Is it legal to shoot Seagulls?

I'm actually contemplating doing this... Every morning for the last week or so a Seagull and crows have pecked on my bedroom window at 7am and 9am. It wakes me up too. Usually my blinds are closed and as soon as I check it they/it flies away.

Is there anyway to stop them doing this or will I just have to shoot the feckers? Or leave Poisoned Bread on my windowsill?

And does anyone have a reasoning for them doing so?, I don't live near coast and its rather annoying. Any help would be appreciated...

mikemac

You must live near the coast!

I'd be interested to know why do they do it.
Which way does your window face. Dunno, maybe the morning sun reflects off it

Just throwing that out there, could be a nonsense idea

Nerin

Heres a link to the EPAs protected species info.

Interceptor

Seagulls are a protected species and it is illegal to harm them. 7am and 9am - sounds like they are trying to listen to the news.

I reckon they are pecking something off your window - find out what it is and remove it.

You could put strips of plastic (black bin liner?) over your window to scare them away.

How would you feel if someone poisoned or shot you for being annoying?

'cptr

Interceptor

Interceptor wrote: »

I reckon they are pecking something off your window - find out what it is and remove it.

There's the putty or whatever its called on the rims of the window, maybe they're picking that off, although I don't think its smart to take that off...

Interceptor wrote: »

You could put strips of plastic (black bin liner?) over your window to scare them away.

Not very appeasing to the aesthetics is it though?

Interceptor wrote: »

How would you feel if someone poisoned or shot you for being annoying?

I'd feel nothing, as I'd be dead...

mikemac wrote: »

You must live near the coast!

I live in Glasnevin... unfortunate I know.

mikemac wrote: »

I'd be interested to know why do they do it.
Which way does your window face. Dunno, maybe the morning sun reflects off it

I honestly do not know which way my window faces... Towards my back garden?

Your second point could actually be true... although it hasn't happened before and I've lived here for years.

Wolfsberg

Get yourself a naff plastic owl from a garden centre, put it on your window ledge (outside). You will never have another bird land on it again.

A few years ago my brother had a problem with flocks of crows landing in his back garden and pulling apart his bins. There is a forest behind him where thousands of them congregate. He put a fake owl on his back wall and since then not a single bird has landed in his garden.

cloudy day

Crows picked the putty off my Mum's window of her house in the city. They love it.

What about using something to imitate gunshot noise. Would that work.

Wolfsberg

cloudy day wrote: »

What about using something to imitate gunshot noise. Would that work.

... In Glasnevin, between 7am and 9am every morning. Not very appropriate, I should think!

mikemac

Wolfsberg wrote: »

... In Glasnevin, between 7am and 9am every morning. Not very appropriate, I should think!

Gunshot noise?
Nope, wouldn't be tolerated in Glasnevin.
Now if the OP lived in Finglas.... :pac:

Anyway, I'd say the Tolka would have something to do with why seagulls are going so far inland to you.
I used to live in Drumcondra, hated the feckers

GLaDOS

Get a scarecrow/seagull

Kev.... Imagine how awkward that would be to place outside my bedroom window.:mad:

westwicklow

We had this problem. To stop it, we stuck an A4 size picture of a cat (don't laugh!!) inside the glass....problem solved!!

rediguana

I think the real question should be: Can I legally shoot guns in built-up urban areas?

I used to have a similar problem with magpies. They would congregate early doors outside my bedroom window and sing their not-so-beautiful song. Strangely, their squaking infiltrating my sleep would always result in my dreaming about dolphins, as opposed to magpies.

Either way it was quite disruptive to my sleep, but the problem was adroitly solved when I bought a Bazooka on ebay and blew the feathered ruffians to kingdom come.

Interceptor

rediguana wrote: »

I bought a Bazooka on ebay

Oh now you're just being silly :pac:

'cptr

ratsam

I too had a problem with magpies pecking at the rubber seal around the edge of the glass in my windows. I now have 4 cats and no magpie problems...!

Rats

cloudy day

rediguana wrote: »

I think the real question should be: Can I legally shoot guns in built-up urban areas?

I used to have a similar problem with magpies. They would congregate early doors outside my bedroom window and sing their not-so-beautiful song. Strangely, their squaking infiltrating my sleep would always result in my dreaming about dolphins, as opposed to magpies.

Either way it was quite disruptive to my sleep, but the problem was adroitly solved when I bought a Bazooka on ebay and blew the feathered ruffians to kingdom come.

Call me Socket

If a noise immitating gunshots wouldn't be appropriate or tolerated, then surely the resulting noise from the act of actually shooting them wouldn't be either?!
Anyway, if you shoot/poison them you're only stopping those particular birds from doing it again....others will come, and if you get rid of them there'll be others afterwards....and others. You can't kill the whole seagull and crow population. What you need is a deterrent, and you got plenty of suggestions from other posters....a picture of a cat, a black bin liner, a fake owl....all humane deterrents that work. Why not try them?

EDIT: Just wondering....if the birds take off when you go to the window, how do you propose to open the window without disturbing them so you can shoot them?? Or are you planning to shoot them through the glass (in which case you'll end up with a black bin liner anyway!!!:D:D:D

tk123

Call me Socket wrote: »

IOr are you planning to shoot them through the glass (in which case you'll end up with a black bin liner anyway!!!:D:D:D

LMAO

I live in Glasnevin and have them on the roof but never at the window. Just as well cos my cat would go mental. I think the fake bird is the way to go. Do you have a webcam - you could set it up on the inside to see what they're pecking at?

Maybe this has only just begun as my cat died last year? They're at my bedroom window, They're pecking at the glass...

Nothing else.

The thign is the seagull doesn't move easily. I am to spray it tomorrow with DEO or something.

Dusty87

In relation to the fake owl, i would have thought this would attract territorial magpie's. I know of hunters who do this. I havn tried it first hand though

Demonique

Interceptor wrote: »

How would you feel if someone poisoned or shot you for being annoying?

'cptr

Imagine if that was legal, there wouldn't be a skanger left in the country

Eh, if they're pecking at your window, why dont you try getting up and scaring them off when they start pecking?