New2view's Blog   Life on The Blue Marble

Let me first say; I truly admire the grace and beauty of seagulls in flight! That said, if you, like me and many, many, others are truly irritated by  their roof-top residency and incessant repeated squawking, seemingly in competition with each other, then I have found at least a partial remedy!

After much relatively fruitless searching on the internet for a DIY remedy.  Most suggestions are intended for commercial purposes such as farming.  But I did learn they have a visual capacity that is superior to us humans. Indeed their eyes are able to detect infra-red or closely related laser light!

This led me to believe a laser ‘pointer’ might be a non-lethal deterrent so I ordered one from Amazon, the kind often used to entertain pets, particularly cats. Evidently ‘green’ laser light is used in sweeping commercial applications, their beam of light being visible to humans also.

However I opted for a cheap $10. red laser pointer to test instead. Focusing on eight story roof edge squawking seagulls isn’t particularly easy, while at the same time avoiding any occupied apartments below them. However I can confirm it actually does annoy them, just enough to cause them to eventually move away  That is ‘provided’ you are able to successfully focus the red pointer laser light on them.

Now my low power Amazon red laser pointer does work even in the daytime, however it is difficult to focus because you cannot see the beam of light, but only its spot on a distant object.  A dusk or dawn when squawking is most likely, this spot is far more visible even at considerable distance, like 300′ or more!

Still by referencing a closer object, even in daylight, such as your roof overhang, as I do, using that as a gun-sight reference, you can have an impact on offending seagulls even then. It may or may not move them right away, but eventually it does motivate them to move, hopefully to a more distant squawking location. And as said, at dawn or dusk it is far more effective.

Please note; I am not a persecutor of any wildlife, yet if it is possible to deter the very irritating noise of competing seagulls, I’m all for it!