no statutory duty to take action against gulls. There are, however, some powers available to the Council and others to take action.

Use the following links to find out more:

- Gulls in Dumfries
- Feeding and breeding habits
- Why are gulls a nuisance?
- Legal position
- Methods of deterrence for nesting gulls
- Tackling the problem
- Free Egg and Nest Removal Service
- Report it
- What can you do to help?

Gulls in Dumfries

The two types of gulls most commonly nesting in Dumfries are the Herring Gull which accounts for 11% of the gull population in the town and the Lesser Black Backed Gull which accounts for 89%. However, several other species of gulls do also visit the town from time to time.

Herring Gull
These are large birds standing about 55cm, bill to tail in height. They have silver gray wings, black wing tips and pink legs.

Lesser Black Backed Gull
These gulls are slightly smaller than the Herring Gull and have a dark gray /black back and wings, and yellow legs.

Feeding Habits
The main sources of food for the gulls in Dumfries are the River Nith, the Solway and surrounding agricultural land. However, gulls are opportunistic and will scavenge in the town, finding meals in waste bins and taking food when it is dropped on the ground.

A reduction in the food the gulls scavenge in and around the town, will discourage the birds from foraging in Dumfries.

Breeding
Both species of gulls begin mating in April and start building nests in early May. Eggs are laid in clutches of two or three and are incubated for approximately 24 - 30 days. Once hatched, the chicks will leave the nest at around 42 days and become fully independent once they can fly, usually in July/August. They take 4 years to mature to adulthood.

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Why are gulls a nuisance?

Evidence built up over the last few years has shown that in Dumfries the main issues with gulls relate to:

Swooping and dive bombing
Attacks
Food Stealing
Noise
Mess

Swooping, dive bombing and attacks are often associated with the hatching or presence of a chick in the nest and not just when chicks fall to the ground. It is the adults' natural way of defending their young.

Food stealing by gulls is on the increase and usually happens at lunchtime. Gulls have now developed an expectation of food when in the presence of humans. If they are not readily offered food, they try to intimidate people into giving them something to eat. They often hover in front of people in an effort to steal food.

Gulls do not worry who they target when it comes to stealing food and the end result can be quite frightening for the victim.

Mess on cars is common in and around the town, as is the noise which is generally a problem early in the morning.

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Legal Position

The Council has no statutory duty to take action against gulls. There are, however, some powers available to the Council and others to take action.

The principal legislation dealing with the control of birds is the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Generally, it is illegal to capture, injure or destroy any wild bird or interfere with nests or eggs. The penalties for disregarding the law can be severe.

The law does, however, recognise that particular species of common bird, such as herring gulls and lesser black-blacked gulls, can cause nuisance and allows measures to be taken against such birds in limited circumstances.

Action can only be taken under the general licences made under the 1981 Act for the purpose of protecting public health or public safety, and preventing the spread of disease. An offence would be committed if the action could not be justified or defended for any of these purposes.

Only an owner or occupier can take action against gulls nesting on their buildings, or they can give someone else permission to act on their behalf.

Any action taken must be justified in terms of the law and can include:

The killing or taking of gulls
The damaging or destruction of their nests
The taking or destruction of their eggs

Action taken must be humane. Any inhumane method which could cause suffering would be illegal. The use of poisons or drugs to take or kill any bird is specifically prohibited except under very special circumstances and with a government licence.

In practice there are very few humane methods to kill birds which are likely only to affect that particular species and skill and experience is needed to deploy them. The Council is particularly keen to discourage shooting of gulls.

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Methods of Deterrence for Nesting Gulls

All owners/occupiers of buildings which have, or may attract roof-nesting gulls can provide their building with suitable deterrent measures. This section describes some of the measures available.

It may be possible to reduce or break up the colonies of birds, if as many owners/occupiers as possible apply deterrent measures to their buildings.

The principal methods of deterrence are:

Fitting of long spikes to nesting locations such as chimney-stacks
Fitting of short spikes, contained in a special plastic base, to nesting locations such as dormer roofs
Fitting of wires or nets to prevent gulls landing
Disturbance of nesting sites including removal of nests and eggs

Short Spikes
There are several spiking systems commercially available which incorporate a stainless steel spike fitted in a plastic base. The spikes and base come as an assembled unit in convenient lengths which can be cut to size.

These spike systems may be useful for protecting small dormer roofs and other similar locations. The usual fixing method is to use screws or, where these would damage the structure, proprietary adhesives.

Long Spikes
Long spikes can be used to prevent gulls nesting on top of chimney-stacks between the pots and in the valley behind a chimney-stack where it meets the roof. It is important to fix sufficient numbers of spikes to ensure that the nesting area is well covered.

The basic methods of use are as follows:

Chimney-back fixing: Gulls sometimes nest behind chimney-stacks where the chimney meets a sloping roof. The valley formed is often warm and sheltered from the wind and makes an ideal nest site.
Place Strikes: It is difficult to place spikes at the base of the valley formed because the fixing can interfere with the structure of the roof. The usual fixing method is to screw the spike onto the chimney using a masonry plug and screw with a stout washer to secure the spike against the masonry.
Chimney-top fixing: The surface to be treated, usually the cement flaunchings between the chimney-pots, should be brushed clean with a wire brush. The spikes are then bent into the required shape and placed in position on a dab of mortar. A further dab of mortar is then used to secure the spike assembly. The use of a PVA (or similar sealant) compound to assist adhesion of the mortar to the chimney-stack.
Wiring and Netting: These methods may have a use in certain locations. If you have a problem with birds nesting on large flat roofs you may wish to contact one of the specialist companies for advice or a quotation. Because of the problems of fixing and the danger of trapping birds in or under nets the Council considers these methods should always be done by, or after having taken advice from, a competent specialist.

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Tackling the problem

The Council has no statutory duty to take action against gulls. There are, however, some powers available to the Council and others to take action.

2008
In 2008 a task force was set up with the aim of exploring all options to tackle the problems associated with nesting gulls.

2009
In 2009 a number of projects were set up namely:

Falcon
During the spring of 2009 (March - May) the Scottish Government funded a trial in which falcons were flown over the Town Centre, to evaluate the effect of falcons in disturbing gulls when they are preparing to nest and therefore interrupting their breeding .season. The outcome of the project highlighted the fact that the gulls, although initially were disturbed, became less agitated towards May as they became more determined to breed.
Egg & nest removal service
Following on from the end of the Falconry project, a FREE egg and nest removal service was offered to residential properties throughout Dumfries and a number of commercial properties in the town centre.
Approximately, 1535 eggs were removed from 671 nests during May - July.

2010
In 2010 the scheme was opened up to all commercial and residential premises in Dumfries who had been affected by gulls in terms of public health and safety. Approximately 2950 eggs were removed from 1486 nests during May - July.

2011
3468 eggs removed, 1678 nests, 1115 visits to 290 properties

2012
3776 eggs removed , 1642 nests, 842 visits to 275 properties

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Free Gull Nest and Egg Removal Service 2013

Are gulls nesting on your property?
Are the gulls causing a nuisance to you or your neighbours?

Then contact Environmental Standards.

We are offering free removal of gull eggs and nests during the breeding period of May - July. The service will be available to all residential premises and business premises in Dumfries and Heathhall, where there have been issues surrounding public health and safety i.e. food stealing, dive-bombing and aggressive behaviour from the gulls.

Approximately 3 - 4 visits may be made to your premises during May - July. The intention of the follow up visits is to prevent further nesting/laying and thus interrupt the breeding cycle.

Please be aware that we may not always be able to remove the egg/nests in certain circumstances i.e. they will only be removed where the nest/s are accessible and it is safe to do so. We will let you know if this is the case.

Prior to any removal we must have permission from the owner or occupier of the property, or in the case of flats we need the permission of all flat occupants or the landlord or the management company.

So if you have gulls nesting on your roof and would like to take advantage of this free service please report it using the Gull Reporting Tool.

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Report it

Email: environmentalstandards@dumgal.gov.uk
Telephone: 030 3333 3000

We are also keen to capture information regarding incidents relating to the gulls such as food stealing and swooping etc, and would encourage you to use the online Gull Reporting tool as well as one of the above methods.

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