“Researchers in the UK studied how European herring gulls (Larus argentatus) in the city reacted to various types of takeout boxes. The gulls were substantially less likely to approach or peck at boxes that had googly eyes attached to them, they found. Though not every bird was deterred, the simple design strategy could help ease human-gull conflict”

https://gizmodo.com/this-ridiculously-simple-trick-might-stop-gulls-from-nabbing-your-lunch-2000742276

You’d think that lunch containers might have evolved this trait on their own, so it must not confer a reproductive advantage…

1 hour ago, swansont said:

You’d think that lunch containers might have evolved this trait on their own, so it must not confer a reproductive advantage…

Hehe. Well something is certainly giving them a reproductive advantage. (says local man who recently assisted in an Earth Week neighborhood cleanup project)

Worth noting re this...

Though not every bird was deterred, the simple design strategy could help ease human-gull conflict, the researchers say.

...that gulls are among those avian species which are pretty smart and have excellent learning skills, like Corvids and Psittaciformes. I give this googly defense system a couple years before all the gulls (and boys) have figured this out.

1 hour ago, TheVat said:

Hehe. Well something is certainly giving them a reproductive advantage. (says local man who recently assisted in an Earth Week neighborhood cleanup project)

Worth noting re this...

...that gulls are among those avian species which are pretty smart and have excellent learning skills, like Corvids and Psittaciformes. I give this googly defense system a couple years before all the gulls (and boys) have figured this out.

I would paint baby lambs' eyes on them and while they are distracted arrange for them to be deported to some shithole country with an alligator pool paid for with crypto.

11 hours ago, swansont said:

“Researchers in the UK studied how European herring gulls (Larus argentatus) in the city reacted to various types of takeout boxes. The gulls were substantially less likely to approach or peck at boxes that had googly eyes attached to them, they found. Though not every bird was deterred, the simple design strategy could help ease human-gull conflict”

https://gizmodo.com/this-ridiculously-simple-trick-might-stop-gulls-from-nabbing-your-lunch-2000742276

You’d think that lunch containers might have evolved this trait on their own, so it must not confer a reproductive advantage…

Not just the Herring Gulls (Larus Argentatus), - you also need to watch out for the Lesser Black Back (Larus Fuscus) and the Greater Black Back Gulls (Larus Marinus) - and never mind ‘Googly Eyes’, you’ll also need eyes in the back of your head to see them coming, as these birds have perfected a Stuka like dive-bomb attack from behind over your right shoulder.

A few years ago my wife and I had just disembarked in Ullapool on the West Highland coast of Scotland after a multi-hour voyage from Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis. Feeling hungry we headed for the Fish & Chips delicatessen on the harbour front where they actually have prominent notices up warning customers about these predators.

We walked out of the chippy and sat down on the steps near the ferry terminal to enjoy the scenic view up the sea loch. I raised my piece of battered cod ,and the next moment it was gone, as a Black Back whistled over my shoulder.

25 minutes ago, toucana said:

Not just the Herring Gulls (Larus Argentatus), - you also need to watch out for the Lesser Black Back (Larus Fuscus) and the Greater Black Back Gulls (Larus Marinus) - and never mind ‘Googly Eyes’, you’ll also need eyes in the back of your head to see them coming, as these birds have perfected a Stuka like dive-bomb attack from behind over your right shoulder.

A few years ago my wife and I had just disembarked in Ullapool on the West Highland coast of Scotland after a multi-hour voyage from Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis. Feeling hungry we headed for the Fish & Chips delicatessen on the harbour front where they actually have prominent notices up warning customers about these predators.

We walked out of the chippy and sat down on the steps near the ferry terminal to enjoy the scenic view up the sea loch. I raised my piece of battered cod ,and the next moment it was gone, as a Black Back whistled over my shoulder.

"Fish and Chips delicatessen" 😆

That's Scotland all right.

32 minutes ago, exchemist said:

"Fish and Chips delicatessen" 😆

That's Scotland all right.

DELI-CA-SEA in the local dialect ;-)

Not widely known but there was a rogue element trained at the

https://www.shieldaiglodge.com/explore/falconry

who experimented with training the local seagulls to identify "foreign tourists" from their head gear and for them to disrupt their fish and chip takeaways with unusual flight paths.

They rationalised this as some kind of a boost to the local economy whilst "protecting" the local inhabitants.

There was talk of a prosecution but they claimed they were "doing the lord's work" and that no training was carried out on the Sunday.

Edited 18 minutes ago18 min by geordief