Screeching, defecating terns cause nuisance. Gerrit and Arend guard the birds. ‘We hunted them on the roof ourselves, didn’t we’

Inner city residents of Franeker complain about screeching, defecating terns that breed on flat roofs and caused nuisance all summer. The birds also caused nuisance in the Eemshaven. Bird watchers Gerrit and Arend make a case for the ‘troublesome tern’. “That bird is at his wits’ end. He doesn’t want that roof at all. We forced him to do it together.”

Arend Kuiper and Gerrit Verbruggen take care of the terns, the birds are forced to seek refuge on roofs because their natural breeding grounds have disappeared due to humans. Photo: Catrinus van der Veen

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