Wing attack! Council chiefs in Devon spend £15,000 on 'super falcons' to frighten gulls

By Catherine Eade

Published: 12:46 EDT, 13 March 2014 | Updated: 06:00 EDT, 14 March 2014

Tourist chiefs in Devon have come up with an novel idea to attract more visitors to three of its coastal towns during the spring and summer months.

Specially bred ‘super falcons’ will be used to try to stop seagulls from disturbing residents and visitors in three seaside towns.

Councils in Exmouth, Sidmouth and Seaton in Devon are splashing out £15,000 in an effort to stop the 'nuisance' gulls from nesting and fouling buildings.

Gulls on film: Council chiefs are hoping that Exmouth seafront will soon be a place where residents and visitors can stroll or sunbathe without fear of being dive-bombed by seagulls

Waiting in the wings: A peregrine falcon

The birds they will use are a cross between a peregrine, a gyr and a saker falcon, according to falconer Jonathan Marshall.

‘Peregrines are the fastest flying predators, gyr are the largest and saker are very aggressive and persistent, which make a manmade super falcon,’ he says.

Swooping gulls are annoying at the best of times, but during mid-May to late July, when fledglings have hatched but are not yet able to fly, adult gulls become highly territorial and protective of their young, and have been known to carry out vicious attacks on humans.

The Royal Mail had to temporarily halt deliveries to a peaceful  cul-de-sac in Cornwall not so long ago due to dive bombing seagulls attacking their postmen.

The falcons will fly three times a week, at different times of the day, until the end of July, when the nesting season finishes.

But don’t worry, an avian bloodbath isn’t on the cards in the skies of Devon. Killing or harming most seagulls is illegal without a permit.

‘Seagulls are petrified of them, but the birds don’t kill the gulls - that isn’t the idea,’ said Mr Marshall.
‘Their very presence is enough to scare the seagulls and prevent them from nesting.’

If the weather is poor, Mr Marshall will use a falcon-shaped kite in an attempt to unsettle the gulls.

Sidmouth tourism committee chairman Simon Pollentine says the gulls often disturb people who are eating outside. Everyone has a story about seagulls stealing food
‘If we can deter them it’s all for the best,” he said.

Feathered unfriends: Seagulls have been known to carry out vicious attacks on humans

The problem has become so acute in certain areas that a number of towns have tried deterrents in the past. A similar scheme was introduced in Scotland five years ago by Dumfries and Galloway Council, although it was later abandoned when the number of nesting gulls increased.

Other schemes have included egg-oiling, high-frequency sound systems, rooftop spikes, electrified wires and netting the gulls. 

The RSPB said it was unsure how effective the falcons would be.

'We wait with interest to see whether the 'super falcon' is super enough to give Exmouth, Seaton and Sidmouth’s gulls a fright,' said the charity’s representative Tony Whitehead.

'In my experience, gulls are not the most timid of creatures - they’re also intelligent and may simply clock what’s going on.'

He welcomed the councils’ plan to distribute leaflets to hotels, restaurants and cafes asking people not to feed the gulls.

'While throwing chips and bread to our feathered seaside friends may provide temporary amusement, please don’t, it just encourages them,' he added.