For many years now, the Lesser Black-Backed Gull has begun nesting on the flat roof sections of buildings in and around Edinburgh. As well as creating noise, and physical attacks, gulls spread a whole host of pathogens. Despite gulls being a very public problem, citizens’ success in getting councils to undertake controls have been limited. The Wildlife Protection Act considers that urban nesting gulls are a pest and can be controlled provided the permission of the property owner is obtained and provided the action taken is humane. By repeatedly removing nesting material from roofs from April onwards, gulls will eventually disperse and give up attempting to nest on a particular roof. For more information on this topic, see this longer page.
