On more than two occasions I bore witness to seagulls aggressively picking apart the remains of a pigeon. Whether said pigeon died of natural causes, or it was taken down in its prime by the bloody thirsty seagull, I will never know. Nevertheless, the murderous stare of that seagull as he savagely made that pigeon his dinner is forever etched into my memory. So it comes as no surprise to read this morning that Balbriggan residents are demanding action as seagulls in the area are becoming more and more aggressive.
According to the Irish Times, seagulls are being accused of creating “uncivilised and dangerous” conditions by residents of the North Dublin coastal town. Residents have also described the efforts to address the issue of the rapidly- growing seagull population as a “total shambles”. To put into perspective just how quickly the seagull population is growing, it's reported there are now 5,000 breeding gull pairs in north Fingal, who will produce 20,000 chicks by the early summer. That's a lot of aggressive seagulls.
There are some seagull sympathisers out there who feel this may be a smear campaign against those who can't defend themselves
My local Greystones guy told me he was very upset by this appalling smear against his cousins in Balbriggan. pic.twitter.com/RlyRmygECa
— Catherine Boland (@BolandCatherine) April 24, 2019
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I stand with the people residents of Balbriggan, something needs to be done to keep these aggressive birds in line. Gulls are the scavengers birds of the sea, or 'sea rats' if you prefer. However, they currently spend more time lurking around the streets at 4 am trying to swoop and rob the chips off an unsuspecting drunk. Groups of seagulls hang around in gangs and display mob mentality.
Out of control, brazen birds are no laughing matter. First, it's our chips, then they move on to petty crime, what's next.
