Seagulls win round one in robot bird stand-off

The Herald / Ananova ^ | 03/13/2003

[dighton]

An Aberdeenshire seaside town is rethinking a plan to use robots to deter seagulls, after the seabirds ganged up on their fibreglass foes.

Environmental officers strategically placed robot peregrine falcons around Fraserburgh, expecting the seagulls to look elsewhere for a perch.

Each robot - or Robop (Robot Bird of Prey) - can be programmed to perform a menacing repertoire of wing flaps, head turns, and calls.

But the town’s environmental officers found that far from being scared, the gulls congregated together to see off the threat.

Colin Campbell, the council’s environmental health manager, conceded the three-week trial had ended with “a partial victory for the stubborn sea birds”.

He told The Herald: “The robotic falcons had a few teething problems when they were on test with us, some of which were weather-related and others down to the experimental nature of the product.

“However, it seems that the main problem was the sheer volume of gulls that the Robops faced.”

Mr Campbell added a number of ploys had been tried, including moving the robotic birds regularly, but that hadn’t resolved the problem.

He told the paper the search for a solution goes on.

[dighton]

Seagulls put the bite on lunchers

Resort visitors dodge gulls' whelk bombs

[Nitro]

You did know that Seagulls are inhabited by the souls of dead sailors!!

[martin_fierro]

<p. RoBOP

[ricpic]

Boids. Mean vicious boids.

[Sacajaweau]

Here in New York, they built a retention pond in a very exclusive area. Well, they should have added a ship for realism. The birds landed and landed and landed and pooped and pooped and pooped until there was no place to walk. It was one of the best amusements about Town. I believe the Health Department issued a feces warning, the complex hired a dog to shoo the birds and still haven't figured out that the old creek wasn't inhabited by these birds and damming the water was the cause. A cheap way to control stormwater with expensive, repulsive consequences.

[Nitro]

Boids. Mean vicious boids.

I applaud your Brooklyn joke, but I remind you...

you only want to do it once!!

Next time, we don't laugh!!

[dighton]

Boids!

[Jonah Hex]

According to legend, the albatross is the repository of dead sailors' souls.

Seagulls, on the other hand, are like old navy chiefs. All they do all day is eat, s%$t, and squawk.

(First heard from an old navy chief, nat'chery!)

[Fudd]

True story: Mel Fisher had a barge to support his search for the lost treasure ship Atocha (sp?), and being the only dry land in the area seagulls would congregate on the barge and leave a mess. One of the techs on the ship put exposed wires on the rail. When a large number of gulls would gather on the rails, he would connect the wires to the ship's generator, and thousands of gulls would simultaneously fly off the boat. What a sight.

This worked for less than a week. After a couple of shocks, they observed that one bird did not fly away with the rest but just lifted one leg, preventing any current from flowing through its body. Soon, a small number of gulls were doing the same, and it wasn't long before *all* of the seagulls would simply lift one leg when they felt the electricity.

[Conspiracy Guy]

It's a funny thing about brains, they are much more flexible than a chip. If they want to keep the gulls away they have to do something that the birds find repulsive. I find that on picture of Hitlery on a stick in my tomatoe garden keeps crows, bugs, and squirrels away. I do have to clean the picture every now and then because the crows have developed a fondness of dive bombing the picture.

[Nitro]

I only ever made E-5...

I will be the albatross.

Totally cool, sail forever!!!

To be honest I knew a few Chiefs that didn't suck!!

[MassExodus]

"Albatross ... Get yer Albatross!"

"Ah, What flavor is it ?"

"IT DOESN'T HAVE ANY #@*# ING FLAVOR IT'S A BLEEDING SEABIRD!"

"Albatross ! ..."

[thepitts]

This worked for less than a week. After a couple of shocks, they observed that one bird did not fly away with the rest but just lifted one leg, preventing any current from flowing through its body. Soon, a small number of gulls were doing the same, and it wasn't long before *all* of the seagulls would simply lift one leg when they felt the electricity.

Obviously... they weren't using enough electricity.

[Saundra Duffy]

It's best not to mess with mother nature.

[guitfiddlist]

"Albatross ... Get yer Albatross!"

As it squawks to Cleese, "I'm not dead yet."

[dighton]

Do you get gulls in Fresno? I see them from time to time in Visalia, even though this town (like yours) is well inland.

[Darksheare]

Does it come with crackers?

[Rudder]

We have gulls in land-locked south central Ohio