On the road with the seagull team: ‘Already 200 reports of nuisance’

Usually it concerns noise nuisance and seagull droppings. Members of the seagull team replace the eggs with fake eggs. The real eggs go to the Vogelopvangcentrum in Ostend to hatch them there. Ghent University conducts research into the behavior of seagulls.

Last year, 60 gulls that were hatched in the shelter received a transmitter when they were released in the Yser estuary.

“We see that most of the seagulls end up on the breakwaters. There are also some birds that sit on the fields when plowing takes place. There are some that end up in the city, but that is a minority,” says PhD student Reinoud Allaert of Ghent University.

‘Living with the seagull’

Ostend started the gull team in 2020. It is no longer the fire brigade but a specialized team that sets out. Meanwhile, six coastal municipalities are participating. The seagull team also gives tips on how to prevent seagulls from making a nest on your roof.

“We have moved away from a conflict model. We have said, we are going to a society model. The seagulls are there, we are also in the city center. And we are going to try to live together in the best possible way,” says Ostend alderman Silke Beirens.