Inner city nuisance birds

[harmonicanick]

Crows, gulls and pigeons I mean. Loads of them, making a lot of noise early in the morning, and scraping sounds on the roof.

It's really getting on the nerves..

I don't think there is much we can do about it??

Nick in Bristol

[Fauna]

Originally Posted by harmonicanick

Crows, gulls and pigeons I mean. Loads of them, making a lot of noise early in the morning, and scraping sounds on the roof.

It's really getting on the nerves..

I don't think there is much we can do about it??

Nick in Bristol

Hi Nick...welcome to WAB.

Don't think there is much you can do...you could always take up Yoga?

Regards Chris...

[PMG]

Wear wax earplugs (Boots Chemists) thye don't remove all noise but they do dull it down to an ignorable level: I put mine in during the whole of the school hols when the kids are playing and shouting at the top of their lungs - up and down the street for hours - talking absolute garbage which drives me mad - in go the earplugs and if neccessary cos windows are open in hot weather - on goes classic fm! I never sleep without them - I would be awake at the slightest sound if I didn't wear them - keep a stock in!

Pauline

[Rye]

This issue would be nowhere near as bad if people first of all stopped dropping food for them. Also 2 other methods which I believe should of been started years ago are flying birds of prey such as Harris hawks around the town to scare the vermin off, or at least to knock their confidence. Second of all nests need destroying and the eggs need pricking.

[tigertom]

Originally Posted by Rye

This issue would be nowhere near as bad if people first of all stopped dropping food for them. Also 2 other methods which I believe should of been started years ago are flying birds of prey such as Harris hawks around the town to scare the vermin off, or at least to knock their confidence. Second of all nests need destroying and the eggs need pricking.

Correct problem would not be as bad without the waste from fast food outlets being dropped on streets. but which birds would you target by pricking eggs and destroying nests, town pigeons I could maybe live with but crows gulls and others I could not.

[posie]

Hello Nick, and welcome to WAB..
You could consider moving out of town a bit..only trouble is you would have to put up with the noise of cows mooing, or rather yelling in a mooing way, when their offspring are taken away, or when they are giving birth...Sheep baa-ing for the same reasons, tractors from dawn to dusk, even after dark, owls calling at night, etc..
.I did read somewhere that a plastic model of a bird of prey on roof has been tried, and was quite effective..I believe a Borough Council did it...maybe get in touch with your Council, see if they will provide some, or at least see if they have considered the idea.
As Rye and tigertom have said, it is food which attracts them...same with RATS, only thing is that while the birds are mopping up the food, maybe there won't be so many rats.. though I doubt it..Posie

[leon_heller]

I feel privileged to have a breeding pair of Herring Gulls living with me, they have nested on the balcony outside my top floor window for two years running and spend most of their time here. They are noisy, but I find their behaviour, and that of the chicks, quite fascinating. Even though I live by the sea, some people here don't like them.

[posie]

Originally Posted by leon_heller

I feel privileged to have a breeding pair of Herring Gulls living with me, they have nested on the balcony outside my top floor window for two years running and spend most of their time here. They are noisy, but I find their behaviour, and that of the chicks, quite fascinating. Even though I live by the sea, some people here don't like them.

Have you got any pics of the gulls nesting?

But with ref to the OP's plight, maybe your gulls don't scrape the roof at daybreak, when all..(sorry..SOME) sensible peeps are still trying to stay asleep for a couple more hours..

Posie

[leon_heller]

Lots of pics:

Gulls (2011) - a set on Flickr

Here are last year's:

Gulls (2010) - a set on Flickr

They sometimes wake me up at dawn with their very loud calls, but they don't usually start up until later. They drive away any other birds.

[posie]

Originally Posted by leon_heller

Lots of pics:

Gulls (2011) - a set on Flickr

Here are last year's:

Gulls (2010) - a set on Flickr

They sometimes wake me up at dawn with their very loud calls, but they don't usually start up until later. They drive away any other birds.

Maybe you could rent them out to the OP with the problem, or perhaps he could tempt some gulls onto his windowsill to live, might solve his problem..