“It’s like something from the movie The Birds.”
It appears that this recent spell of hot weather the country is experiencing isn’t bringing joy to everyone, as flocks of seagulls have descended on Dublin seaside towns and are becoming out-of-hand.
Allegedly, the birds are coming in their thousands to the seaside towns of Howth and Sutton and wreaking havoc with residents and tourists alike.
JOE spoke to Independent Councillor for Howth-Malahide Jimmy Guerin, who has been speaking to residents in the Fingal constituency about the chaos that has ensued upon the birds’ arrival.
“We’re inundated with them as are a lot of the seaside towns in the Fingal area – particularly bad in Howth as we have the fishing boats and it’s a touristy area.
“Another thing – we have an awful lot of nests in the area, so from 4am or 5am every morning the noise [of the birds] is a huge factor. I spoke to a resident last week who actually gets up on a ladder every morning and clears the nests from his home because they can’t stand the noise anymore.
“The biggest problems facing residents at the moment are noise complaints and potential harm the gulls can cause them.”
A number of people have taken to social media to share their experiences with the birds.
https://twitter.com/larssheehan/status/1012764706254348288
https://twitter.com/RyanFarnan_/status/1011194013146337281
JOE also reached Peter Mulligan, a local from the area, who informed us that Howth is the worst affected area.
“Well all I can really tell you is what I’ve seen when I’ve been out in Howth, and that is the seagulls almost dive-bombing people as they come out of Beshoffs and walk along the prom,” he wrote.
“People think this is a novelty and start throwing chips to the gulls, but the gulls are really after the fish and it’s like something from the movie The Birds.
Councillor Guerin believes a lot of this unwarranted activity is down to people sharing food with the animals.
“I think a lot of the contributing factor is people feeding, I’d suggest that they don’t do it and put signs around the place and lay down stricter punishments for those who do.
“I’m not sure if you’ve been out there, but if you were to throw a few chips out for the birds and seagulls swoop down, they are quite aggressive birds by nature and could take out children in the search for food.
“I know myself that one tourist wound up in hospital a couple weeks ago with stitches because a seagull attacked her mouth while she was eating.
“There’s a proposal being run by Fingal County Council at the minute about it. As a councillor, I’d be extremely anxious for the council to get on with their planned proposal.”
The topic was debated by senators in the Seanad yesterday, with a number of government officials agreeing that, even from a waste point of view, the situation has gotten out of hand.
Fingal County Council confirmed to JOE that plans are in place to alleviate the birds’ effect on the town.
“Fingal County Council has commissioned a survey to establish the number of breeding gulls nesting on residential houses and industrial buildings in Howth, Skerries and Balbriggan and the report on the survey is due towards the end of this month.
“Conditions in urban areas have led to an increase in the number of gulls in urban environments, particularly Herring Gulls (Larus argentatus) and Lesser Black-backed Gulls (Larus fuscus).
“Rooftops provide excellent nesting sites that are protected from the elements and free from predators such as foxes and rats. The availability of food in urban areas leads to a high survival rate among the young chicks who generally return to breed in the same colony (town) year after year.
“For most of the year these gulls are fairly well dispersed and look for food out at sea or away from the towns. However, during the breeding season which starts in April or May, the gulls will start to congregate near their breeding sites and build the rooftop nests.
“In June, when the eggs hatch, the adults become very active as the young call constantly for food and become more visible as they look for opportunities to scavenge within the towns.
“The chicks fledge in July and August and by the end of the summer the gulls will again disperse and things quieten down until the next breeding season.”
JOE contacted the DSPCA on how residents can deal with the situation ethically but have not yet responded.
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