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If you live somewhere by the coast, you are probably familiar with seagulls, They are part of the décor and sadly enough, they can become quite annoying – not only do you find those smelly droppings everywhere, but some of them can attack people for food. Should the pesky birds start ruining your life, you do have a few options. Learning how to get rid of seagulls might be tricky, but not impossible – plus, you are not going to harm them.
Seagulls are quite intelligent and this will work in your favor. Once they come around and find the required conditions, they will stick around for a while. They can adapt to many environments and once they are fed, they will no longer leave. Stop feeding them and they will start attacking people for their food. Luckily, there are ways to keep them away from your home, car or boat. So, what is the best seagull deterrent and what can you do to keep seagulls away? Here are a few good solutions.
Feeding seagulls is the main reason behind the infestation. When learning how to deter seagulls, simply stop feeding them. Without a reliable source of food, they will no longer come back. If you see them around for the first time, you should not even consider feeding them – you will realize what you have done later on.
Now, what if the seagulls around have already been fed? This might be difficult because birds can become aggressive when hungry and they will try to steal people’s food. Remove all sources of food, including feeders for other birds. Food leftovers can also be attractive, not to mention rubbish bins. They will attract seagulls like a magnet.
Your dog could be the best seagull scarer. You do not need to learn how to kill seagulls because it is not ethical – and also illegal in many parts of the world. Instead, you want to get rid of seagulls. If you have a big dog, walk it around infested areas in the morning and the evening. Your dog may chase seagulls away, but make sure it cannot reach or actually attack them.
The point is to show seagulls that there is a predator in the area. They are chased away by the predator on a daily basis, so they will understand the fact that there is a danger around. Chasing them yourself will not really work because most people will not do it, so seagulls are used to humans. Instead, the dog will pose a real threat.
This method doesn't only work for your private property. In fact, a lot of big beach cities have chosen to train dogs to get rid of seagulls at the beach. For tourists those seagulls can be a real nuisance, so now most California beaches are 'equipped' with sheepdog to chase the seagulls away. Besides dogs, other animals like falcons are also trained to keep seagulls away at the beach. Dogs and falcons make tanning in the sun at the beach a whole lot more comfortable for tourists.
You live on the coast, so water consumption should not really be a problem for you. Not sure how to get rid of seagulls? Get a few water blasters that operate with sensors. They are motion activates and they will engage when seagulls fly around or try to land. It will be an attack for them, so they will fly away immediately. It is harmless, but also quite fun to watch.
On another note, this option involves placing the water blasters strategically. You do not want to get splashed yourself while learning how to keep seagulls away. Plus, there should not be too much foot traffic around. If there is plenty of traffic, you might blast innocent people walking around. Figure out how far these blasters go and install them with a plan in mind.
Anti bird spikes represent the most common seagull deterrent for roofs or fences – they work wonders on other surfaces too. Practically, these spikes are relatively sharp – but not razor sharp – and they are stuck to a strip. They can be attached without too much hassle – DIY project. They prevent seagulls from nesting or perching.
They are quite sharp to send a good message, but they are not sharp enough to harm birds. If you only want to chase birds away without killing them (keep it legal and moral), spikes will ensure birds will never hang around the area. Indeed, they may not be very attractive and they might change the overall appearance of your home, but they are only visible from a close distance.
Parallel wires represent a good homemade seagull deterrent when not sure how to scare off seagulls. They work wonders on roofs, as well as other surfaces where you do not want any birds around. Now, there is a drawback – they require a bit of work and they may affect the overall appearance of your property. They imply using parallel wires running across a particular area – seagulls are then stopped.
Bird netting works in a similar way. It may not be the most attractive home improvement project, but at least it keeps seagulls away from many places. It is a mesh that practically prevents seagulls from landing and nesting. It might be tricky to cover your whole property in this mesh, but at least there are certain places you can protect.
Owl eyes and other reflections could be the best seagull deterrent if you play your cards right. Most pest birds are chased away by owl eyes. Furthermore, reflections blind and scare them, so get some of these things around your garden. Still, you need to know that seagulls are quite intelligent, so you always have to adapt. With time, the pesky birds will realize that those owls will never move. They will come closer and closer until they will be right next to them. At that point, their fear has been outgrown.
Your decorations become useless overtime, hence the necessity to move things around every now and then. Move the deterrent once a week to keep the effect up. Such decorative items are specifically made to deter pesky birds. They also look good, so they can go into a nice garden without trying too hard. They are usually built like statues, but their eyes are reflective for a better effect. They are inexpensive and easy to find. When used correctly, a decoy owl is probably the best seagull scarer.
This is a no brainer, but when not sure how to get rid of seagulls, simply make some noise. This is not a long term solution though. This option works when there is nothing else you can do – usually, in the incipient stage of your battle against seagulls. You do not have any other accessories to use and you are sick and tired of those smelly droppings all over your house, yard and car. Therefore, at this point, the best you can do is some noise.
A bit of noise will not really disturb the neighborhood, but avoid doing it at 6AM or so. You need it when seagulls flock. There are more types of noises you can bring in, but cannon sounds and blasting will work wonders in the long run. This is a temporary choice, but it will work until you bring in the heavy artillery.
Interested in how to stop seagulls nesting on your roof? Some bird gel will make your life easier. This gel is a sticky trap that will teach seagulls a lesson. Basically, it is a gel that does not smell. It will not turn your place into a stinky area and it will not alter the appearance of your house. Now, you need to analyze the birds’ behavior. Where do they normally land? Where do they like to nest? Most of them will go on the roof or other similar surfaces – usually, on the edges.
This sticky gel is easy to find in commerce and while it may sound harsh, it will not kill seagulls. It is based on a chemical that comes up with a translucent surface. Once the bird lands, its feet will get stuck in there. There is nothing to worry about – you will not end up with a bunch of dead birds on the roof. Instead, they will break free eventually, but they will struggle a little. Since seagulls are intelligent, this trap will work in your favor.
They will hate going through the same experience again, so they are less likely to land on the respective structure. Some of them will get stuck before the whole lot realizes that something is wrong with the property.
Learning how to get rid of seagulls with zappers is similar to the bird gel option. Basically, you will give seagulls a nasty treatment that will make them run for their lives. It will not kill them, so you are not breaking any laws. But then, you transmit a shocking message that will keep them away from your property. Even if killing seagulls is legal, it is not moral, but too brutal. Plus, you do not want to deal with dead bodies all over your yard – these birds go in flocks and almost never alone.
In other words, do not use a killer zapper, but a mild one. Many zappers can also be lowered down to a safe level. Simply connect a flat strip of a conducted to a pulse. As birds will try to land on it, they will get a mild shock. It might seem brutal, but it will send a very clear message. Some of them will need to get shocked repeatedly to get the message. But as more and more birds will avoid your house, the others will understand why.
Hang around the coastal area, ask around in fishing villages or simply ask your elders. There are more myths regarding what can scare seagulls away. Sure, these villages will never really get rid of these birds. Some myths work temporarily, while others work for your house or small areas only. All in all, the myth about the color red is probably the most popular one out there.
This is more of a legend, but it is totally worth a try. There are elders out there who claim seagulls avoid things that include the color red. There are more theories behind it. Some say that red hurts the seagulls’ eyes. Some others claim that it reminds them of blood and predators. Therefore, they will try to avoid it. There is not much to lose if you give it a try. Paint a red surface or come up with a red cover and see whether or not seagulls land on it. If they avoid it, it might be worth adopting a red theme for your yard.
Lasers make a pretty good choice when not sure how to get rid of seagulls, especially if they tend to hang around your roof. Lasers can be quite effective because they blind seagulls just like they blind people. The piercing light is a seagull repellent that will chase birds away. This method works in the first phase though. With time, some seagulls might get used to the laser, so they could ignore it. Sure, it will still blind them, but it will not stop them from coming back. This method however tends to give better results for keeping seagulls of a flat roof.
Decoy kites are slightly different though and they work just like those owl statues you can plant around your yard. The kite is meant to be shaped like a bird. As the weather is quite windy on the seaside, the kite will fly around in circles, looking like a predator. It deters seagulls from landing, but again, they might get used to it. However, they cannot really stop it to analyze it, so their fear will never really disappear, which makes this an effective way to get rid of seagulls on the roof.
The short answer: no you cannot kill seagulls! For over a century now (since 1918), in the USA seagulls have been protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. This Act makes it illegal to kill seagulls and you can be prosecuted in doing so. Fines are up to $1.000, so killing seagulls is not an alternative. In the UK it is also prohibited by the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981) to hunt for seagulls or to remove their nests. This measure was taken to preserve marine nature life.
But after reading this article, you now know it's not necessary to kill seagulls to get rid of them. Just use any combination of above mentioned methods and I'm sure they will no longer perch on your roof and property.
As a short final conclusion, there are more options to consider when learning how to get rid of seagulls. Sure, you can never get rid of seagulls from a coastal village and they can always come back if someone else feeds them. However, the point is to keep them and their droppings away from your property.
Any of these DIY methods will work – some of them in the long run, while others temporarily. You can always seek some professional help too, but keep everything ethical and avoid killing birds – this is one of the least efficient methods because there will always be other seagulls.
Written by James Laverne
April 16th 2021
Hi, I'm James! With over 25 years of anti-pest experience, I am writing this blog to help you birdproof your home. Get in touch if you have any questions. Happy reading!
2226 Dennison Street
Stockton, CA 95202
209-430-1576
info@Westopbirds.com
