Martyn Webster- Registered: 18 Nov 2017
- Posts: 56
The seagull population in and around Dover has surely this year not surprisingly gone beyond epidemic proportions.The early morning and late evening noise levels even miles inland have become a daily excruciating nightmare,not to mention the filth being deposited everywhere by these huge beady eyed birds swooping everywhere with their young ones in tow constantly calling for food.Are the inhabitants of Dover blind and deaf to the fact that year on year the increase in population of these creatures at the rate of an average of two eggs per pair with adults living up to 35 years without any control whatever will mean surely in a very short time the predominant species will eventually become avian?Bristol,Gloucester,Dundee and other like cities have in place prominent signs and notices telling people not to feed and thereby encourage this nuisance.What happened to the regular nest clearances promoted by Arthur T.Blackman?Can Dover not at least show willing and follow suit for a start?
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Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
martyn, dover is a coastal town which = seagulls, seagulls live in coastal areas. plus the fact if people stopped droping food all over the place then they hopefully they will go back to catching fish like they used to.
John Buckley
- Registered: 6 Oct 2013
- Posts: 615
A good and accurate post Martyn, but you’ll probably only get limited support on here.
Expect the usual “we’re invading their territory” and “ taking over their natural environment “ rubbish in addition to they were here first and they’re all God’s creatures. And that’s just for starters!
Personally I hate the bloody things with a vengeance and for good reason. I believe they are still even classed as a protected species for God’s sake, so the situation you correctly describe will in fact only get worse.
So don’t hold your breath, nothing is going to change in Dover apart from a continual increase of the problem year on year.
Something to look forward to eh?
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Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,879
I admit to hating the B things but we are stuck with them together with the noise and mess they can make. As for those misguided people who feed the seagulls and pigeons I can not repeat what I call them.
I had hoped that the population might fall with the introduction of wheelie bins but it seems I was wrong.
BTW Blackmans shut up shop and ceased trading earlier this year.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Weird Granny Slater
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 7 Jun 2017
- Posts: 3,071
Seagulls don't exist; I assume the OP means Herring Gulls, and they're a red list species. It's probably best not to live by the sea or near a rubbish tip if you want to avoid them. I'm more likely to be disturbed by the collared doves cooing on my chimney at break of day.
ray hutstone likes this
'Pass the cow dung, my dropsy's killing me' - Heraclitus
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
Collared Doves are my favourite garden visitors and unlike "Herring Gulls" (a nod to pedantry there) they let smaller birds munch along with them. I will spend the rest of the evening working out what an OP is.
Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,931
one pooped on my head at 0530 on way to work!!
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Pablo- Registered: 21 Mar 2018
- Posts: 614
That’s my time Keef, you’re lucky it wasn’t me!
ray hutstone- Registered: 1 Apr 2018
- Posts: 2,158
We don't invade their territory. We do manipulate their natural environment by leaving our crap everywhere for them to feed on. Hence the change in their behaviour. It's not difficult to understand, for God's sake.
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John Buckley- Registered: 6 Oct 2013
- Posts: 615
ray hutstone wrote:We don't invade their territory. We do manipulate their natural environment by leaving our crap everywhere for them to feed on. Hence the change in their behaviour. It's not difficult to understand, for God's sake.
I would have thought that the “change in their behaviour”, relevant to the local populace, is simply that there’s too many of the bloody things! Likewise, not too difficult to understand I would have thought?
Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
They look after their young a lot better then we do ,and they mate for life, so we could learn a lot from them
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Reginald Barrington
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 17 Dec 2014
- Posts: 3,257
John Buckley wrote:I would have thought that the “change in their behaviour”, relevant to the local populace, is simply that there’s too many of the bloody things! Likewise, not too difficult to understand I would have thought?
The old chicken or egg conundrum.
What came 1st the seagull or the crap they feed on? Difficult one (oh wait no it's not duh...)
Arte et Marte
TheThinWhiteDuke- Registered: 7 Jul 2016
- Posts: 357
Effing gulls. I mean they're beautiful and everything, but how anything that graceful to look at can make such an unholy racket of a noise makes me think evolution messed up somewhere along the line with them. Why can't they sing like nightingales or something?
As a shift worker they suck.
They used to regularly cull them in the '70s didn't they? By going to the nests and blowing the eggs out and leaving the shells?
Can anyone confirm this or is it something I've misremembered/was misinformed about? They were less of a pain and less aggressive then than they are now, weren't they?.
I'm pretty sure they're not that endangered any more. And, if some of the species are, can't we just get rid of those big flipping noisy ones?
Obviously agree with previous posters on the "we ask for it" front. This is every Wednesday night in town. You might as well put out a bird table for them:
London did something about the Trafalgar Square pigeon problem. Why can't Dover do something about these c***s?
(I'd better add: With a touch of sarcasm, for the hard of thinking)
Button
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 22 Jul 2016
- Posts: 3,057
Yes, eggs were made incapable of hatching or were replaced in the nest. Equally, maintenance/development must not disturb nesting birds.
Finally, have you ever spotted the (ineffective) owls on top the Discovery Centre)?
(Not my real name.)
Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
There are to many humans should we cull them to.We live by the sea so you get seagulls
I have just two of them which come in the morning and night there is water for all the wildlife to drink +for the two gulls food is put out for all wildlife in my garden live and let live.
Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,025
Yes and us neighbours have to put up with it .My family were here last weekend and said the noise of the gulls is horrific.The gulls sit in Vics garden and swoop low over my house.I do not appreciate their droppings on my patio.
Sometimes there are dozens flying around.Seagulls belong to the sea not on my rooftop .
Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,025
Stop feeding them and let them go back to the sea and eat fish.There not pet dogs or cats .
Weird Granny Slater- Location: Dover
- Registered: 7 Jun 2017
- Posts: 3,071
Keith Sansum1 wrote:one pooped on my head at 0530 on way to work!!
But just imagine the level of skill involved!
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'Pass the cow dung, my dropsy's killing me' - Heraclitus
Jan Higgins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,879
A surplus of available food and no natural predators is the main reason there are so many and the numbers will keep rising until something is done.
They used to be culled or eggs damaged or taken, unfortunately this no longer happens as it kept the numbers to a more natural sustainable level.
John Buckley likes this
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
Just maybe then the same should be done to us,
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