Sheepdogs
Two of the blessings of winter in a seaside town are beaches empty enough to give the impression of private ownership and the reduction in the number of seagulls. Or at least, an apparent reduction. It’s not clear where they all go, but presumably they move inland in search of kebabs. Unfortunately, there are still enough of them to provide a menace to anyone on a cold walk back from the deserted beach with a finger-warming bag of chips – they can smell salt and vinegar from Eastbourne.
Seagulls are that rare thing: a wild animal whose habitat and food sources mankind has managed to expand, often at a detriment to ourselves. In America, microbiologist Elizabeth Wheeler Alm and her colleagues at Central Michigan University have spent years studying the seagull menace around the Great Lakes region – their numbers have increased by 10 per cent a year since the 1970s. Among the many things they have discovered is that these flying scavengers spread salmonella and campylobacter on the dunes and riverbanks. Not a nice thought for a picnic.
The Michigan team’s raft of suggestions include the use of The results are impressive: a well-trained sheepdog repeatedly chasing the birds off a mile length of beach reduced their numbers in that area by a staggering 99 per cent. Whether Hastings Council would adopt such a commonsense policy seems unlikely; there will always be some residents worried that the gulls might get killed – but as any farmer will tell you, sheepdogs are softies.
One of their less actionpacked alternatives was to don scary masks with frightening eyes – gulls identify staring eyes with predators such as hawks or coyotes. However, despite Hastings residents’ propensity for dressing up and hosting festivals, this one seems really too bizarre.
I might consider plastering a new product that uses ‘optical fire gel’ all over my roof, which looks to the passing human like orange strips but because of their ability to see UV light, to the hovering seagull it looks like the top of your house is on fire. Although on second thoughts, that might just be tempting fate.
Next week: Winner of Best Neighbourhood of the Year. Shock!
Seagulls are that rare thing: a wild animal whose habitat and food sources mankind has managed to expand, often at a detriment to ourselves. In America, microbiologist Elizabeth Wheeler Alm and her colleagues at Central Michigan University have spent years studying the seagull menace around the Great Lakes region – their numbers have increased by 10 per cent a year since the 1970s. Among the many things they have discovered is that these flying scavengers spread salmonella and campylobacter on the dunes and riverbanks. Not a nice thought for a picnic.
The Michigan team’s raft of suggestions include the use of The results are impressive: a well-trained sheepdog repeatedly chasing the birds off a mile length of beach reduced their numbers in that area by a staggering 99 per cent. Whether Hastings Council would adopt such a commonsense policy seems unlikely; there will always be some residents worried that the gulls might get killed – but as any farmer will tell you, sheepdogs are softies.
One of their less actionpacked alternatives was to don scary masks with frightening eyes – gulls identify staring eyes with predators such as hawks or coyotes. However, despite Hastings residents’ propensity for dressing up and hosting festivals, this one seems really too bizarre.
I might consider plastering a new product that uses ‘optical fire gel’ all over my roof, which looks to the passing human like orange strips but because of their ability to see UV light, to the hovering seagull it looks like the top of your house is on fire. Although on second thoughts, that might just be tempting fate.
Next week: Winner of Best Neighbourhood of the Year. Shock!