Seagull deterrent crews to hit Brighton beach
Called 'Chipwatch', they'll be armed with reflective umbrellas and decoy hawks to stop the birds pinching our food
Last updated 22nd Jul 2022
The Summer holidays are here with many of us set to enjoy the coast across Sussex
But there’s always a risk of having our food stolen by seagulls!
Over half of us have experienced a seagull stealing our food in the past.
According to recent research 44% of us have been concerned that eating outside may result in our food being stolen by a swooping bird.
However, this summer there’s a mobile seagull deterrent crew being launched in Scarborough, called ‘Chipwatch’.
They’re armed with reflective umbrellas, decoy hawks and a unique new seagull distracting track called ‘Bye Gull Bye' , which features sounds of Hawk and Falcon calls.
Popping up on Brighton beach on today (22nd July), beachgoers and holidaymakers can enter the ‘Chipwatch’ zones on a first-come-first-served basis and enjoy their fish and chips and other foods in peace, without the threat of their meal being pecked and pinched.
Why do the Gulls come for our food?
Gulls are what is known as "kleptoparasites".
Like a lot of other bird species, they take food from each other and from other species. Gulls are unusual in that they take food from humans too, as this is unlike other birds – making them the perfect threat to your lovely beach picnic!
Herring gulls live for an average of 12 years. In fact, the oldest recorded age for a herring gull is almost 33 years old – that’s many years of snack stealing.
There are seven commonly found gull species in the UK, with over 50 species of gulls in the world.
Dr Madeleine Goumas, gull expert from the University of Exeter says:
“This is a great initiative to help the public enjoy their Summer holidays without the threat of unwanted birds, all whilst not being harmful to them.
"I partnered with Deliveroo to ensure the track was no harm to the seagulls and to use gull calls to ensure it is effective. Research supports the use of gull alarm calls for deterring gulls.
"This is the sound gulls make when they spot a predator, and it tells other gulls to keep away. We hope this track will allow people to eat their food in peace.”