Could seagull hotels make city centres quieter?
Seagulls come to the city because they feel safe there, but they are not exactly good neighbours.
Published
'Rats with wings' that build nests in people's windows, poop all over the pavements, smell, and make noise.
Doesn't sound very pleasant, does it?
But that's life in Tromsø city. People and birds live side by side.
"The seagulls poop and make noise. I have to close my windows to keep them away," says Bjørn-Magne Aspdal.
He is now looking forward to moving out of the city centre.
Researchers are also trying to find solutions. All seagulls are protected, and several are endangered, according to the Norwegian Biodiversity Information Centre.
The seagulls will now get to stay in their own hotels.
A stubborn neighbour
Several different species of seagulls live in Tromsø. Some of them steal kebabs and french fries.
Others eat fish and tend to settle in people's windows, pooping and making noise.
These are called kittiwakes.
"The kittiwake becomes extremely attached to the place where it builds its nest," says bird researcher Tone Reiertsen.
If it settles in your window, you've got a very stubborn neighbour.
Angry people have put spikes on their windows to keep them away.
"But the kittiwake is stubborn, and the spikes are harmful. It steps right through the spikes to reach its old nest," she says.
The researcher has seen traces of blood from them in the snow.
Must be coaxed into the hotel
"I think it's embarrassing if we in Tromsø can't manage to live alongside the seagulls," says Kåre Aleksander Grundvåg.
He is an artist and has worked on creating the hotels.
"Initially, some hotels were set up that didn't work very well," he says.
The artist consulted with bird researchers. What could get the kittiwake to check in?
"The researchers explained that the hotels need to be placed very close to their nests," he says.
They also put old nests on the hotels. This way, the kittiwakes saw that the hotels were safe.
But it would not make sense if the birds stayed in the same spot.
They can be so noisy that people have trouble sleeping at night.
"So it has to be possible to move them gradually. That’s why we put the hotels on sleds," he says.
Climate refugees
The kittiwake first came to the city of Tromsø in 2016.
It is climate changes that is driving them into the cities.
"In the past, they stayed in the mountains along the coast," says Reiertsen.
The weather has become harsher, and there is less food there now.
"Why do they come specifically to Tromsø?"
"They feel safe here in the city," she says.
Here, the kittiwake finds shelter from strong winds and safety from predators – such as the white-tailed eagle.
In the cities, they can lay eggs and increase their population.
"This is the kittiwake's way of adapting to environmental changes," she says.
A success?
Reiertsen believes that the hotels have worked.
"We need solutions that allow humans and birds to coexist. Kittiwake hotels are one such solution," she says.
Researchers have figured out what it takes to get the kittiwake to move in.
This way, they can try to control where the kittiwakes build nests and lay eggs.
"That's the key since they're so focused on returning to the same place," she says.
Bjørn-Magne Aspdal says that the birds are still in the city.
"It's not the seagulls' fault, but it's unpleasant for us who live in the city. They're a bunch of very loud neighbours," he says.
The idea is that the kittiwake hotels will be moved to areas where they will not disturb people.
"It has to be done slowly but surely," says Reiertsen.
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Translated by Alette Bjordal Gjellesvik
Read the Norwegian version of this article on ung.forskning.no
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