escargot
Disciple of Marduk
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2001
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R4's Saving Species today was about those pesky thieving herring gulls, whose numbers are in decline.
escargot1 said:R4's Saving Species today was about those pesky thieving herring gulls, whose numbers are in decline.
Just shows that fast food is not good for you or gulls! 8)Gulls scavenge fast food in the streets. And yet Herring Gulls are in decline, they are now listed in the Red Data Book of threatened species. What is causing the Herring Gull decline in the UK when so much food seems available.
They've been a problem probably for as long as gulls and humans have existed. They've followed fishing boats for generations, and the bolder individuals would even try their luck on deck if they thought they could get away with it.gncxx said:I was watching BBC Alba's Rock 'n' Roll Years type thing, and they included an article from 1989 about Nairn's seagull problem, so there you go, people have been attacked by gulls for over twenty years now. Or it's been a problem worth reporting on the news for that length of time anyway.
The problem seems to have started with urban rubbish dumps. (Sad to say, it's another side-effect of the human population growth problem.)gncxx said:You expect them to be a nuisance at sea, though, I don't remember all that many reports of them being a nuisance on land, which is why I was interested to see that 1989 report.
Didn't British soldiers in India also use the expression "shite hawks", for the local ubiquitous and enterprisingly scavenging kites (Brahminy Kites??) -- a pun on "kite-hawk"? It would seem very probable that the "shite hawk" is a bird with numerous sub-species throughout the English-speaking world.rynner2 said:gncxx said:They've been a problem probably for as long as gulls and humans have existed. They've followed fishing boats for generations, and the bolder individuals would even try their luck on deck if they thought they could get away with it.
Not for nothing do fishermen call them Shite Hawks! Back in the 70s, there was a fishing boat in Salcombe called Shy Talk!
Didn't British soldiers in India also use the expression "shite hawks", for the local ubiquitous and enterprisingly scavenging kites (Brahminy Kites??) -- a pun on "kite-hawk"?
OneWingedBird said:Didn't British soldiers in India also use the expression "shite hawks", for the local ubiquitous and enterprisingly scavenging kites (Brahminy Kites??) -- a pun on "kite-hawk"?
I believe so, my elderly neighbour recalled them as one of the more memorable things about being there, he reckoned that if you used some cord to tie food to a plate, they would take it plate and all.
Funnily enough, I've tried to discuss them with various Indian people I've known who have always denied all knowledge of them.
Woman tears Achilles tendon in Great Yarmouth seagull attack
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-23285039
Amanda Goodrum said she panicked as the seagull attacked
A woman has torn an Achilles tendon while trying to escape a seagull attack.
Amanda Goodrum, who lives and works in Great Yarmouth, said she tripped while fending off the bird at the weekend.
She says "something needs to be done" about the birds, which market stall holders say have been stealing chips and doughnuts from people.
Great Yarmouth Borough Council said it would consider reintroducing signs asking people not to feed birds.
Jane Beck, head of wellbeing services, said some were erected a couple of years ago but taken down after people complained.
Continue reading the main story
About gulls
Gulls
Gulls evolved more than 15 million years ago in the northern Atlantic
Herring gulls have suffered a 50% decline over the past 30 years
The great black-backed gull is the largest gull in the world
Its powerful beak can smash, stab and tear with ease
Source: BBC Nature
Discover more about gulls
"Seagulls are scavengers," she said. "If they are being fed they will come back and we will see more of them - the key is not to feed them."
Ms Beck said the council had only received six complaints about seagulls, out of about 1,500 calls, in the past two months.
But Ms Goodrum, who works in a shop, said the birds' behaviour was "out of control".
She said she was attacked on her way to buy a pint of milk.
"This seagull swooped off the roof at me," Ms Goodrum said. "I put my hands up to wave it away.
"I turned around and he came from the other side - he was about two inches away from my face.
"I turned around again, panicked, ran and went straight on the floor. I couldn't feel my foot.
"The pain is really, really bad."
Ms Goodrum said she could be off work for up to 10 weeks because of the injury.
Council to hold seagull advice night
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-24592782
The authority said litter attracts the birds
A Devon council will hold a seagull advice workshop to help people who say their homes and livelihoods are blighted by the birds.
East Devon Council said the long hot summer meant seagulls have been a "particular problem" this year.
The authority said it would work with food businesses to keep down the litter that attracts the birds.
It would also issue advice to residents about how to seagull-proof their properties.
Continue reading the main story
About gulls
Gulls
Gulls evolved more than 15 million years ago in the northern Atlantic
Herring gulls have suffered a 50% decline over the past 30 years
The great black-backed gull is the largest gull in the world
Its powerful beak can smash, stab and tear with ease
Source: BBC Nature
Discover more about gulls
Tom Wright, a councillor with East Devon Council, said "We are organising this event as seagulls have been quite a problem and of particular concern to local businesses this year.
"We want to work with local businesses to help them gain a better understanding of what action they can take to reduce the problem.
"I would urge all those on the coast in the food sector in particular to come along and find out more."
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said in August it had been inundated with the highest number of calls from the public about gulls for eight years, and 2013's figures were double those for last year.
A cafe in Teignmouth used water pistols in the summer to scare away seagulls intent on stealing food.
Although the birds are protected, Mark Riddick from the Dairy Maid Cafe, insisted a squirt from the water pistols would not harm them, but "shocks" the seagulls enough to deter them.
The seagull event will be held on 31 October at the council's offices in Sidmouth.
The bastards! I suppose if they can't get pasties they'll go for anything else a human is about to stuff in their face.escargot1 said:
Search on for exotic snake in south Jersey
LOWER TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) - Authorities are searching for an exotic snake in southern New Jersey after it was photographed in a tree eating a seagull.
The sighting of the python, which could be more than 12-feet long, has residents in the Villas section of Lower Township on edge.
Becky Clements tells WMGM-TV (http://bit.ly/1kof0Ft ) she never thought she'd ever see a snake that big in the town. She snapped a picture of the reptile.
Animal control experts have not had any luck finding the snake, which they believe is an abandoned pet.
The sighting comes days after state wildlife officials failed to find any evidence of an exotic snake reported in Lake Hopatcong in northern New Jersey.
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Information from: WMGM-TV, http://www.nbc40.net
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/new_j ... rQ5KS9f.99
At my previous flat I had trouble with pigeons trying to nest on a ledge under my window. I bought a small plastic syringe, and used that as a water pistol to chase them off.