Sir, – I find it curious that acknowledging the increased numbers and aggressive nature of urban gulls provokes such smug hilarity if not outright contempt. The increased number of urban gull colonies in Ireland and the UK is readily acknowledged by ornithologists.
It seems at least plausible to me that bad waste management practices and conscious human interactions (deliberate provision of food) have led to a change in size and behaviour of the seagull population, not to mention their feathered counterpart, the urban pigeon.
Anyone who has tried to eat lunch in Heuston Station will be familiar with the pesky pigeons emboldened by easy meals from foolish people who think it’s cute to feed these flying pests. Meanwhile, outside on the Liffey the magnificent cormorants and herons are outnumbered by those awful scavenging gulls. – Yours, etc,
PAUL KEAN,
Dublin 8.