How smart are seagulls

Z

zooman

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
Looking for some help to settle a discussion.

Staying in bath with a lovely family. Bath has. HUGE problem with seagulls, has anyone any thoughts solutions?

Apparently a very serious problem.

My hosts are telling me that seagulls seal revenge on people who throws stones hm are saguls this mart?
 
Looking for some help to settle a discussion.

Staying in bath with a lovely family. Bath has. HUGE problem with seagulls, has anyone any thoughts solutions?

Apparently a very serious problem.

My hosts are telling me that seagulls seal revenge on people who throws stones hm are seagulls this smart?
 
The seagulls at Paignton Zoo are incredibly quick to spot an opportunity to steal a sandwich: you really have to concentrate on guarding your lunch.

Alan
 
on Llandudno sea front I have seen them steal food from children - in a group of people they always appear to choose the smallest member of the party to thieve from (cones of chips are their favourites) which implies some kind of thought and decision making process being undertaken.
 
karoocheetah said:
on Llandudno sea front I have seen them steal food from children - in a group of people they always appear to choose the smallest member of the party to thieve from (cones of chips are their favourites) which implies some kind of thought and decision making process being undertaken.
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I was followed along the sea front by a huge flock of gulls at Llandudno one evening. There are signs on the pier warning people not to feed them, but it is quite unnerving sitting there looking at gulls ready and waiting to pounce on any food dropped onto the floor.

They were also nesting on the hotel roof, I've never heard such a racket. As soon as a gull called, others would take up the cry, all night long; for seven days!

I think they take food from small children by reasoning that the smallest victim will be the weakest
 
There is no doubt that large seagulls are powerful birds that can be intimidating.

About twenty years ago I was walking along the coast; not far above my head was a ledge in the cliff where a herring gull was nesting. Presumably protecting its nest, the herring gull flew down, landed on my head with considerable force and jabbed me with its beak. This resulted in quite a long deep wound that bled profusely; it would not stop bleeding so I had to go to hospital to get it stitched (and have a tetanus injection too). When I arrived at the hospital, with my shirt soaked in blood, the medical staff didn't believe me that it was caused by a seagull!
 
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i do think alot of these gulls that have no fear of us are ex rehab ones , i keep many captive and rescue gulls and they do lose there fear of us after a while , as for protecting there nest iv had a Canadian goose chase me through a wood at Leeds castle in kent a few years ago and that sure meant business , gulls are very adaptable any food source that is available they will sure find it, they could show ray mears a few tricks on survival,
 
I have a nice tale to tell on my smart, revengeful seagull. Wild seagulls would never take on humans because they know they wouldn't stand a chance, but my Miss G is spoiled of course.

So we attend the MixTape in a club every 2 months, and they know Miss G there and love her. She is allowed to run free backstage, on the PVC in the office there. In April a guitarist/singer joined us to rehearse his act, and he seemed to have rushed in too hasty, so Miss G got quite a bit upset. At first she watched him from the distance, while he was doing his act, but then she came closer and tried to bite his legs. I scolded her, "You DON'T BITE!"—she protested, so I added: "I put ya in the box!" She then started crying and that way she certainly wins for it breaks my heart. Is that a smart little personality or not?

Wild gulls are more realistic, they will crap- or vomit-bomb you if getting too close to their young, but they do not attack humans directly. They do steal because they know we're usually not as fast as they are. But humans steal as well if short of food.
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* I have to add, the young artist then went on rehearsing in the corridor, for Miss G's sake, although I asked him to stay, because Miss G can't get her way in such a case. Oh well!
 
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Let me add this: Years ago she played with a little plastic lobster. So I pointed at her lobster on the floor, then at her water dish, saying, "Put the lobster into the water!" She took the little plastic thing and dipped it into her drinking water. LOL
 
zooman said:
Bath has. HUGE problem with seagulls, has anyone any thoughts solutions?

Apparently a very serious problem.

My hosts are telling me that seagulls seal revenge on people who throws stones hm are saguls this mart?
Click to expand...

I'd like to hear, what exactly those seagulls did there, because I'm very suspicious the story might by overly exaggerated by those people you talked to. The gulls probably do steal from tourists, as they do around the world. Fight for survival 24 hrs. daily is tough. Pretty much all you think about is find food. I guess this is the whole story in that bath.

Even my vet told a ridiculous story to her nurse, who stuck out her finger: that Miss G would be able to bite a finger off (which is bunch of hooey of course). Most humans tend to tell exaggerated tales at times.
 
very good , they are smart birds we have a one legged herring gull we released last year and every day 730am and again at 4pm she is back here for bread and fish and a wash in our big duck pond , they really are smart birds , you story is great lets hope more do the same good on you ,
 
leigh catherick said:
we have a one legged herring gull we released last year and every day 730am and again at 4pm she is back here for bread and fish and a wash in our big duck pond
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I'm still pondering your story--you practically have a flying outdoor cat, who strays and comes home twice a day. That's wonderful!
 
she is a star here , we rescue a fair few herring gulls each year and re release them some go strait away and a few hang around for a few weeks but now we take them to ramsgate harbour were there is plenty of food for them and a very safe environment , apart from peggy we had one other called kipper who came home for a few months then made his way in the world , its a great working with them we have a lesser black backed that is a none releasable that starred in a tv ad here a few months ago he will do anything for sprats , he was hit by a aircraft on Heathrow airport and lost half his wing but he does just fine with his other none releasable friends ,
 
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