Seagulls launch ‘coordinated’ attack on families at Easter egg hunt

By Elizabeth Hunter

The public have been warned to be vigilant after seagulls launched a "coordinated" attack at an Easter egg hunt.

The birds were seen swooping and striking at families at the event in a city center, Inverness Business Improvement District (BID) says.

During the Great Easter Egg Hunt, BID ambassador Janice Worthing said her team witnessed 16 gull-related incidents.

She said the gulls reportedly used "coordinating behavior" to strike at kids.

She said: "This included frequent and coordinated behavior from adult gulls, watching for opportunities, calling others in, and repeatedly swooping at and, in some cases, striking members of the public, including young children."

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As gull breeding season has begun, she added: "We expect conflict and, in some cases, injuries.

"Gulls are really quick and can strike suddenly and decisively."

Highland Council has now launched a new reporting tool, where members of the public can report encounters with seagulls and give a date, location and description of the incidents.

The information collected will be gathered "to help support future gull management programmes."

They highlighted that under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, it is illegal to capture, injure or destroy any wild bird, or to damage or disturb their nests or eggs.

A council spokesperson told STV: "The data collected will help determine whether patterns or hotspots exist, and whether certain impacts are more prevalent, such as aggressive gull behavior related to chick protection or behaviurs associated with food scavenging.

"As different behaviors require different mitigation approaches, meaningful and reliable data will support a targeted and proportionate approach to advising on appropriate mitigation measures to reduce negative interactions between gulls and people."