Seagull deterrents

[He's here!]

Our neighbourhood gets plagued by nesting gulls each year. Noisy and aggressive. Anyone got any (humane) recommendations for keeping them away from our roof? I see fake hawks etc advertised but am sceptical about effective they are.

[Moulin Yarns]

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Our neighbourhood gets plagued by nesting gulls each year. Noisy and aggressive. Anyone got any (humane) recommendations for keeping them away from our roof? I see fake hawks etc advertised but am sceptical about effective they are.

Type of roof is it? Fine mesh netting keeps them from nesting.

[He's here!]

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Type of roof is it? Fine mesh netting keeps them from nesting.

Mostly flat roof. Wouldn't want to risk birds getting caught in netting tho.

[J-C]

Once they nest you can't touch them.

[Alfiembra]

You can buy spikes which make it difficult for them to land but these are generally for pitched roofs, not ideal for flat roofs.
I have a flat in Stonehaven which has a partial flat roof and it’s crazy the noise from them stamping about for months on end during nesting and once the chicks hatch. I’ve described it as clog dancing.
It got so bad up there that the local council sanctioned a cull of the nests in the town a few years ago where they broke the eggs in the nests before they hatched.

[He's here!]

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Once they nest you can't touch them.

Yep, that's why I'm looking to stop them nesting in the first place.

I wouldn't dare go near a nest. The adult seagulls are vicious!

[speedy_gonzales]

The place where I work hires in a guy with a Harris hawk from a pest control company.
As gulls are protected, it's illegal to poison or disturb the nests (Edinburgh council used to hire a marksman that would shoot eggs with an air rifle), but the infrequent presence of a hawk will encourage the gulls to nest elsewhere.
Our building has a large flat roof, it used to have loads of nests, today, their next to zero.
Unsure what it costs but might be worth considering?

[He's here!]

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You can buy spikes which make it difficult for them to land but these are generally for pitched roofs, not ideal for flat roofs.
I have a flat in Stonehaven which has a partial flat roof and it’s crazy the noise from them stamping about for months on end during nesting and once the chicks hatch. I’ve described it as clog dancing.
It got so bad up there that the local council sanctioned a cull of the nests in the town a few years ago where they broke the eggs in the nests before they hatched.

Yes, it's the pre-dawn racket that kills you. They shouldn't be called seagulls any more as half of them seem to live in towns and cities.

I once worked near the harbour in Aberdeen and was more than once hit by seagull s**t, but at least those ones were hanging out where they kind of belonged.

[ErinGoBraghHFC]

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Yep, that's why I'm looking to stop them nesting in the first place.

I wouldn't dare go near a nest. The adult seagulls are vicious!

I was assaulted by a seagull walking along Argyle Street from Glasgow Central on my way to work one day, it was after my McMuffin. Flew straight into my shoulder, the bruise was unbelievable. Vicious indeed.


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[Moulin Yarns]

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Mostly flat roof. Wouldn't want to risk birds getting caught in netting tho.

The Tesco next to mcdiarmid park is covered with netting that is maybe raised above the roof about 1m. Must work for them.

[He's here!]

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The Tesco next to mcdiarmid park is covered with netting that is maybe raised above the roof about 1m. Must work for them.

Yes, it does seem to be recommended as the most reliable solution. Will look into it, thanks.

[Jack]

Snakes!

It's supposed to work and these are actually advertised as doing so. You could also try just painting snake shapes on your roof.

9 Pack Rubber Snake,TPR Realistic Snake Toy Set, Snake Figure Keep Birds Away Bathtub Garden Rainforest Squishy Reptile Fake https://amzn.eu/d/abg5UWu

[Donegal Hibby]

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Yep, that's why I'm looking to stop them nesting in the first place.

I wouldn't dare go near a nest. The adult seagulls are vicious!

I worked in a fish factory in Donegal years ago which was often plagued with seagulls , when walking back from our tea break the manager who's office was up on the second floor use to regularly pop out the window and fire two shots from a shotgun at them , at least I think it was the seagulls and not us for being late back 🤭 .

None of the gulls were ever injured so I always presumed they were blank cartridges . I read about something called the " seagull pro " that puts out like a sonic noise they didn't like though doesn't effect other animals . Don't know much about it in truth wither it's good , expensive or otherwise though maybe another option for you to look into .