General Discussion
The seagulls are becoming more and more of a problem. It saddened me to hear we only have 2 cygnets out of a possible14. It is believed the seagulls are responsible for the disappearience of 12 eggs. They are not just a nuisance in the town but also in our back gardens.
ive been told that they are protected and you cannot shoot them like pigions etc. Why is this ? Surely they are vermin and should be treated as such..
The duck warden such be made responsible for culling them legally
As much as I am saddened about the loss of the swans, I am happy that for once dogs have not been blamed for the loss, although no doubt there will be a u-turn in the next week!
If there are any councilors reading this I would personally like to offer my services as the official Seagull culler of Dawlish free of charge.
I would willingly do this as revenge for them cra**ng on my car every day. Plus I hate the way they look at you on the lawn with those beady little eyes.
Get me the legal permission and I wont let you down
Talking to the duck warden I understand that the number of seagulls used to be controlled by removing eggs from their nests and destroying them - perhaps this should happen again? I understand although they are protected a licence can be issued to do this.
Also due to our over fishing of herring for fish farms the natural food for the herring gull has disappeared - so it looks like we've done this to ourselves.
I wish someone would cull the pigeons. The stench under the railway platform is revolting. must put holiday makers off that are using the beach.
Another problem being the holiday makers feeding the seagulls,no wonder they cant be bothered to go and catch fish like the rest of them. Seagulls are ardent scavengers and some of them are quite brazen,my son had a pasty nicked right out of his hand outside the co op by one.
I wouldnt want to harm any of them and i have to agree with flo to a point,we have fished their natural diet over the years and some poeple are daft enough to try hand feeding them. having said that they are a pest and quite frightening when they swoop down in vast numbers because someone has thrown scraps for just one.
Went to looe and noticed they have a £50 fine if you are caught feeding the seagulls.
It's a shame to hear about the small number of cygnets that have hatched. I have been coming to Dawlish on family holidays since I was 3, and now at the age of 26 I bring my wife and our 3 year old son down every year (coming down a week today, can't wait!). He loves seeing the black swans and feeding the ducks, but is petrified of the bigger seagulls as they swoop for his sausage roll.
Personally i don't think Dawlish would be the same without 'some' seagulls but increasing numbers should certainly be controlled one way or another.
On a slightly different note, are their any locals who could give me heads up as to what the weather has been / will be like? Can never really trust the TV weather news.
Years ago people would not walk around with food in their hand, you would eat inside and the seagulls would be forced out to sea. Seagulls can spot a coach load of visitors ..here comes food time, I saw a family feeding seagulls a few chips and they thought it was fun ..then they decided to stop as there would eat the lot, then wondered why they were being nagged for more!
Weather lovely at the moment, hope you enjoy your stay.
If people feel strongly about the seagulls then it should be taken back to councils to look at the issue. New councils soon who may have different ideas regarding signage, by-laws and fines etc.
Whilst I agree that the seagulls in the current numbers can be a nuisance, I do not appreciate having one shot with an air rifle in the middle of the afternoon right near where I live. It is also breeding season at the moment and the one that was shot is part of a nesting pair. The seagull in question was wounded, it fell onto a nearby roof and was writhing in what I imagine was pain, it then fell off the roof onto the ground, where it continued to try to move around. A gentleman came and removed it.
I myself never feed gulls, I never allow my children to feed gulls and try to discourage others from doing so.
The seaside would not be the same without the sound of seagulls, but something has to be done soon to resolve the problems they can cause without killing them off entirely. People taking potshots at them isn't the way though.
Hopefully the prat that shot the seagull will get his comeuppance. It has to be a 'he' as I have yet to meet a woman who has the slightest interest in rifles and guns, but I could be wrong.
However, I don't think the answer to the seagull problem is to allow idots to shoot them for fun. In fact I would have thought that would illegal under animal cruelty law.
I think the answer is to ensure there are sufficient bins around the town and to fine people who litter or feed them. Also, we have a new generation of seagulls who are used to humans and not afraid of us so we need to somehow fix this.
I also don't like cruelty but seagulls are not like pidgeons,ducks or swans who wait to be fed, seagulls would grab food from your mouth given the chance.
Maybe the answer would be to destroy their eggs, I believe that used to be the case in previous years.
One answer would be to stop them nesting in the first place by putting seagull spikes on roof ridges so they can't land, and by blocking up nesting areas on roofs (wire netting works) so they can't build their nests. We've managed to stop them from nesting on our roof. It's kinder than shooting them!
The council could help by putting up more seagull spikes around town, for example, on the top of street lights, to stop them landing.
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Seagulls are a problem everywhere. I was sat on the perimeter wall around Exeter Cathedral on Good Friday when a seagull swooped and snatched food out of the hand of a lady sat next to me. Shit happens, it won't stop me from sitting there again! Seagulls have always been a pain - it's not a recent phenomenon! :-)