Are seagulls a problem in Inverness?
Seagulls appear to be rife in Inverness this year. We asked for your thoughts on the birds following the “gull management programme” problem being looked at by Highland Council.
Many think the seagulls are a real nuisance.
Tabitha Ramsden said: “I live near the canal and am woken by them every ‘morning’ just before dawn! Summer months are literally torture.”
Leslie Macrae said: “In every bloody town, city, and seaside villages, do not feed them EVER. They are sea birds, not city birds, I do agree a cull is in order, or a way to take their eggs or nesting. They have been keeping us awake from 3am every day over the breeding season right up even after they fledge, total nightmare.”
And Mac Donna said: “One swooped down and took a packet of ham from my trolley recently! Had it opened and eaten in less than 30 seconds.”
Andrea Skinner said: “I have a guest house and several tourists have said the town looks untidy, terrible roads and drains full of weeds! Nothing I couldn’t agree with! Not our usual lovely looking town welcoming tourists. Seagulls are also an issue but maybe prioritise with funds available!”
Shona Mathieson said: “Build a new school. Gulls are the least of the problems. Kids are getting turned away from their catchment schools. Because the schools are fit to burst . Building new houses all the time. But no schools that I know as my daughters have to travel five miles away from their catchment school.”
Patrick Neville thinks that the seagull issue is more environmental.
He said: “Gulls moved into cities because we provide feeding and nesting opportunities and even artificial lighting to extend foraging hours. Our coastlines and seas are not in the condition they once were which further encourages gulls to move toward urban environments. [...] It is misguided to be mad at gulls because people are messy as species and we basically invited this adaptable species into our cities.”
And Suzanne Mackillop is a real fan.
“Nope,I love them!” she said. “They have to get their food somehow to feed their babies.”
Are you a lover or hater?
