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On Jervis Street, Dublin 1.

Tom H writes:

“Seagulls keep banging on my window at 7/8am in the morning waking me up. If I leave them at it they’ll be going for hours. It was funny the first time it happened, but it’s starting to become a nuisance. Someone suggested that they’re seeing their reflections in the glass, but I’m not so sure. Any suggestions?”

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43 thoughts on “Ask A Broadsheet Reader

  1. Garthicus

    I’m having the same problem in our house in Skerries, there’s two seagulls that have recently been tapping at the glass back door, our windows etc, they’ve taken to tipping over flower pots too and are pretty fearless towards humans. I’ve no doubt that they’d wander into the house if we keep the back door open.

    1. Odis

      I recently stopped in Rhos-on-Sea in Wales. They had some some plastic things with 3″ metal prongs coming out of them. A bit like a hedge hog to keep the seagulls of window sills. They only looked cheap, but the owner of the place said they were very effective and they were on a lot of the surrounding buildings.

  2. the good helen

    no. 1 be lucky your still in bed at 7-8am. And no.2 the fact if you leave the for hours they keep going means your likely not out of bed till 10am or so most days, be thankful and accept this as your future!!!!

    1. Grouse

      1) Many people work nights or evenings
      2) Many people work from home (I do)

      You sound like David Cameron trying to build a case for dismantling social welfare.

      1. the good helen

        ok now i know your a troll, No people do not work nights or evenings, this almost never always nearly happens. And no, people do not work from home ever, and I know this because I do not work from home, therefore can only assume the rest of the world is exactly the same as me, therefore yet again, i’m nearly almost completely slightly right in this answer. and No. 3 why didnt you put no. 3 before your 3rd point as to follow suit with your previous points, due to this lack of structure on your point it invalidates the majority if not some or all of your point.

        ps. Can you dismantle social welfare?

    2. TomCo

      There’s this unusual concept you may not be familiar with called a lie in at the weekend.
      Also, I live about 3 minutes from work.

      1. the good helen

        No absolutely not, I don’t ever have a lie on at the weekend, therefore I don’t see why anyone else should so your point in pointless. No one has a lie on at weekends. Please accept this.

  3. Jack Ascinine

    Buy either a model of a bird seagulls fear or put a poster up of a much larger bird in the window and they should cease. Or, if you can swing it, buy a blind and put the pictures of the larger birds on the back.

    1. Dave

      They have a plastic pigeon hanging off the ledge at the front of swan leisure, Rathmines and it seems to be doing the trick.

  4. Sheila

    Probably tapping at their own reflection. Stick something up on the glass on the outside so the can’t see themselves. may only need to be Gull height from the sill.

    OR maybe stick a poster of a big scary cat on the inside. See if that puts them off ;)

    1. The Old Boy

      Anti-bird spikes work like a treat, even if they are a tad ugly. In the alternative, affix the magnetron from and old microwave to the wall beside the window, and wire a switch to your bedside table. That’ll teach ’em.

  5. Dhaughton99

    How the hell can you sleep if your living on jerves street? Must be noisy as anything.

  6. Rob_G

    Put breadcrumbs on the outside of the windowsill; seagulls hate the texture of the crumbs on their little feet, and so will keep away.

  7. figleaf

    That Herring Gull (not seagull – there’s no such thing) is probably pecking the window because it’s seeing its own reflection in the window.
    Stick some decals or sticky tape randomly across the bottom of the window pane to breakup the gull’s reflection in the glass. Tapping will stop so slumber can continue.

  8. Skeptik

    Flock off.
    No, seriously. It’s a company who specialise in anti roosting spikes. Great name for a company.

  9. Mr. T.

    “Someone suggested that they’re seeing their reflections in the glass”

    They’re seeing their reflections in the glass. But carry on wasting your time reading incorrect suggestions.

  10. Angry Bird

    We had this problem because a neighbour would open the window and feed the damn things when they knocked so they tried it at our place. I kept throwing water on them (and swore a lot) and they didn’t come back.

  11. WOD

    Fupping seagulls, the bastards really need to be culled!! That mad fupper of a FF senator was actually on the ball, the only Fianna Fáil policy since the foundation of the state that made any sense..

  12. half baked

    get up earlier than them and start tapping on the window from the inside. see how they like it :P

  13. Ma

    How long have you lived at the apartment? Probably the previous owner was feeding them and they keep coming back. we had a very similar experience when we spend one night at friend’s cottage with difference birds bagging on the window at 7am. We were told the previous owners used to feed them. I would suggest to have some noisy dreamcatcher which makes lots of noise they dont like or time it and wait for them before they come to scare them off.

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