Cheltenham’s urban gull ‘egg replacement’ programme is underway

This year for the first time, the eggs will be replaced by dummy eggs which the birds will continue to sit on. This means it is unlikely that they will lay again during the breeding season and so the gull population will not grow. In previous years, the eggs have been oiled to prevent them from hatching.

Sarah Clark, public and environmental health team leader, says: “We have visited the properties of people who have complained about problems with gulls throughout the year, and do our best to control the urban gull population with the budget that we have.

“This year we have been fortunate to have an increased budget in order to replace the eggs - egg replacement means a reduction in the number of hatchlings. There is nothing we can do about live birds, but gulls are at their most noisy and aggressive when they have young in the nest, so they are less of a nuisance if the eggs don’t hatch.”

Cllr Andrew McKinlay, cabinet member for development and safety, says: “Many residents and businesses are affected by urban gulls in parts of Cheltenham during the spring and summer, because of the nuisance they cause. I’m pleased that we’re finding new ways of working to help manage the gull population.”

The council also coordinates an Urban Gulls Focus Group, which is open to interested residents. If you would like to attend, please contact Helen Down on 01242 774960 or email [email protected]

The budget for 2015 has been increased from £5,000 to £13,616 to allow the move to dummy egg replacement. The additional funding has been used to buy the dummy eggs and to hire cherry pickers to collect the dummy eggs at the end of the season. The council is also carrying out a one-off survey of the gull population to measure changes in the number of gulls and review practices.

Further information about urban gull control can be found on the council’s website and to report a nest, please contact the environmental health team on 01242 775178 or email [email protected]

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For press enquiries, contact: Laura Carter, communications officer, telephone 01242 264154, email [email protected]

Notes:
Egg oiling is no longer a used method and has been withdrawn from sale for this particular use.

Other ways of reducing problems caused by urban gulls include bird proofing properties (outside the nesting season). Long spikes on chimney stacks or short spikes on dormer roofs can prevent nesting and nets or wires can stop birds from landing. This should be carried out by a specialist to prevent harm to the birds, but could be combined with other roofing work.

Reducing the amount of food litter available to the gulls and the amount of food which ends up in landfill by using the weekly food waste collection scheme is another way to deter them.