Llandudno's Seagull Problem

[dwsi]

Was there once a person in the past who's job was to puncture seagull eggs in the nest?

[Blongb]

If all the waist food was put in one place on the Prom "Bingo" no more seagull problem. Live in peace with God's creatures instead of talking about ways to kill them. Do you advocate the stopping of the feeding of the Red Kites in Mid Wales or is that OK because that's a long way away from here. Think about it

[DaveR]

Not a bad idea, BlongB. I take it you'd be happy to volunteer your own front garden as the repository for all the waste food? That way, you can see all of god's creatures up close and personal as they crap all over you... 

[Yorkie]

Not a bad idea, BlongB. I take it you'd be happy to volunteer your own front garden as the repository for all the waste food? That way, you can see all of god's creatures up close and personal as they crap all over you... 

......whilst you are counting the millions of cars emanating from the Great Orme, which with all their fumes could gas the little beggars!   

[Ian]

Hmmm... Seems there are some strong feelings about the Seagulls...

[Ian]

Live in peace with God's creatures

That's an interesting perspective.   I'm just wondering where you can draw the line. Blowflies? Wasps? Maggots? Tse-tse flies? Mosquitoes? Salmonella? Personally, I find the soaring seagull to be a delightful creature, and I love the calls it makes. I'd happily welcome Sea Eagles down here, or Grey Owls but I suspect nature has a precarious balance to strike. Because the Seagull is - at present  - the apex aerial predator, its numbers are increasing.  This morning, I witnessed a territorial dispute between several gulls, a side effect of which was that the birds were flying very fast and low through a lot of people - some of whom became quite concerned. But this wasn't Llandudno; it was Llanrwst, where a lot of Seagulls now reside.  I think something has to be done about the numbers. 

[DaveR]

I was visiting a friend in Denbigh recently and the seagulls have recently started nesting on roofs there, the residents are already growing very tired of the noise and mess.

[Linda]

My daughter keeps chickens , she lives in Conwy where the gulls are nesting all over the roof tops. She recently lost one of the Cockerels in a squirmish with a gull. The cockerel (a white silky) was bravely protecting his hens but he lost the fight sadly a much loved pet (buried not cooked) in my garden) RIP Gandalf ! Now im please to say my daughter has aquired a little brown hen, so tame she even lets me carry her around under my arm when keeping her out of the kitchen.  This little hen has the bravest disposition ever and i have watched her chase all the seagulls off. Shes great as my little grandson can play out again as it was getting a bit dodgy especially if he ran out with some fruit or a biscuit in his little hand.
The seagulls are a problem more than ever before, maybe some of these landfill sites are to blame too.

[Yorkie]

I was visiting a friend in Denbigh recently and the seagulls have recently started nesting on roofs there, the residents are already growing very tired of the noise and mess.

Seagulls are not neccesarilly restricted to seaside areas.  For many years they have been residents
of many of the inland landfill sites in the UK.   I remember when living in the Midlands, the furthest place from the sea in every direction, and the waste dumping grounds were the happy hunting grounds for thousands of them.   They could well have been renamed, Landgulls!

[DaveR]

Whilst walking round West Shore yesterday, I noticed that the model yacht pond was full of gulls. More relevantly to this thread, about 80% of the gulls were young gulls with the greyish markings, i.e additions to the gull population this year. I do think we're looking at a massive explosion in the gull population and it can only get worse and worse. CCBC can only bury their head in the sand on this issue for so long...

[Nemesis]

Do you think the gull population congregate there because of the fact that the pond is fresh water?
I seem to think that there are less swans this year--or were they just missing when I passed?

[DaveR]

Do you think the gull population congregate there because of the fact that the pond is fresh water?
I seem to think that there are less swans this year--or were they just missing when I passed?

I saw about 5 swans when i passed yesterday, so I think they're still about.

I don't know if the gulls mind if its sea or fresh water? I've seen a hundred or more of them sitting in the sea just by the pier recently.

[Nemesis]

I can't imagine that they drink sea water ? Most birds need to drink quite alot, but I don't know much about the habits of seagulls---only the noises in the early hours.
We still have a slight goat problem-- a lone Billy seems to be on the loose in the area during the hours of darkness. Quite off putting when it leaps off a wall in front of you in the dark.

[DaveR]

Gulls can drink both fresh and sea water, as they have a set of glands above their eyes to flush the salt from their systems through openings in the bill.

That goat probably lives in the long grass at the Royal Hotel. 

[Nemesis]

Thanks for the info about the gulls.

I will look for the goat when I walk past with the dog !