Alv Ottar Folkestad thinks so, he is an ornithologist and part of BirdLife Norway. For a number of years, he has spoken out in the media about what many perceive as challenges in encounters with seagulls.
Arms and umbrellas
– The problem arises when you don’t perceive natural sounds as anything other than noise, especially from the seagulls who have found that the roof of a house is the safest place to place their nests to avoid a number of four-legged enemies, says Folkestad.
It is natural that the parents will warn with sharp noises when the children eventually walk around on the ground.
– But people are frightened and perceive the seagulls as dangerous, especially when the seagulls naturally react to abnormal behavior such as waving their arms or fencing with umbrellas, perhaps wearing challenging gloves. One should consider that the seagulls are used to people and know how they tend to move. If you behave normally, you won’t get much attention from the birds.
– Does the ordinary city dweller have to go by himself?
– Modern man constructs his own problems with an incorrect way of reacting. Let the seagulls do their thing, don’t act threatening.
– Are we alienated in relation to nature?
– It often seems that way, even though here in Ulstein, where I live, and other coastal municipalities, we have a long tradition of being close to the seagulls. I think this should be about seeking positive experiences with nature and turning to being close to it.
Municipality and directorate on the field
Skien municipality is out with seagull advice, led by agricultural advisor for game, fish, outdoor life and the environment, Eigil Movik:
– When the young seagulls fall one after the other from the roof, the parents will try to scare people away, and they are perceived in that context as aggressive.
– Many seagull complaints are caused by seagulls having young or eggs nearby – or by being fed. In that context, it is therefore important that preventive measures to prevent breeding are carried out before the breeding season starts.
– And it must be emphasized that it is not allowed to remove nests.
The breeding season for seagulls is April to June.
Not food
One obvious thing is that larger accumulations are due to special access to food in the area, for example in rubbish bins. The preventive measure will be to remove the presence of food.
The Norwegian Environment Agency is also on the scene and supplements with other preventive measures:
* Talk to the neighbours, agree on what you can accept, plan based on last year’s experiences
* Stretch wires on typical bird perches, cornices, pipes and roof sockets
* Attach fishing lines/thin wire that is strung up on the roof with 30 centimeters between and 30 centimeters up from the roof before nesting
* Varieties with pre-nesting scarecrows
* Facilitate nesting elsewhere by building gull platforms
* Secure pitched roofs with snow catchers/devices that prevent the children from falling to the ground too early. This reduces the challenge of plunging seagulls defending their young on the ground
It is worth noting that now all seagull species are protected. Only two species, black-backed and gray gull, can be felled by the municipality.
