Is Dublin city in a seasonal onslaught of seagull noise pollution?

Ronan.p

The last two summer's I have noticed that seagull noise at early morning time has been on the increase in the greater south Dublin city area. Has anyone else noticed this problem?
Is there anyway to cull seagulls?

Larianne

Yes, the bastards are waking me up every morning now! :mad:

It's only been in the past week though. It's not because I've the windows open the past week. I sleep with my top window open all the time.

P.S. I like how you posted a pic of one, just in case someone didn't know what you are talking about. :pac:

HeidiHeidi

Well if there is, I'll offer to help :mad:

These feckers set up shop on the roofs across the road from me and screech from dawn for about two months every summer - it'd drive a saint to drink.

I'm told it's because it's the nesting season, and they're all busy being uber-protective. Or something.

And don't get me started on the magpies chattering wildly on the telegraph pole outside my bedroom window :mad::mad::mad:

I'm all for wildlife, but I like a night's sleep as well!

Cookie_Monster

Ronan.p wrote: »

Is there anyway to cull seagulls?

there are plenty but not legal ones, in fact I believe several species are endangered and protected.

starviewadams

Gulls eggs have just hatched in the past week or so,so they are very protective of their nests and are searching for more and more food to sustain themselves and their new chicks.

Ronan.p

Your totally correct cookie monster but it seems the large gull with the yellow beak are the ones in full voices and in larger numbers due to there aggressive nature.

RATM

I think a part of the problem is how waste is disposed by restaurants / take aways in Dublin city centre. I've a mate who lives in Temple Bar very near a well known kebab shop and I can confirm that seagulls like kebabs just as much as the general population does. I've seen huge fat seagulls twice their normal size in Temple Bar due to the amount of junk food they are eating on a daily basis.

I don't know what the rubbish collection times are in the city center but some food businesses put their waste out way before the pick up time and this encourages seagulls to have a feast. These gulls should be out at Dollymount or Howth chasing field mice and fish, not hanging around rooftops in Temple Bar waiting to pounce on another bag of kebabs and chicken fillets.

gurramok

Don't live near sources of food(those restaurants) or live near rivers, canals or by the sea, then your problem is solved.

Hownowcow

The gull shown in the picture is a herring gull. While they are a seabird they also live in cities. Tall buildings are probably cliff in their eyes, and they nest on a number of them around the city. Most people in Dublin don't appear to pay much heed to them until they are in close proximity and then can be quite shocked at how large they are. They are opportunists and will eat almost anything. Years ago I saw one of them take a duckling in Stephens Green.

The noise they create is very irritating, they can be aggressive and in large numbers quite threatening. I believe a number of councils in the UK have taken action against them.

I love the description, earlier in the thread, of the fat seagulls. In the words of the song "everybody knows fat birds don't fly".

Duggys Housemate

gurramok wrote: »

Don't live near sources of food(those restaurants) or live near rivers, canals or by the sea, then your problem is solved.

Unless you live in Bath England, nowhere near a coast.

They are encroaching, these gulls. I worry for the people of Navan.

gurramok

Duggys Housemate wrote: »

Unless you live in Bath England, nowhere near a coast.

They are encroaching, these gulls. I worry for the people of Navan.

Where I am, you'd be lucky to see a gull, crows and magpies rule the nest here

When I last lived in Ringsend, the gulls were everywhere with hardly a crow in sight!

Miss Lockhart

I live in Lucan and they are very prevalent here. The racket they make in the early morning is incredible and it is definitely increasing year on year.

Bath in England is really plagued by them - you can hear them no matter where you are morning, noon and night. I'd hate for Dublin to get that bad.

ProudDUB

No way is it a seasonal thing. I love to sleep with my windows open, and one of the reasons I moved away from the IFSC was to escape the year 'round racket from the seagulls. The bastids would wake me up at 4am, regular as clock work, all year around. I live in Sutton now, right beside the sea, and I hardly ever hear them. I see them often enough, but I hardly ever hear them. Go figure !

tricky D

ProudDUB wrote: »

No way is it a seasonal thing. I love to sleep with my windows open, and one of the reasons I moved away from the IFSC was to escape the year 'round racket from the seagulls. The bastids would wake me up at 4am, regular as clock work, all year around. I live in Sutton now, right beside the sea, and I hardly ever hear them. I see them often enough, but I hardly ever hear them. Go figure !

Try living the other side of the hill. It's much different to Strand Road for example. The reason you get so few is there's nowhere near as much scrap food available unlike Howth with plenty of scraps from restaurants and other rubbish, whereas Sutton is almost totally residential in comparison. Their main food source in Sutton Creek would be the likes of crabs from under seaweed clumps when the tide is out. There's also better nesting available in Howth. As for seasonality, gulls, especially the herring gulls, as in the OP, have been at it for the last 2/3 months at almost any hour of the day. The noise can be something else and they are often so drunk on hormones. After the shagging, comes the chicks with the noise they make and their parents protecting them and the nests. It's a nightmare if they manage to hatch one anywhere near your house.

loveisdivine

I find human noise pollution much more irritating, loud and never ending. If people were not so dirty when it comes to their own waste then there wouldn't be so many gulls.
One of the main reasons they are here is because of all the food. They will go wherever they can get plenty of easy food and whilst people continue to drop their litter/uneaten food on the floor and business's leave their refuse on the street then there will be animals waiting to take advantage.

I do feel for you though. Most sunny afternoons in our back garden are ruined by the screaching of children and subsequent "telling off's" by the parents. I wish we could cull that noise off too.

chris_d

i live in a top floor apartment in the north inner city. i think they are awesome.

look at the head on the fella on that picture there, proper mental.

and they are massive.

more wildlife.

gctest50

Could be worse

GHOST MGG

lol..thats one of the funniest things ive ever seen ^^^

RATM

tricky D wrote: »

Try living the other side of the hill. It's much different to Strand Road for example. The reason you get so few is there's nowhere near as much scrap food available unlike Howth with plenty of scraps from restaurants and other rubbish, whereas Sutton is almost totally residential in comparison. Their main food source in Sutton Creek would be the likes of crabs from under seaweed clumps when the tide is out. There's also better nesting available in Howth. As for seasonality, gulls, especially the herring gulls, as in the OP, have been at it for the last 2/3 months at almost any hour of the day. The noise can be something else and they are often so drunk on hormones. After the shagging, comes the chicks with the noise they make and their parents protecting them and the nests. It's a nightmare if they manage to hatch one anywhere near your house.

I heard the Sutton seagulls are a better class than the seagulls over in Howth, is there any truth in that ?

goose2005

Maybe we could set up some sort of employment scheme by getting junkies to keep hawks.

ProudDUB

RATM wrote: »

I heard the Sutton seagulls are a better class than the seagulls over in Howth, is there any truth in that ?

The Sutton seagulls are loike totes amazeballs, loike roysh ! I feed moine points of Heino roysh

I've always lived in Howth and I don't hear the seagulls.

Every person who has every stayed in my house claims they've been woken and tormented by seagulls, but my ears seem to just filter them out, so it's not that they don't make noise, it's that I just don't hear them (similar to not smelling fish very well, whereas many people who visit Howth claim the whole seafront smells of fish...).

I think they're kind of cute as long as they're not in large numbers (and as long as I'm not trying to eat a bag of chips). They run along my roof and sometimes they come to the back door and knock with their beaks for some scraps.

HeidiHeidi

They're building up to a racket of epic proportions around my way lately..... they started at 5.30am this morning, and a bit later I could hear what sounded like a HUGE gang of them screeching away nearby - thankfully far enough away not to keep me awake, but I felt very sorry for whoever's roof they were on!

In a normal "summer" I could just close the windows, but not an option these days (a good complaint )

finch

I just moved to the blackpitts area, dublin 8 and every morning at 5.30 they are screeching their heads off. I want to move again its awful. I used to livein Rathmines and never had noise issues. I thought it might be a bit noisier in town but not fro the birds

mrDerek

cull seagulls because you cant get a nights sleep? lol go and ****e, maybe where you live the seagulls are the main noise causers but where i live D20 its all types of birds making noise i just get on with it, besides i prefer birds chirping to the poxy arsehole 2 doors down with the dodgey alarm

on a lighter note some giant ass seagull was teasing me dogs after landing in the kids pool and didnt shift for a good 30 seconds dont think the dogs knew what it was they are used to the much smaller magpies taking the piss with them

I thought I was the only one annoyed with the them. They're up at 5.30 every morning in Ballsbridge screaming their heads off and flying around the place for no reason. I saw them in the pond in Stephen's Green last week, pretending to be swans, dirty rotten b*astards!

kylith

If it's not the gulls it's the magpies in my area. Driving me flipping mental from about 0530 onward.

wheres me jumpa

Getting the same in Beaumont. Last night seemed particualarly bad.

scarlet_mandy

Beaumont is particularly bad, where we are anyway, had me up at 4:30 last week a good few mornings :-( this is with tripple glazing and windows closed. Can't sleep coz too warm, open window and it's too loud, can't win!

wheres me jumpa

scarlet_mandy wrote: »

Beaumont is particularly bad, where we are anyway, had me up at 4:30 last week a good few mornings :-( this is with tripple glazing and windows closed. Can't sleep coz too warm, open window and it's too loud, can't win!

Triple glazing, very fancy, I suppose you had your butler go scatter the seagulls?!

Strumms

Last few nights in Glasnevin have been mental.. I don't sleep to well in general and with the heat like most people need the windows open... The last few nights and Sunday night in particular sounded like a full on battle of the skies from about 4am onwards. And the ****ers shat on my car !