Seagull Problem in Clayton?

[kestrelx]

It was mentioned on the TV this morning that a Lancashire town was being swamped by 5,000 seagull's. Anyone got experience of this?

[pompeylass]

Quote from an internet (DailyMotion) source;

A town has been invaded by an ‘apocalyptic’ swarm of up to 3,000 seagulls – despite being 30 miles from the nearest coast.

The scavenging winged terrors have flocked to a landfill site in Hyndburn, where locals likened the scenes to those in Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 horror movie The Birds.

Shocking video shows the huge numbers of seagulls flocking overhead with local houses, cars and gardens now being bombarded by bird poo.

Fed-up residents say they arrive first thing in the morning and stay until late at night - with some even fearing their presence is devaluing the value of properties in the area.

[Margaret Pilkington]

Yes, I live not far from the Whitney Hill tip…far enough away not to get the pong.
On certain days the seagulls come and roost on the roof of Express gift in Clayton. The roof is thick with them.
So I can understand the frustration of the people who live nearer the tip.
Their lives must be miserable with the mess, the noise and the pong from the tip.

[kestrelx]

I assume they have built lots of new houses around Whinney Hill, I recall when it was just fields. Gulls congregate on similar sites all over the country, so I suppose it's unfortunate houses have been built so close to a tip! Gulls are protected species and actually are declining in numbers to what they were.

[Hill Walker]

If you have seagulls, you have problems! You have probably either had a chip snatched from you at the seaside or seen film of them doing it, unfortunatly that is just a simple demo of their skill in the air they are not being aggresive then. However they will use that skill to aggresively protect their nesting sights and young. We had several people injured when we had some nesting on the roof at work. These were people who had to access the roof to service the lift motors and the ventilation fans which were only accessible from the roof. The list of minor injuries was long but in the more serious list were two broken arms and one collar bone. WHAT EVER YOU DO - DO NOT FEED THEM.

[kestrelx]

Originally Posted by Hill Walker

If you have seagulls, you have problems! You have probably either had a chip snatched from you at the seaside or seen film of them doing it, unfortunatly that is just a simple demo of their skill in the air they are not being aggresive then. However they will use that skill to aggresively protect their nesting sights and young. We had several people injured when we had some nesting on the roof at work. These were people who had to access the roof to service the lift motors and the ventilation fans which were only accessible from the roof. The list of minor injuries was long but in the more serious list were two broken arms and one collar bone. WHAT EVER YOU DO - DO NOT FEED THEM.

Hill Walker, wonder if the 2 broken arms were caused by someone falling off the roof, not by a seagull hitting them? Do they nest in the area of Whinney Hill? There was one Herring Gull nest on a chimney near me and it seemed to know I was looking at its nest from the ground and appeared to fly at me and ignore other people walking by, because it knew I looked at its nest - that deliberately crapped on me. At another house someone who lived there said he had seagull chicks come down the Chimney, until he put netting over. In the Whinney Hill case the problem is having land fill next to housing - any idea when the landfill ends?

[Hill Walker]

Originally Posted by kestrelx

Hill Walker, wonder if the 2 broken arms were caused by someone falling off the roof, not by a seagull hitting them? Do they nest in the area of Whinney Hill? There was one Herring Gull nest on a chimney near me and it seemed to know I was looking at its nest from the ground and appeared to fly at me and ignore other people walking by, because it knew I looked at its nest - that deliberately crapped on me. At another house someone who lived there said he had seagull chicks come down the Chimney, until he put netting over. In the Whinney Hill case the problem is having land fill next to housing - any idea when the landfill ends?

To try and answer your questions:-
1) The roof was a flat roof with an edge wall so that things (nests etc) could not be seen from the ground.
2) The roof had various 'plant rooms' built on it which contained the lift motors and ventilation stuff. There were numerous nooks and corners that were ideal for nesting - protected from wind etc. An ideal site for a seagull colony.
3) Anybody going onto the roof would instantly attract the attention of several seagulls, the degree of aggression would increase from bad (before eggs had been laid) to extreme as hatching time became close and stayed at extreme until the chicks were able to fly.
4) Yes simply having sight of a nest caused a reaction.
5) Attacks usually started with a single bird but instantly increased to as many as 10 or more birds.
6) The injuries were a result or falling (not off the roof - 5 floors would probably result in death) whilst ducking and diving to avoid attacks to face or hands.


I cannot answer about the Whinney Hill area as I am not local. Unfortunatly they are bit like some fish, they like to return to previous breeding grounds. Its no good calling the pest control people as they and their nests are protected in law.


A pure guess on my part but the first few gulls would have been visitors who nested and bred elewhere. The first few nests probably would have been made by young birds that had failed to find a suiable spot where their parents nested but had followed them to 'feeding grounds'. The 'danger' is in getting a new colony established if that happens you've got them for years - and they live for quite a few years.

[kestrelx]

Originally Posted by Hill Walker

To try and answer your questions:-
1) The roof was a flat roof with an edge wall so that things (nests etc) could not be seen from the ground.
2) The roof had various 'plant rooms' built on it which contained the lift motors and ventilation stuff. There were numerous nooks and corners that were ideal for nesting - protected from wind etc. An ideal site for a seagull colony.
3) Anybody going onto the roof would instantly attract the attention of several seagulls, the degree of aggression would increase from bad (before eggs had been laid) to extreme as hatching time became close and stayed at extreme until the chicks were able to fly.
4) Yes simply having sight of a nest caused a reaction.
5) Attacks usually started with a single bird but instantly increased to as many as 10 or more birds.
6) The injuries were a result or falling (not off the roof - 5 floors would probably result in death) whilst ducking and diving to avoid attacks to face or hands.


I cannot answer about the Whinney Hill area as I am not local. Unfortunatly they are bit like some fish, they like to return to previous breeding grounds. Its no good calling the pest control people as they and their nests are protected in law.


A pure guess on my part but the first few gulls would have been visitors who nested and bred elewhere. The first few nests probably would have been made by young birds that had failed to find a suiable spot where their parents nested but had followed them to 'feeding grounds'. The 'danger' is in getting a new colony established if that happens you've got them for years - and they live for quite a few years.

Gulls generally of which there are 4 common species in England congregate at landfills and tips etc in the winter for food and roost on large reservoirs. But they don't breed at places like that, they will breed on islands on large lakes/reservoirs. They have started to breed on city buildings over last 40 years because there is more easy food in towns especially on the coast, but also in cities away from the sea. Walney Island up near Barrow in Furness has a big gull colony on the sand dunes. Also gulls come here from Europe in the winter.