Off the roof (From The Argus)
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Off the roof
3:25pm Friday 30th July 2010 in
I’ve been reading the articles about seagulls – all the do-gooders saying leave them alone, they are protected birds, and so on (The Argus, July 22).
I am a roof tiler and have lived in Brighton all my life. I have been roofing for 37 years and have to deal with these birds every day. They are out of control and now far more aggressive than they ever were.
I live in Hollingbury, and have done for 30 years. Five years ago you never saw a seagull in Hollingbury but the estate is now full of them, waking everybody up at 4.30am. They are coming further inland because there are too many of them.
To me they are just pests and stop me working – I’ve been attacked more times than I can remember. Something needs to be done.
Bob Clarke
Rotherfield Crescent, Brighton
Comments(8)
mtmoocher
says...
8:04pm Fri 30 Jul 10
Security: land-upon!
Christophe Hawtree
says...
10:45pm Fri 30 Jul 10
RottingdeanRant
says...
9:03am Sat 31 Jul 10
Saffron
says...
1:06pm Sun 1 Aug 10
mtmoocher
says...
4:58pm Sun 1 Aug 10
Saffron wrote:Saffron,
I wonder how many of those who adopt a lenient view towards seagulls actually suffer any inconvenience from them. Do they not accept that what Mr Clarke has to suffer from whilst at work is unpleasant? Do they live in areas where the seagulls regularly inhabit and wake the residents with endless shrill cries early in the morning? Or do they have to suffer from numerous pieces of excrement dropped on their vehicles causing damage to the paintwork? Or when sitting in the garden? Or over washing hanging on lines?
I cannot answer for everyone but I live very near Queens Park about 200m from the seafront. Seagulls abound in the area & nest on the roof of many of the buildings. I don't have the inconvenience of birds mess on my car as I got rid of it over 10 years ago & use the excellent public transport system or walk. I can sit in my garden & hang washing out & occasionally there is an incidence. It is an inconvenience, no more! The birds do wake me in the morning & I find it charming & endearing - much better than the smell of barbecues & blare of transistorised music. It is an integral part of living by the coast & we should learn to embrace it & manage our lives better by not encouraging the seagulls to scavenge on our waste or by overfishing depleted fish stocks. If there was less food available for these gulls, their population would diminish accordingly. Don't blame the symptom but address the cause & that cause human.
puddingandpi
says...
6:59pm Sun 1 Aug 10
However, I cannot complain. I moved here, I knew the gulls were here so I can't complain about them (or tourists, foreign students & beggars). But I whinge like a ******!
Andy R
says...
12:06pm Mon 2 Aug 10
Saffron wrote:In answer to your questions (in the order they were asked).......
I wonder how many of those who adopt a lenient view towards seagulls actually suffer any inconvenience from them. Do they not accept that what Mr Clarke has to suffer from whilst at work is unpleasant? Do they live in areas where the seagulls regularly inhabit and wake the residents with endless shrill cries early in the morning? Or do they have to suffer from numerous pieces of excrement dropped on their vehicles causing damage to the paintwork? Or when sitting in the garden? Or over washing hanging on lines?
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, and...er....yes.
But they are all pretty trivial matters and they don't justify a wholesale massacre. The human race's belief that it can just obliterate anything which life even vaguley uncomfortable really is going come back and bite it really badly one day....
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Andy R says...
3:29pm Fri 30 Jul 10