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Not-so-gentle southerners: Holidaymakers warned to watch out for seagulls stealing food – with the winged menaces bolder in Britain’s south than those in the north, a study suggests
- Gulls in southern Britain, especially the West Country, may be bolder
- The greater presence of vacationers may have made the birds less shy
Vacationers heading south for a staycation should look up, as seagulls are more likely to steal your ice cream.
One study found that gulls in the south of Britain, especially the West Country, are bolder than those in the north.
The greater presence of holidaymakers, with their ice creams and fish and chips, may have made the birds less shy, as they are more likely to get their hands on some.
Researchers from the Universities of Plymouth and Glasgow are conducting a project using an app called Gulls Eye, which asks people to record their interactions with seagulls.
The first results show that gulls are less nervous in the south, where they are willing to get closer to people.
A study found that gulls in the south of Britain, especially the West Country, are bolder than those in the north
In Brixham, the popular Devon fishing village on the so-called “English Riviera,” seagulls come within 11.8 meters — less than 40 feet — of humans.
In Plymouth, where the city offers even more fast food options, gulls approach at an average distance of 11.7 metres.
But further north, in Glasgow, they stay on average twice as far away, more than 80 feet or 25 meters from people.
In Shetland this rises to almost 74 meters – more than 240 feet.
Dr. Ruedi Nager, a seabird researcher from the University of Glasgow, who provided the snapshot results from across the UK, said: ‘There is a geographical difference in how bold seagulls are, it seems.
‘They are more willing to approach people in the south and more reserved in the north.
“In the south, there may be more pies and fish and chips eaten, so there’s more profit for gulls.
“But there’s also been a decline in fishing on the south coast, so seagulls can’t get as much food from discard fishing as they used to.”
Pictured in Brixham, the popular Devon fishing village on the so-called ‘English Riviera’, seagulls come within 11.8 meters – less than 40 feet – of people
The Gulls Eye project involves researchers who have previously shown that if you look hard at a seagull, it flies away.
But the Gulls Eye Project aims to make people more sympathetic to gulls, which are often opportunistic because they are hungry.
The Gulls Eye app asks people to note when they see a seagull and estimate how far away it is in bus lengths, measuring about 10 meters or 33 feet in length.
The app is so far used by people in Brixham, Plymouth, Birmingham, Glasgow and Shetland.
The Gulls Eye Project app can be found on the Glasgow University website at www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/gullseye/.
Dr. Naedi said: ‘The presence of human food causes behavioral changes in gulls.
‘Cities are not that different from one of their natural feeding grounds where seagulls keep an eye out from a high place for food waste.
“This change in behavior may increase anxiety and fear in humans, but many gulls still keep their distance, although humans and gulls become more tolerant of each other over time — you do see people sitting at outdoor tables eating with a gull sitting on top of the table next to it.
“Then we want to know if they behave differently with more or less hospitable people.”