Some may be very frustrated, while others enjoy the sound and sight of seagulls. Many may also have experienced very close seagulls, especially now in the nesting period, and experience that there are constantly more of them. Just the last one here, there are no numbers on it. – We want to get better figures on how many seagulls nest in urban areas. We intend to do that using a drone. They are now so small that people can fly them in densely populated areas, says ornithologist and conservator at Museum Stavanger, Alf Tore Mjøs. He is in the process of tagging a herring gull outside the Equinor building at Forus in Stavanger. Seagulls can become very active in the cityscape in the summer. Believes the number of urban seagulls is increasing Mjøs believes the urban population of seagulls continues to increase, but so far it has not been possible to count roof-nesting birds in urban areas. According to Vegard Ankarstrand, nature manager in Stavanger municipality, supports this. – It is nesting season, and an increasingly large proportion of the seagulls that nest, nest on roofs. It turns out that it pays more to nest in the cities than on the islands, he says. Nature manager in Stavanger municipality, Vegard Ankarstrand. Photo: Martin Salem / news Now Museum Stavanger hopes to get the Norwegian Institute for Natural Research (NINA) to count them. – It can help to get a better overview of the stock. Now the seagulls that nest in Norway are in such a great decline that it is worrying, and they are red-listed. But we do not have figures on urban-nesting seagulls inside the cities. We have to count them to find out if they are still on the red list, says Mjøs. Many believe that there will be more seagulls in urban areas. But for now there are no figures on that. Photo: Anna Sørmarken Vestly / news However, Mjøs has little faith in that. – I don’t think urban-nesting seagulls make up for all the coastal seagulls that used to exist. But we need correct figures to make decisions within the administration. The numbers don’t have to be so bleak, he says. That’s why the seagulls attack The fact that seagulls “attack” at the end of the breeding season is related to the fact that many young leave the safe roof where they grew up, and end up on the ground. Then the parents immediately become more stressed and resort to skin attacks if people get too close. It is only to scare, and it is extremely rare that the seagulls actually hit people. According to both nature manager in Stavanger municipality, Vegard Ankarstrand, and conservator at Museum Stavanger, Alf Tore Mjøs, nesting on roofs has proven to be very successful for the seagulls. They think it may therefore seem as if there are extra many seagulls this year. Seagulls can actually live as much as 40 years, and therefore learn through a long life. Alf Tore Mjøs hopes to count roof-nesting, urban seagulls to give them a better overview of the seagull population in the country. Photo: Anna Sørmarken Vestly / news This is how they sorted out the problem at Equinor In the first instance, it will be a trial project where they will concentrate on the area of Forus in Stavanger. The aim is to count the seagulls when they are on their nests in the month of May, and in that way count the number of nests. Equinor can be found at Forus. – It cannot be understated that this is challenging. There is a lot of noise, and they defecate quite violently, says Stein Malmberg, HSE manager property operations at Equinor. Photo: Anna Sørmarken Vestly / news But at Equinor they made a move several years ago. After an unsuccessful attempt to scare them with kites, they closed off areas the seagulls were not allowed to be in. – Then we left them alone in other areas. It has been a success. Now the employees can go out to eat, without the seagulls plunging after them. And it has become much more calm, he says.
ttn-69
Museum Stavanger will count nesting seagulls on the roof with the help of a drone – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
