Squawking down in town

Wednesday 10 December 2014

Never mind tweeting, the Environment department have something to shout about – they’ve managed to almost halve the number of seagulls flocking to roofs in town.

They’ve been working for the last sixteen years to try and encourage gulls off the streets and back to the Island’s cliffs and it’s paying off - the latest numbers show urban nests are down 42% since 2000.

And that will be music to the ears of those living in town, fed up of their noisy neighbours.

This spring the department urged Islanders to check their roofs and get licensed pest controllers to remove any nests before there were any eggs or chicks in them.

At the time Natural Environment Officer David Tipping said: “If we prevent gulls nesting on our roofs, discourage those people that persist in feeding them and stop food waste on the streets, herring gulls would revert to a more natural diet and in time we hope this will lead to birds returning to the cliffs and a reduction in urban gull populations.”

There are three species living in town – the herring, the greater and the lesser black-backed gulls.

Herring Gull numbers have been declining in Jersey and all around the world. A law was introduced in the Island back in 2000 to protect them and their nests, eggs and chicks.