In mid-April, the breeding season for Herring Gulls and Lesser Black-Backed Gulls will begin. This is especially noted in my current hometown, Leiden, the Netherlands. The gulls are known to cause a great nuisance for the residents of Leiden.
Not only is the great amount of noise caused by the birds in the breeding season a big problem, but their behavior can turn aggressive. Because the birds are protected by the Dutch Flora and Fauna Law, they cannot be harmed or disturbed, and certainly not hunted.
As a result of the many complaints received each year with regard to the gulls, the city of Leiden has tried experimental methods to reduce gull-annoyance in past years. For example, models of birds of prey were hung in various parts of the city. In 2004 the city stretched wires over certain buildings and areas that were known to be favored by the birds for their nests. This only resulted in the birds finding alternative spots for their nests; in Leiden there are an estimated 100,000 possible places for gulls to nest.
Therefore it is up to the citizens of Leiden to try and reduce the nuisance caused by the gulls. The city recommends that the birds not be fed. The amount of garbage on the streets must be reduced. Garbage bags left on the street are a big attraction for gulls who are searching for food. Garbage is picked up four times per week in the city center, where the most gull-related complaints originate. Citizens may also place anti-gull wiring on their own rooftops, but as experience has shown this will do little to displace the greater gull population of Leiden.
In our neighborhood in the north part of Leiden we hardly notice the gulls at all. They land on our rooftop and those of our neighbors, but sitting benignly on our homes is hardly a nuisance. A few times we have even seen them on our bird feeder; while this was enough to frighten away the doves which usually hang around our terrace, it didn’t bother us at all. Last year, in fact, on a few occasions we bought some cheap loaves of white bread with the express intention of feeding the acrobatically flying gulls who hang out around the moat which encircles the center of Leiden. With the increased attention paid on the “annoying” birds, however, that’s probably not such a good idea anymore.
Source: Broedende meeuwen in Leiden
