Pacific Grove Uses Birds of Prey to Prevent Seagulls From Nesting on Rooftops

KSBW ^ | Apr 8, 2024

[nickcarraway]

The city of Pacific Grove began an abatement effort to keep seagulls from public places within the city by using birds of prey.

On Sunday, the city said they are using birds of prey to deter birds from "nesting on rooftops, rummaging through trash, littering, and leaving unwanted droppings."

This is an effort to minimize inconveniences for locals and tourists, said the city on a social media post. The city says falconers will be on patrol with Harris Hawks and other birds of prey in the coming weeks.

The city listed the following benefits for deterring seagulls from rooftops:

Keeps nesting birds from expensive rooftop equipment areas and HVAC units

Keeps rooftop clean from contaminants that could enter the storm drain

Reduces the need for rooftop cleaning

Gets rid of smells

Minimises bird noise

More information on Pacific Grove seagull determent can be found here.

[nickcarraway]

The seagulls there are aggressive. Usually they just try to come around when you are eating, but a couple years ago I was at Lover's Point, and it grabbed a part of a sandwich, just as I was putting a bite in my mouth.

This reminds me of when they were building the Chrystal Palace in 1851 for the Grand Exposition, and Queen Victoria was worried about sparrows roosting inside, and the Duke of Wellington told her, "Sparrowhawks ma'am."

[married21]

At the Terrenea Resort in Palos Verdes CA, birds of prey guard the patio by the pool.

[sasquatch]

Used to work in Moss Landing. A favorite sport was to lob a rock at roosting gulls as someone came out a door. They’d take flight and the first thing they’d do is lighten their load.

[x]

Every day is a good day for falconing.

I guess because falcons have to eat a lot and retail prices for mice are going through the roof.

[DoodleBob]

Skinner: Well, I was wrong. The lizards are a godsend.
Lisa: But isn't that a bit short-sighted? What happens when we're overrun by lizards?
Skinner: No problem. We simply release wave after wave of Chinese needle snakes. They'll wipe out the lizards.
Lisa: But aren't the snakes even worse?
Skinner: Yes, but we're prepared for that. We've lined up a fabulous type of gorilla that thrives on snake meat.
Lisa: But then we're stuck with gorillas!
Skinner: No, that's the beautiful part. When wintertime rolls around, the gorillas simply freeze to death.

[Myrddin]

My wife is a master falconer. One of her apprentices had a good business going using his birds of prey to keep birds clear of airport areas. Sadly, her apprentice took the mRNA injection and has assumed room temperature prematurely. It's a viable way to clear out pest birds. Harris hawks and peregrine falcons are bird eaters and very useful for the purpose. I accompanied my wife on a drive from San Diego to Sacramento where we coughed up $800 for a Harris hawk from a breeder. The bird was acting a bit "loopy" on the drive home. We took it to our local vet. $250 later the bird passed. The breeder called and informed us that his entire brood (our bird included) were infected with malaria. He refunded the $800, but we were out the vet bill and travel expenses.

[Myrddin]

I guess because falcons have to eat a lot and retail prices for mice are going through the roof.

My wife keeps her snakes fed with a combination of live mice from the local pet shop and frozen "pinkies" from a commercial supplier. When she was actively hunting with her big female Red Tail, the bird caught all it needed. The important part to remember is the hunting raptor needs to be fed and weighed daily to keep it at optimal hunting weight. Too much food and they fly away. Too little food and they aren't strong enough to hunt on their own. We haven't resumed keeping a raptor because both of us had too many commitments with our employment.

[DiogenesLamp]

Pacific Grove Uses Birds of Prey to Prevent Seagulls From Nesting on Rooftops

This idea was discussed in one of the finest American Thinker essays I have ever read.

"Pigeons, Rats, and Democrats."

"Solution one was to buy Peregrine Falcons that eat pigeons. Solution two was to subsidize homeowners and business owners for "pigeon proofing" their properties. Solution three, increase the fines on people who feed pigeons in non-designated pigeon feeding places."

[woodbutcher1963]

I still remember witnessing a little girl carrying a piece of pizza on a paper plate at Hampton Beach NH. Her mom had bought it for her about ten seconds earlier.

A seagull swooped down and snatched up her slice in such a practiced smooth motion I was sure he had done it many times before. She immediately started crying.

[woodbutcher1963]

I was at a resort in Cabo San Lucas a few years ago. About three times a day there was a guy who walked around the pool area with some kind of bird of prey.

It kept the starlings and iguanas at bay. It would take off and fly around the pool area. I never saw it catch anything but others said it occasionally would catch an iguana out in the open.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

As long as the raptors don’t eat the butterflies!

[ProtectOurFreedom]

I just looked up the Terrenea Resort in Palos Verdes. Wow, what a gorgeous place!

[ProtectOurFreedom]

I just put up two fake Great Horned Owls to keep the Northern Flicker woodpecker from sounding his mating rat-a-tat on my metal chimney caps. Didn’t work.

Mating season is winding down and he isn’t showing up so much. But for a solid month, fifteen minutes of noise at 6:30 am and again around 5:00 pm. I hope he finds a girlfriend soon.

The noise in the house is deafening because the metal flue is a perfect noise channel right into the fireplace.

[Hot Tabasco]

Air rifle enthusiasts would have a field day on those roof tops........Treat them (gulls and pigeons) like they do the iguanas in southern Florida.

[where's_the_Outrage?]

I like on Lake St Clair and while there are a good number of seagulls around, I can normally see them across the canal standing on rooftops the scatter when people get close. Think they are used to being shot which literally makes them gun-shy.

[monkeyshine]

I guess that makes it a no small pet zone, too.

[DannyTN]

Seems a little excessive, but okay.

Are these captured Birds of Prey or are we importing Klingons now?

[Seruzawa]

I hope they use big Hawks because Seagulls aren’t exactly pushovers.

[woodbutcher1963]

I built a timber frame pavilion a couple years ago. Then put a couple fake owls on each end truss to keep the birds from building nests up in the rafters. They fly right underneath them and immediately built a nest on the top of the ridge beam.

[1Old Pro]

fake owls

Had one on by garden post, an Osprey would visit daily and sit there, hoping for a date I think.