Working in partnership for the people of Herefordshire
Office Tel No: 01432 261761
Email: info@herefordshire.gov.uk
Report on seagulls in Hereford City 2010
Report on seagulls in Hereford City 2009If you need help to understand a document, or would like it in another format or language, please call 01432 260500 or email info@herefordshire.gov.uk
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Seagulls
Background
Over the past 20 years, herring gulls and lesser black backed gulls have moved inland to nest. In 2009, it was estimated that Hereford had approximately 400-500 breeding pairs.
Both species begin mating in April and commence nest building from early May. Two or three eggs are laid from May onwards and take about three weeks to hatch. The first chicks are seen at the beginning of June and don't leave their nests for 5-6 weeks. They begin to fly in late July and take about four years to reach maturity and breed.
The gulls mainly nest on the flat roofed factories in the north of the Hereford city and in Rotherwas, although colonies have also spread to some of the city centre shops, houses and hotels.
Damage and nuisance
Many people who have gulls on their property find they cause a nuisance. Commonly cited problems include:
- Noise, caused by calling gulls and by their heavy footsteps.
- Mess caused by their droppings, fouling on washing, gardens and people.
- Damage to property, caused by gulls picking at roofing materials and by nests which block gutters or hold moisture against the building structure.
- Diving and swooping on people and pets. This usually occurs when chicks have fallen from a nest.
- Blockage of gas flues by nesting materials. This can have serious consequences if gas fumes are prevented from venting properly.
Legislation
The council has no statutory duty to take action against gulls.
There are, however, powers available to the council and others to take action. The purpose of this section is to provide advice on the law, but it is a guide only and is not meant to be authoritative.
The principal legislation dealing with the control of birds is the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Generally, it is illegal to capture, injure or destroy any wild bird or interfere with its nest or eggs. The penalties for disregarding the law can be severe.
The law does, however, recognise that particular species of common bird, such as herring and lesser black backed gulls, can cause nuisance and allows measures to be taken against such birds in limited circumstances.
Action can only be taken under general licences made under the 1981 Act for the purpose of preserving public health or public/air safety, preventing the spread of disease or for preventing serious damage to livestock, foodstuffs for livestock, crops etc. An offence would be committed if action could not be justified or defended for any of these purposes.
Only the owner or occupier can take action against gulls nesting on their buildings. Alternatively they can give someone else permission to act on their behalf.
Any action taken must be justified in terms of the law and can include:
- The killing or taking of gulls.
- The damaging or destruction of their nests.
- The taking or destruction of their eggs.
Action taken must be humane. Any inhumane method which could cause suffering would be illegal. The use of poisons or drugs to take or kill any bird is specifically prohibited except under very special circumstances and with a government licence.
In practice, there are very few humane methods to kill birds which are likely only to affect that particular species and skill and experience is needed to deploy them. The council is particularly keen to discourage shooting of gulls.
For more information on discouraging seagulls visit the Seagull prevention and deterrence page
The council’s approach
Since 2007, the council has had a stakeholder forum, to continually review the situation of nesting gulls and their related nuisance. This has included consultation with the public, businesses and experts in the control of birds.
Consideration was given to the various measures for controlling gulls that were available within the constraints of a government licence. The main measures for control are culling, nest removal, egg removal, disturbance, proofing and education.
In 2008, the council entered into a one year contract for the removal of gull nests in Hereford City for the period from April to August.
In 2009, the council renewed this contract for three years - 2009, 2010 and 2011. Again this was for the period April to August for the removal of gull nests in Hereford City.
The contract is currently with Falconry Pest Control Services. Their website is:
http://www.falconryservices.co.uk/
The service is operated at two weekly intervals by two contractors working in a van with a lift. At present this service is free to all, provided that the roof is accessible and the work can be done in under one hour.
When comparing the seagull data from 2008 with 2009, we have seen a marked decrease in the number of nest and egg removals. This tends to confirm the effectiveness of the strategy so far undertaken. However, the council will review this strategy on a yearly basis via the stakeholder forum. It is our intention to place annual reports on our website to provide more detail on this.
During the peak season, our operatives can remove and dispose of up to 20 bags of seagull nest waste a day from Hereford's rooftops.
For further information about seagulls in Hereford City, download the 2009 and 2010 reports in the resources box to the right of the page.
Contact details
You can contact us to report a nest on 01432 261761 or via info@herefordshire.gov.uk