Red-billed gull. Photo: NZ Birds Online / Steve Attwood
Gulls are well-known for swooping in and flogging food off plates or picnics, and now they are making a complete menace of themselves in Christchurch's New Regent Street.
Local businesses are being overrun by the red and black-billed gulls nesting on the roofs of buildings along the street, swooping and pooping all over the place.
It is not the first time they have invaded. They started breeding in 2019 in an earthquake-damaged building on the corner of Armagh and New Regent streets.
The problem is both the red and black-billed gulls are protected.
Casey Alderson from Belle Cafe told RNZ's Checkpoint the birds were currently nestling on top of one of the buildings.
"It is definitely safe to go out, but I would almost recommend an umbrella or a napkin or something just in case.
"They're extra protective now that they are nesting. they're actively swooping down and taking food and scraps of everyone's plates."
The gulls were very bold, and over the years had become less afraid of people, she said.
"In the beginning they would kind of stay away when humans were around, but now they're more than happy to swoop right in front of you and grab whatever you have off your plate."
The birds had been excessively pooping on the street and on people, she said.
"It has just covered the floors at the moment. It's pretty horrific to look at, but I guess it's part of having seagulls around, isn't it?"
The situation was making their jobs harder, she said, especially trying to keep things clean at all times.
"Obviously a huge part of the industry is to keep everything very clean and available for food. So, our outside tables, we are having a bit of trouble trying to keep on top of that, especially with how many there are at the moment."
Black-billed gull. Photo: Left - Chick with crash helmet Photo credit Derek Brown DOC and right Black-billed_Gull_By Paul Davey edited by UserTony Wills - FileBlack-billed Gull (5).JPG, Public Domain, httpscommons.wikimedia.orgwindex.phpcurid=22704018
The gulls were currently nesting on top of Bell Cafe and Casa Publica, two restaurants and cafes that have outside seating. She said the gulls were affecting all the cafes down the street.
"I assume the bars in the evening too will come across the same type of problems with these seagulls at the moment.
"We can see them perched on the edge of the roof. But at the moment they're at the top of a specific building, right in the middle, so you can't see them from the ground, but you can definitely hear them."
She reckoned there were at least 100 gulls on top of the building.
"They're just getting louder and louder, more of them nesting, and I'm sure they'll get even louder when all of the eggs hatch as well.
"They do tend to fight for the scraps as well, there's lots of birds fighting around the place as well. Some of them are eating better than others."
The birds appeared almost immediately, she said.
"It's not very nice for our customers to come in and see bird poop everywhere, or have to protect your food that's in front of you from them as well.
"We do let our customers know that if you do leave food scraps or even if your plate is not directly in front of you, just to be aware. But it's not a nice thing to have to remind everyone - you shouldn't have to have your dining experience while you're washing away seagulls."
The cafe had used different measures to try and deter them over the years, but nothing had worked so far.
"We've done a scarecrow, we've had fake birds that bobble around to try and scare them away, we've tried to have a frequency playing. We've even spoken about some lights flashing as well. But at the moment we haven't come up with a proper solution yet."
She said the birds were smart, and it was hard for the cafe during the times that they were protected.
"Usually from October through February they have to stay in their spot, but the rest of the year is the time that we can try and put down some preventative measures, so they can maybe go back to the beach."
Checkpoint put the issue to Christchurch Council and the Department of Conservation (DOC) which both agreed - having the gulls nesting in New Regent Street was not ideal for either people or the gulls. Unfortunately, there were no easy solutions to encourage them to nest elsewhere.
They said making sure there were no food scraps left around for the gulls to scavenge, and clearing rubbish bins helped, and if gulls were showing interest in building owner's rooftops, they could remove nesting material from their roofs twice a day.
Black-billed gulls and red-billed gulls were both "at risk - declining" and were protected under Aotearoa's Wildlife Act.
DOC said ultimately, building owners were responsible for maintaining their properties, and the council said currently there was no health risk, but it would look to get a contractor to inspect the area and if needed, clean the footpath.
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