A seagull headcount will likely be carried out again in Dumfries and Galloway following years of measures to combat the bird population.
This comes amid reports from NatureScot earlier this year of seagull numbers significantly declining across the country.
Councillors voted at Tuesday’s communities committee for the continuation of activities including egg and nest removal, and installing spikes on roofs, to manage numbers of the divebombing birds – and hopefully reduce attacks on residents and visitors.
However, some councillors expressed concern about the gulls and the welfare of chicks.
Stranraer and the Rhins Councillor Ben Dashper said: “I was reading this morning that all gull populations in the UK are on the decline now.
“And it does say in the report that they are suffering from things like avian flu, so do we have any information on gull number in Dumfries and Galloway currently – and the effects that our management policy might have on these populations?
“While it is management, I feel there needs to be some sort of narrative around protection as well.”
Sandra Harkness, the council’s community protection manager, explained that a gull count was commissioned in 2020 and there are plans to do another one in the future.
She added: “We are currently in the process of upskilling our environmental safety officer to try to do a future gull count on our own to see what the impact has been on actual gull numbers.
“We are very aware that this is gull management, it’s not just gull control or eradication.
“It’s about managing the population so that they can live with residents in Dumfries and Galloway, and not cause the level of distress that they have been doing.”
Nith Councillor David Slater highlighted that the gull management update report stated that 660 eggs and 320 nests were removed across the region last year.
He said: “Who takes the nests away? Are they trained people, or maybe roofing contractors?
“How do they know how long the eggs have been incubated? It takes 28 days to hatch a seagull egg, and in the last week they are actually fully formed and whistling to each other.
“It gives me the impression that when these eggs are being taken away, they are actually throwing away live chicks.
“The RSPCA don’t approve of it and the RSPB don’t approve of it. But this practice still goes on.
“There’s other methods that could be used. I think it’s a disgrace in this day and age.”
While it is illegal to harm seagulls or remove their nests, an application can be made through NatureScot for a licence to remove the nests and eggs.
Sandra Harkness said: “All of the egg and nest removal that we do is under licence with NatureScot.
“NatureScot are very specific in licensing and we adhere to the conditions that they give us. We also have an environmental safety officer who oversees this work by a contractor.
“I can confirm to my knowledge that no chicks have been removed, it’s been purely eggs and nests.”
